Why Discounting Your Real Estate Agent Could Cost You More Than You Save

There is one question that comes up in almost every listing conversation, and Brie Stephens understands why sellers ask it. What is your commission? That question is fair. It makes sense. Selling a lakefront home is a significant financial transaction, and sellers want to understand every line on the closing statement.



But the conversation that follows is the one Brie finds worth addressing directly.



"They want to go with us for a reason," she says. "They see the value we bring. But then they come back and say their competitor is willing to do it for less, and they want us to match that."



Brie Stephens leads Lake Life Realty at Compass, the top-performing lakefront real estate team in New Hampshire's Lakes Region. She has heard this conversation enough times that she now addresses it head-on, because she believes the framing of the commission question misses something important.

When you hire a professional for any specialized service, rates vary. That variance exists for a reason. A contractor who bids dramatically below everyone else on a project is not offering the same service. The same logic applies in real estate, especially in a market as specific and high-stakes as Lake Winnipesaukee.



Brie's point is not that cheaper agents are bad people. Her point is more practical than that. If an agent is willing to discount their own income before the negotiation even begins, what does that signal about how they will negotiate on your behalf when it actually matters?



"Would they for their livelihood discount that so much?" she asks. "What makes you think they're gonna vouch for your property sale more than their own livelihood?"



It is a question worth sitting with. The moment in a transaction that defines the outcome is not the listing appointment. It is the moment a buyer's agent pushes back on price, requests concessions, or tries to chip away at value after an inspection. That is when your agent's willingness to hold firm, to push back, to advocate, becomes the whole ballgame. An agent who entered the relationship by giving ground on their own compensation has already shown you something about how they negotiate.



Lake Life Realty specializes in luxury waterfront properties on Lake Winnipesaukee and throughout the NH Lakes Region. This is not a generalist brokerage that occasionally lists a lake house. Brie and her team live and breathe this market. They understand the difference between a protected cove and an exposed shoreline. They know which docks support which boats, which properties have grandfathered rights, and what a buyer is really picturing when they say they want the Lake Life.



That depth of knowledge is not priced the same as a general real estate license. It should not be.



Brie Stephens was named to NAR's 30 Under 30 and has closed over $128 million in lakefront property sales. Those numbers reflect not just volume but a consistent track record of getting sellers the results they came for.



"You hire us to get you the best results," Brie says. "Even if it costs you more, the net is still higher."



That is the framing that matters. Not what you pay your agent. What you walk away with.





Sellers focused only on the commission line are looking at the wrong number. The number that matters is what lands in your account at the close of escrow. A skilled negotiator who holds firm on your asking price, pushes back on inspection demands, and markets your property to the right buyers at the right moment will put more money in your pocket than the agent who saved you a point and a half on commission but left tens of thousands on the table.



Brie is straightforward about this because she believes sellers deserve to understand the full picture before they make a decision they cannot undo.