Sell without an agent: save up to 5%… but what’s the real cost?

Selling without an agent: save up to 5% and reshape your buy or rent strategy

Skipping the real‑estate agent and selling from owner to owner (particulier à particulier) is increasingly popular. With commissions often between 3% and 5% of the sale price, the potential savings are huge. But how do these thousands of euros affect your next big decision: buy or rent your future home?

In our framework, the agency commission is captured by the montant_fa parameter (agency fee amount). Reducing it to zero when you sell without an agent can radically change your numbers.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not personalized financial advice. To test your own figures, simulate your situation on buy-or-rent.net.

1. What does the agent’s 3–5% fee really represent?

On most sales, the agent charges a commission of 3–5% incl. VAT on the sale price. In a buy or rent simulator, that cost appears as montant_fa.

1.1. Numeric example: impact of agency fees

For a flat sold at €300,000:

• 3% commission: €9,000
• 4% commission: €12,000
• 5% commission: €15,000

None of this money benefits buyer or seller directly, yet it heavily impacts your financial trajectory. Those €9,000–15,000 could be:

• additional equity for your next purchase;
• funds for notary fees (7–8% in older properties, 2–3% in new builds);
• or capital to invest in financial markets if you decide to rent instead of buying again.

In a long‑term buy or rent comparison, the starting point of your wealth matters a lot, and montant_fa is one of the biggest adjustable levers.

1.2. Who “really” pays the agent?

Legally, the mandate states whether the seller or the buyer pays the fee, but in practice it is just part of the overall price. It affects:

• the loan amount the buyer needs to finance, and thus the interest paid at today’s mortgage rates (~3.6%);
• the base on which notary fees are calculated (depending on whether the fee is included in the net price);
• the buyer’s ability to stretch or not in a bidding war.

Cutting or reducing montant_fa either lowers the buyer’s total cost or increases your net proceeds — both change the buy or rent calculus downstream.

2. How much can you really save by selling without an agent?

2.1. Three scenarios with and without agency fees

Take an older city flat with a realistic market value of €350,000.

Scenario A: sale with agent (5%)

• Listing price: €350,000
• Agency fee (montant_fa) at 5%: €17,500
• Net to seller (before repaying any mortgage): €332,500

If you want to buy another property at €400,000, the missing €17,500 could have been your extra down payment, or part of the notary fees (7% of €400,000 = €28,000), or capital to invest if you choose to rent instead of buying.

Scenario B: direct sale, same price

• Listing price: €350,000
• Agency fee: €0 (montant_fa = 0)
• Net to seller: €350,000

Extra cash compared with Scenario A: €17,500. Invested at a 4% annual return for 10 years, that becomes:

€17,500 × (1.04¹⁰) ≈ €25,900

That’s roughly the equivalent of one full year of rent at €2,150/month, or a substantial energy‑renovation budget (windows, insulation, heating) that can improve your next property’s DPE rating and lower bills.

Scenario C: direct sale with buyer discount

You decide to list at €340,000 owner‑to‑owner to make the ad more attractive:

• Listing price: €340,000
• Agency fee: €0
• Net to seller: €340,000

You still walk away with €7,500 more than in Scenario A (332,500 vs 340,000), while offering the buyer a lower price. That extra €7,500 will matter in your next buy or rent decision.

3. How selling without an agent impacts your next buy or rent move

3.1. If you plan to buy another home

Assume you sell and then buy a house for €500,000. Your equity mainly comes from your sale.

With agent (5%) (using earlier numbers):

• Net proceeds: €332,500
• Down payment: €332,500
• Loan needed (excluding notary fees): €500,000 − €332,500 = €167,500

Without agent, selling at €350,000:

• Net proceeds: €350,000
• Down payment: €350,000
• Loan needed: €150,000

Loan difference: €17,500. At a 3.6% mortgage rate over 20 years:

• Monthly payment on €167,500 ≈ €979
• Monthly payment on €150,000 ≈ €877
• Monthly savings ≈ €100

Over 20 years, this is about €24,000 less in payments (ignoring insurance). Mortgage insurance, often 0.25–0.45% of the outstanding balance, will also be lower on the smaller loan.

Those €100/month may be the difference between buying and renting being neck‑and‑neck or clearly leaning one way. If local rents rise in line with inflation or the IRL rental index, that monthly gap becomes even more strategic in your buy or rent decision.

3.2. If you plan to sell and then rent

Another path: you sell your current home and decide to rent your next one instead of buying. The agency fees you don’t pay (montant_fa = 0) become pure investment capital.

Say you save €15,000 in agency fees and invest it at a 5% annual return for 15 years:

€15,000 × (1.05¹⁵) ≈ €31,200

Meanwhile, your rent grows with the IRL index, for example at 2% per year. The buy or rent comparison now hinges on:

• the future cost of your rent, revalued every year;
• the growth of your invested capital (including that €15,000 saved);
• what homeownership would have cost you (interest, property tax, maintenance, insurance).

In a simulator, you can set montant_fa = 0 to model a private sale, then compare “sell + rent” versus “sell + buy”. The fee saving becomes one of the key differences between scenarios.

