I’m making a few assumptions: 1) at least some buyers and sellers will accept much less agent handholding than commonly assumed, 2) the primary value that agents add is a) pricing guidance and b) advising clients on offers and counter-offers, and 3) there’s no truly compelling reason why North America has the highest average commissions in the rich world.

Expect to spend a considerable amount of your time speaking to people.Expect to work dozens of hours/week with little to no immediate result.Expect most of your early interest from potential clients to come from your sphere of influence.Expect to go 3-6 months without getting paid (unless you do rentals which usually pay faster)Expect to be bombarded with distractions - mainly, people/companies marketing to you so that you choose their system for quick and easy buyer or seller leads.

Buyer of note thinks seller still carries the insuranceWe sold a loan once to someone and a few months after we sold it the buyer of the loan called us asking for a copy of our insurance.

Or if you plan on staying in the property for a while, some people aim to just pay less than their current rent.In a real estate market where housing affordability is a major concern, house hacking actually stands out as an even more valid strategy than ever for buyers.

Solid 2-4 unit properties are so scarce in these areas (~21 sales in last 12 mo between the 2), the market simply doesn't allow a buyer with a low downpayment to enjoy any "income" out of the gate.

That being said, most originators are hit with a clawback penalty if you payoff your loan within 6-9 months, meaning that the originator has to repay all commissions and fees to the buyer of the loan if you payoff the loan within that period.

Interestingly, right after accepting that offer, another buyer reached out with an even higher bid.

Clearly the buyers do not value them the same.  

@Anna Davis - I agree with Stuart that most properties at Auction need some level of work, especially for a retail/consumer buyer.

Real- Estate  is a lot tougher game now because of technology now allowing buyers, sellers to access the market using the internet without using agents but  you do have hot areas that can support  more bodies .