At the height of the market, properties were easy to sell and easy to buy, and many home sellers took advantage of this by selling "For sale by owner" or FSBO. As buying and selling was taking place left and right, many felt they could accomplish their own transactions without the use of a Realtor. However, those days are gone. Regulations are tighter and more complicated. There are not a ton of buyers around the corner, at least those that are able to buy. Due to these complications, many sellers are now returning to past traditions and going to the professionals. Did everyone forget that? If you need to have a tooth pulled, do you do it yourself or go to the dentist, someone trained? A Realtor´s job is to assist a potential buyer/seller in buying/selling a home. They are also highly motivated to to complete the process; with the current problems facing the market Realtors are more proactive then ever, they want to know they have a paycheck coming.

Steve Murray, the editor/owner of Real Trends, a market research firm, reported that in 2006 almost 20% of sales made were done without a broker/Realtor. David Zwiefelhofer, designer of FSBO websites, which he sells through his own company/site, FSBOWebsite.com, mentioned that of the 50 he has sold only 30-35 are still in use at the moment. Said Zwiefelhofer, "I used to get a phone call a day from people interested in FSBO Web sites,...Now it's maybe one call a week."