4. Hidden costs of selling owner‑to‑owner

Saving up to 5% in commission doesn’t mean selling without an agent is cost‑free. Some costs shift elsewhere or become your responsibility.

4.1. Time and effort

• Pricing the property: comparing similar sales, adjusting for condition, location, DPE rating.
• Marketing: photos, ad copy, listing on portals (often paid for private sellers).
• Viewings: screening calls, scheduling, showing, following up.
• Negotiation: handling offers, counteroffers, and buyer tactics.

If you value your time at €30/hour and you spend 60 hours managing the process, that’s already a “hidden cost” of €1,800.

4.2. Mispricing risk

A pricing error of just 3% on a €350,000 home is €10,500 — often more than the fee you were trying to save. Two common pitfalls:

• Underpricing: quick sale, but you leave more money on the table than the 3–5% you would have paid an agent.
• Overpricing: the listing sits for months, you then cut the price, and buyers suspect something is wrong.

Either way, your net proceeds — the starting point for your next buy or rent step — are impacted.

4.3. Additional out‑of‑pocket costs

• Mandatory diagnostics (energy performance, asbestos, lead, electricity, etc.): required whether or not you use an agent.
• Potential upgrade works to improve the DPE: insulation, heating system, windows. A better rating can raise your sale price and your future borrowing or investing capacity.
• Legal support: notary, lawyer, or online legal services if you need help with complex situations.

These exist with or without an agent; the difference is that with a DIY sale, they are more visible and not bundled in a service fee.

5. Using the montant_fa parameter in a buy or rent simulator

In a robust buy or rent tool, montant_fa is the variable representing agency fees. Adjusting it lets you measure the exact impact of selling without an agent.

5.1. Step 1: set your sale price and agency fee

• Estimated sale price: e.g. €350,000.
• With agent: montant_fa = 4% (i.e. €14,000).
• Without agent: montant_fa = 0% (€0).

The simulator then computes your net cash in each case. That net cash feeds into either:

• a purchase scenario (down payment + notary fees + renovation budget);
• or an investment scenario if you choose to rent.

5.2. Step 2: compare “sell + buy” vs “sell + rent”

Then you can set up two long‑term scenarios:

• Scenario 1: sell and buy another property, with a mortgage at 3.6%, borrower insurance at 0.3%, and property tax rising 2%/year.
• Scenario 2: sell and rent, with an initial rent of say €1,200/month, indexed annually to inflation or IRL, and your sale proceeds (including the saved fees) invested at 3–5%/year.

By toggling montant_fa between 0% and 3–5%, you see how much the fee saving shifts the balance between buying and renting over 10, 15, or 20 years.

5.3. Step 3: factor in inflation and purchasing‑power erosion

Annual inflation (e.g. 2–3%) affects:

• future rents, which generally rise with inflation or the rental index;
• the real burden of your fixed mortgage payments, which slowly shrink in real terms;
• the real return of your investments (nominal yield minus inflation).

Saving €10,000–20,000 in fees today can offset part of this erosion if you deploy that money wisely — as a bigger down payment, as energy‑saving works, or as financial investments.

6. When is saving up to 5% the most decisive?

There is no universal answer to whether you should sell without an agent, or whether you should buy or rent after selling. It depends on your situation, your market, and your time horizon.

6.1. In tight markets (big cities, high demand)

Where demand is strong and listings move fast:

• a well‑located property can sell quickly even without an agent;
• money saved on montant_fa can go into a higher down payment or DPE‑improving works;
• rapid price growth can make staying out of the market (renting for long) more expensive.

In such markets, selling owner‑to‑owner can materially improve your ability to stay a homeowner instead of becoming a long‑term renter.

6.2. In softer markets (smaller cities, rural areas)

Where demand is weaker and stock is high:

• an agent’s network and marketing may help you find a buyer at a reasonable price;
• overpricing risk is higher, and a long time on market can erase the fee savings;
• the buy or rent decision is often more open, as rents are relatively low versus prices.

Here, the 3–5% saving is still attractive, but must be weighed against the risk of having to reduce your price significantly or wait many months to sell.

7. Bottom line: selling without an agent as part of a broader buy or rent strategy

Selling without an agent can theoretically save up to 5% of your sale price — often tens of thousands of euros. That saving:

• reduces future borrowing needs and interest payments;
• boosts your capacity to pay notary fees, property tax, and renovation work;
• or increases the capital you can invest if you choose to rent instead of buying again.

But it comes with trade‑offs:

• your time and effort;
• pricing risk (too low or too high);
• extra out‑of‑pocket marketing and legal costs;
• and market‑specific dynamics (liquidity, buyer expectations).

Whether selling without an agent is worth it, and whether you should then buy or rent, depends on your personal situation, your local market, and your objectives. There is no one‑size‑fits‑all answer.

To quantify the impact of agency fees using the montant_fa parameter, alongside mortgage rates, rent indexation, inflation, and investment returns, and to see how different choices affect your wealth over time:

Simulate your situation on buy-or-rent.net.