Should it cost 8 -10% to sell my rental property?

[Josh Splawn]

I have had one rental property in Idaho for 14 years and a second home that is an Airbnb for less than a year. I have never sold a house before so I was a little surprised to get an estimate from my agent that it would cost me upwards of 8% ($17k) to sell the home. I completely understand the value and ease that a good agent brings to the table, but at the same time, leaving that money behind will hinder my ability to move forward with scaling up into a down pmt. on a multi-family or portfolio purchase. I have read a few posts about these concerns and I get the feeling that there aren't many options available that won't leave me scatterbrained or with less money. Something tells me that 17k could easily become 20k when everything is said and done. 20k is roughly 10% of the current value of the home. Does it really cost 8-10% to sell? I applied for a heloc on the property , but my DTI was too high because of the debt on the second home and really I would just prefer to sell the home at a discount, just not 17-20k. Better options or bite the bullet?