Disclosures with Nick & Dave

Last week we made the case for flat-fee, retainer-based buyer agency — so why does the listing side go back to a percentage? Because when you're selling, a percentage points in the same direction you do: you both want a higher number. Flat-fee listing rewards closing fast, not selling well.

Nick and Dave break down how the Tartan Team represents sellers across three tiers — full service, limited service, and hourly consulting — what it actually costs to market a home, the value of a negotiation buffer, and where the flat-fee MLS platforms fit in.

Chapters
00:00 — Cold open: rain, fireworks, and the PNW
01:41 — Teaser: the Zillow–MRED hearing in Chicago (more next week)
03:04 — Why the sell side goes back to percentages
05:37 — Aligned incentives: when commission actually works
08:32 — How flat-fee listings turn into a volume game
09:24 — Full service: 3% to $600K, 1.5% above — and why
10:24 — What it actually costs to market a home
12:50 — Who full service is for
16:21 — Limited service: judgment and legal cover, less in-person
18:24 — Open houses and the negotiation buffer
23:31 — Emotional pricing and stale listings
26:57 — Flat-fee platforms, and why we don't compete there
33:10 — Non-agency consulting for true FSBOs
34:50 — Pushback welcome + how to reach us

Mentioned in this episode
Listing fee comparison calculator → https://www.thetartanteam.com/pricing
How we sell → https://www.thetartanteam.com/sell
Last week's buyer-agency episode → https://youtu.be/Z749WWb_gJQ?si=L-e7RhDaMhMRfXgq

Thinking about selling? Book a strategy call → https://www.thetartanteam.com/book

Reach us directly: [email protected] · [email protected]

Every other buyer's agent in Clark County will work with you for free up front and only get paid when you close.

So why do we ask for a retainer before we start?

Because "free until closing" isn't actually free — it just hides the cost, and worse, it quietly works against you. When an agent only gets paid if you buy, every month that passes without a deal turns into pressure: pressure to overlook the water in the basement, to talk you into the house that's good enough, to close something before the contract runs out. A lot of the complaints behind the NAR lawsuit came out of exactly that dynamic.

In episode 3 of Disclosures, Nick and Dave break down how the retainer fixes it.

When we're fairly paid for our time regardless of outcome, we can do the thing a good agent should be able to do: tell you not to buy. Re-sign the lease. Walk away. No hard feelings, no hidden incentive pulling the other direction.

We also lay out the full model for the first time — three tiers of buyer representation, what each one costs, who each one is for, and the honest tradeoffs (including the parts we're still working through, like making the retainer workable for first-time buyers).

If you've ever felt your agent get a little too eager as the clock ran down, this one explains why — and what a different model looks like.

The model, in plain numbers:
• Full Service — $15,000 flat (not a percentage), $3,000 retainer up front, credited toward the total at closing. We're with you for everything: search, showings, inspections, offers, negotiation.
• Limited Service — $9,000 flat, $1,500 retainer. Virtual buyer agency for confident buyers who tour on their own; you're paying for our judgment, negotiation, and contract protection, not our drive time.
• DIY Consulting — $450/hr, non-agency. A sounding board when you want to run the process yourself but check your thinking at the key moments.

Retainers are collected at signing and exist to keep our incentives aligned with yours.

Want to connect further?
Reach out directly: [email protected] | [email protected]

Book a strategy call: https://www.thetartanteam.com/book
More at thetartanteam.com

Timestamps:
00:00 Recording in person for the first time

01:12 Recap: what we covered in episode 2

02:39 The core problem with how buyer agents get paid

05:23 Why "free until closing" works against you

09:48 How this fueled the NAR lawsuit

14:17 The fix: a retainer (and where the idea came from)

19:24 Why the retainer protects you, not just us

23:47 The full model: three tiers and what they cost

31:23 The hurdle we're still working out (first-time buyers)

34:11 "That sounds expensive" — and the real math

41:38 The agent who tells you no

42:52 How to reach us

The 2024 NAR settlement was supposed to bring real estate commissions down. Two years later, buyer-agent commissions have barely moved — by some measures they've crept up. So what actually changed, and why does the day-to-day still feel the same?

In episode 2 of Disclosures, Nick and Dave walk through the history that got us here: how buyer agency was invented in the first place, why buyers historically had no say in what their own agent got paid, what the Sitzer/Burnett settlement actually required, and how steering worked when commission offers were hidden on the back end of the MLS.

Then we get practical. If you're buying a home, the single most useful thing to understand is this: what you pay your buyer's agent affects your leverage on every offer you make. We break down a million-dollar example showing how a flat fee can either come back to you as a price reduction or make your offer more competitive at no extra cost — and why most buyers never have that conversation.

Whether you're buying or selling in Clark County or just trying to understand what the lawsuit really did, this one's for the people who read the contract.

Book a strategy call: https://www.thetartanteam.com/book
More at thetartanteam.com
Connect with Nick: [email protected]
Connect with Dave: [email protected]

Meet Dave Miller — cabinet-maker, finish carpenter, electrician, and the newest co-founder of The Tartan Team — who recently traded Minnesota for Southwest Washington.

First episodes are mostly introductions, and this one's no exception: Nick sits down with Dave to get into how he came up in the trades (general construction with his father and uncles, cabinet-making school, his own electrical company) and how he ended up buying his first house at 22 and renovating it room by room while living in it. So when Dave talks about what's worth paying for in a home and what isn't, it isn't theory.

Along the way: how century-old Minneapolis housing stock differs from the newer homes out here, why house hacking still holds up for a first-time buyer, which upgrades earn their cost before the drywall goes up, and the line Dave keeps coming back to — the cheapest quote is often the most expensive one. Plus how to spot a house that's been polished up to hide what's underneath.

(You'll hear us call this the "Mostly True Real Estate Podcast" a couple of times — that was the working title. We landed on Disclosures.)

Hosted by Nick Aufenkamp and Dave Miller of The Tartan Team, brokered by Real Broker, LLC. Serving Clark County and Southwest Washington.

Thinking about a move, or just have questions? Book a strategy call: thetartanteam.com/book