I'll start with the Axios interview I gave back in December and was published in January  Case and point, the low skilled Agents will be pushed out as there is now less low hanging fruit out there for them.The Elite Agents who have been superior to the low skilled Agents in everyway except for the willingness to work for a low wage, will no longer have to compete with 1,000's of low skilled Agents offering their services for a much lower price than the Elite Agents.Fewer low wage Agents means all that money rolls right back up to Daddy.

And those who do end up learning marketable skills generally leave, eventually, for Bakersfield, Lancaster, Palmdale, L.A., etc.  

I just got off a call with a sales rep for Real Estate Skills and the program is $7,800.

Only if you have the skills to do it well.

We messed around with having low skill or runner type of people sitting there, but then they were not 100% sure to talk their way through scenarios nor did the inspector have any rapport with these people.  

but there are missing pieces of information that would make this a great or not-so-great idea, like your skill set, the amount of time you can dedicate to RE weekly..

However, if you're not willing to pay, then what you're likely to get is an agent that is desperate for a client, doesn't have a lot of experience, and is obviously unable to negotiate for their own commission, so how do you expect them to negotiate on your behalf during the sale with those same inadequate negotiating skills?

About agent commission – yeah, the seller might save, but a skilled agent can often score you a lower overall price, even with their cut.

This response is predicated on the experience, skill and knowledge of the appraiser assigned, but an experienced, knowledgeable and skilled appraiser "should" do the following.

To be fair, plenty of part time agents with a low skill set are selling plenty of homes.