They don't get paid unless there is a successful sale. Listing contracts are for a fixed period. There are marketing expenses and time invested to list and market a property. If they don't successfully sell your home they don't get paid and they are out any of their time invested and marketing expenses.
> There are marketing expenses and time invested to list and market a property
Putting a house on Zillow takes, what, 15 minutes?
Perhaps the exception is very high end real estate, but from what I've seen most of the high end realtors are just really good at networking and schmoozing.
Add up all the time an agent spends previewing the property before listing, taking calls (especially from crazies) and arranging for showings, showings (including driving to and from), negotiating (writing up offers and counter offers), after acceptance arrangements such as coordinating inspections, final readings, closing arrangements. They only get paid if the deal closes.
The amount of effort is variable and unknown upfront (high risk, high reward).
Would you be willing to pay an hourly rate or per service rendered UPFRONT fee? I'm sure there are some brokers that offer such things. Most people don't want to part ways with their money before they know they actually sold their home (another nice thing about not having to pay until closing... the seller only pays if and at closing!)
How much do knowledgeable and experienced consultants make per hour?
Knowledgeable and experienced consultants typically don't make more than maybe 250 per hour (as a cost the client) that I've seen. That's pretty high at that.
High risk, high reward.