Here's something I haven't seen much of before — a trend?

The builder/owner of 41 Lockwood Lane priced it at $2.495 million and put it on the market for two weeks back in 2018. That didn’t work, so he pulled it, and has returned today with the same house but a new price: $2.995. Nothing wrong with that; it’s a different market, and though I personally am not in love with this home’s architecture or location, who cares what I think? — he might well get his price.

What caught my eye was that he’s placed the house with Homelister, one of those package-deal realtors that, for a very small fee of maybe a couple of thousand dollars will post your house on the MLS, provide some professional photography (these look good, in fact) and offer the limited services of a licensed agent; you pretty much take it from there.

The listing offers “cooperating brokers” — meaning the person who finds a buyer — a 3% commission, so God bless Homelister, but will this business model work? I did find one so-so review from another town, another seller, but that’s hardly definitive, so I’ll wait and see.

My own guess is that our current 5% commission rate is bound to fall, eventually, and much to my personal regret, but will saving a bit less than 2% in exchange for taking on the responsibility of pricing, showing and negotiating the sale of her home persuade the average Greenwich homeowner to abandon the traditional brokerage system? I’m doubtful.

Here’s how this listing describes the process to brokers:

Limited Service Listing. Please contact seller for showings at [xxx] . Please send offers to: offers@[xxx] also to seller at:[xxx] Offers reviewed Mon-Fri, next business day. You may negotiate with seller directly, seller may opt for us to handle paperwork. We must be listed on sales contract.