There are lot of things right with the real estate market. There are also a lot of things wrong. commision on the sale of home is a great thing. In a common transaction, the agent gets 3% of the sale price and the seller gets 3% of the sale price. Those commissions are often paid by the seller, but can be negotiated to be paid full or in part by the buyer. Generaly the buyer is the one responsible for paying the buyer's agent commission and is responsibel if it's not negotiated for the seller to pay it. The buyers process starts before they even know they are buying a home. Primarily saving for a down payment. Getting pre-approved for a mortgage which can be done a bit later but it's better to do it before looking at homes.