Using a search-theoretical framework, we study how a home seller's choice of whether or not to use a broker depends on different market conditions. We analyze the role that the broker plays in the house-selling process by examining the expected time-to-transaction, the expected transaction...

Previous research (Rutherford et al., 2005; Levitt and Syverson, 2005) identify and quantify agency problems in the brokerage of single-family houses. Real estate agents are found to receive a premium when sellling their own houses in comparison to similar client-owned houses. Given the homogeneity...