A Two-Minute Chat at Buc-ee’s Showed Me How One Seller Lost $10,000

I was filling up at Buc-ee’s near Auburn when a guy walking by spotted the Uber Realty logo on my truck and asked what made it different. I gave him the short version: if you own a good home in Niceville, Shalimar, or Fort Walton Beach, clean, well-kept, priced right,you shouldn’t have to pay the old 5–6% to sell it.

That’s when he mentioned he’d just sold his home for a little over $600,000.

“I paid five percent total,” he said.

I did the math for him.
“That’s more than ten grand out of your pocket.”

Then I asked how he chose his agent.

He paused, looked down, and said the word that sinks more equity than anything else:
“Obligation.”

And that’s exactly how an otherwise smart homeowner, someone who works hard, maintains their home, pays the mortgage, pays the taxes, pays for the upgrades, ended up losing $10,000 he didn’t need to lose.

But here’s the twist.

On the buying side, he was sharp. When he purchased his new construction home, he knew the quiet truth most people miss: if a buyer is unrepresented, the builder just keeps the buyer-agent commission. So he got representation and negotiated a split. He put real money back in his own pocket.

Smart buyer.
Traditional seller.
Ten thousand gone.

This is how the old system wins. Not because people are careless, because people are polite. They don’t question the one fee that costs more than every other decision they make all year.

But you built the value in your home.
You paid for the upgrades, repairs, paint, flooring, landscaping.
You carried the mortgage, dealt with the maintenance, kept the place together.

You created the value.
You should keep the reward.

The guy at Buc-ee’s won’t make the same mistake twice.

The real question is whether you will.

If you’re selling in Niceville, Shalimar, or Fort Walton Beach, text me before you list: (850) 499-2940.
One conversation might save you $10,000.