Real Estate Closing Arguments

Grant

A podcast for real estate agents and brokers created and hosted by Grant Clayton Founder/CEO of 1 Percent Lists where we discuss and debate different real estate models and current events. 

  1. 6D AGO

    The One Housing Cost We Can Still Control

    Housing affordability is broken and most of what’s driving it feels completely out of our hands. I can’t control interest rates. I can’t control inflation, zoning laws, or construction costs. But there is one major cost baked into every real estate transaction that we absolutely can control and almost no one wants to talk about it. In this episode, I break down how real estate commissions have quietly become more expensive over time, even as technology has made this job faster, easier, and far more efficient. I walk through the real numbers what agents earned in 1990 versus today, adjusted for inflation and explain why agents now make significantly more per deal while passing less value back to the public. I also dig into how modern broker splits, referral platforms like Zillow, and hidden fees have reshaped the industry. I explain how agents can afford to give away massive referral percentages and still make more money than ever and why that reality helps explain why commissions haven’t gone down, even after major lawsuits and antitrust rulings. This episode isn’t about attacking individual agents. It’s about exposing a system that rewards high fees, protects outdated pricing, and makes homeownership harder for everyday families even though the tools exist to do things differently. If you’ve ever wondered why selling a home still costs so much, where that money actually goes, or why affordability keeps slipping further away, this episode lays it all out clearly, honestly, and with the math to back it up.

    21 min
  2. JAN 30

    Why Selling a Home Now Costs Americans Four Months of Their Life

    If you sell a home today and pay standard real estate commissions, you’re not just writing a check, you’re working until mid-April just to pay agents. Four months of your year. Gone. And that’s before you’ve paid movers, taxes, or tried to buy your next home. In this episode, I break down why selling a house has become so expensive for the average American, how real estate commissions quietly exploded while incomes didn’t, and why so many agents get furious when anyone points it out. I also dig into the uncomfortable contrast the industry doesn’t want to face: Why companies accused of hiding fees and steering consumers are largely ignored, while businesses that openly charge less and still deliver full service are treated like public enemies. We talk about: How real estate fees compare to income today vs 50 years agoWhy new agents charge premium prices with almost no experienceHow the industry benefits from oversaturating the market with agentsWhy outrage is selective and who it actually protectsAnd what homeowners and agents should really be asking if they care about fairness, affordability, and transparency This isn’t about being anti-agent. It’s about being pro-consumer and honest about who the current system actually serves. If you’ve ever sold a home, plan to sell one, or work in real estate and feel conflicted about the way things operate this episode will make you think. Listen with an open mind. The numbers don’t lie.

    21 min
  3. JAN 9

    The Scarcity Mindset Keeping Real Estate Agents Stuck

    In this episode, I break down one of the biggest mindset problems holding real estate agents back: scarcity versus abundance. I talk to agents every week who believe charging less automatically means making less. What they never stop to ask is a much simpler question: What if I just did more deals? Instead of building pipelines, they’re protecting individual commissions. Instead of focusing on listings, they’re stressed about where the next deal will come from. I walk through why most agents aren’t actually overwhelmed by being busy, they’re overwhelmed by not being busy enough. Over 70% of agents didn’t close a single deal last year, and that kind of scarcity creates fear, defensiveness, entitlement, and resentment toward anyone doing something different. I explain why abundance doesn’t mean chaos, it means stability. It means confidence. It means not worrying about losing one deal because you have many. I compare agents who fear competition to those who welcome it, and why the most secure agents are always the most generous with knowledge, time, and opportunity. We also get into why so many agents keep switching brokerages to save a little money for themselves, instead of asking the bigger question: What if I gave the public what they actually want and created an abundance of business? This episode is a direct challenge to the hamster wheel, working harder, spending more, grinding endlessly without ever questioning pricing, differentiation, or volume. If you’re planning for 2026 and your strategy doesn’t involve being different, this episode will make you uncomfortable.And that’s probably a good thing.

    19 min
  4. JAN 8

    Zillow, Lawsuits, and the Fee Conversation Everyone Avoids

    Over the last 50 years, real estate agents have gone from giving their brokers 50% of their commissions to keeping 80–95%, all while home prices have skyrocketed far beyond inflation and technology has made the job dramatically easier. When you adjust for inflation, today’s agents are making nearly 400% more per transaction than agents did in 1970, often while doing less manual work than ever before. So here’s the uncomfortable question I’m asking out loud:If the job is easier, the splits are better, and agents are earning exponentially more per deal… why haven’t fees gone down at all? I also dive into how Zillow’s referral model works, why agents willingly pay up to 40% of their commission to a middleman, and how clicking “Speak to an Agent” often steers consumers toward higher fees, not better value. We talk about the recent lawsuits, the massive overpopulation of agents, why more than 70% didn’t close a single deal last year, and how that reality affects both consumers and professionals who actually want to build sustainable businesses. This episode isn’t about attacking agents. It’s about questioning a system that rewards high fees, middlemen, and scarcity, while affordability collapses and first-time buyers are pushed further out of reach. If you’re a real estate agent who believes the current model makes sense, I’m inviting you to come debate me. And if you’re a consumer, this episode will change how you think about commissions, listings, and who really benefits from the way real estate works today. We’re kicking off 2026 the same way we ended 2025 by saying the quiet part out loud.

    13 min
  5. 12/22/2025

    When Saving Clients Money Becomes a Sin in Real Estate

    There’s been a lot of noise lately around Zillow, discount brokerages, and whether offering lower fees is “destroying the industry.” After receiving yet another comment accusing us of ruining other agents’ income, I decided it was time to address what’s really going on. Here’s the truth: Zillow isn’t the root problem. Zillow is the symptom. The real issue is an industry that has decided it’s perfectly acceptable to pay a middleman 40% of a commission… but completely unacceptable to save the client money directly. In this episode, I break down: Why agents will happily pay Zillow referral fees but refuse to lower commissions for consumersHow Zillow Flex actually works and why clients are unknowingly paying for itThe hypocrisy behind “knowing your worth” while giving massive cuts to lead platformsWhy listings build real businesses and buyers burn people outHow commission structures have increased while affordability has collapsedAnd why being affordable, ethical, and professional makes you a target in real estate I also talk about the Zillow lawsuits, hidden incentives, referral fees, and why the industry refuses to run a single “special” for home sellers even on Black Friday while every other industry does. This isn’t about hating agents. It’s about choosing clients over corporations, morals over margins, and sustainability over smoke and mirrors. If saving people money makes me public enemy number one, I’m okay with that. I’d rather sleep at night knowing I built something that actually helps people.

    20 min

About

A podcast for real estate agents and brokers created and hosted by Grant Clayton Founder/CEO of 1 Percent Lists where we discuss and debate different real estate models and current events.