Buy your next home. Keep the $19,500 commission.
Built by a working Realtor for buyers who’d rather run point themselves — so you understand every part of the transaction and can hold your own, whether you self-represent or hire an agent on purpose.
You have the competence to buy a home without an agent. You just need the confidence.
Most of a real estate transaction is paperwork, patience, and a few well-timed questions. Buyers who can read a contract can run their own deal — and keep the five figures in commissions and fees that most buyers never realize they’re paying.
That’s not a theory. I’m a working Realtor. My free content has taught thousands of buyers the fundamentals of a real estate transaction, and I’ve coached 33 of them one on one, across 17 states, through their own purchases. The ones who closed kept between $22,000 and $89,000 in commissions and seller concessions. What they needed wasn’t information — buyers drown in that. They needed a plan, the paperwork, and someone in their corner at the moments that decide the deal.
And the understanding is the part you keep — it’s what steadies you in every deal after this one, whether you run it yourself or hire an agent on purpose.
You’re the principal.
We’re the playbook.
As much support as your deal needs.
It starts free — the podcast and the newsletter. From there, three ways to go deeper, whenever your deal calls for it.
The complete system for buying your next home
Every stage, from pre-approval to keys in hand — the forms, the deadlines, the scripts. Zero to closing, at your own pace, with a certificate of completion at the end.
Answers in real time, from people who’ve done it
Coaches and fellow self-represented buyers, in your corner between the big decisions.
One-on-one, at the moments that decide the deal
Offer strategy, negotiation, inspection response — how the Academy started. Paused while we build the course; the list hears first when it reopens.
An educated buyer is the best buyer.
Whether by negligence or by design, most of the homebuying process is never explained to the buyer. Which means most buyers have no way to know whether they’re well represented until after the transaction — when it’s too late to matter.
The Academy exists to close that gap. You’ll understand the process end to end, what an agent’s job actually is — if you choose to hire one — and what your agent is talking about at every step of the deal. Understanding the whole transaction is the cheapest protection there is, and unlike the savings, it pays off on every purchase you’ll ever make, whichever way you buy.
We’re pro-buyer, not anti-agent. Good agents are professionals — hire one on purpose, not by default, and you’ll be their favorite kind of client. The only agent who should worry about an educated buyer is the one who was counting on you staying uneducated.
The number that ends the argument.
Buyer-side commissions are negotiable and vary by transaction. Savings are negotiated into your offer — not automatic. Figures from documented client engagements, reviewed annually.
“I’m confident we wouldn’t have gotten the price we did if we had gone with a traditional buyer’s agent. Being able to talk directly to the seller’s agent changed everything. If buyers work with you, are good communicators, and can understand a contract, self-representation is the way to go. This was hands-down the best home buying experience my wife and I have had.”
“I like your content — it’s very informative and clearly explained. I’m a real estate investor in Maine and just closed on my third rental, and my first one without an agent.”
$89,000 kept on a single purchase.
Chris K., a repeat buyer in Virginia, found the house himself, then hired us for three coaching calls. He negotiated the buyer-side commission out of his offer and secured $50,000 in seller concessions on top — $89,000 in total financial impact, documented at closing.
Three calls. One weekend of preparation. Five figures kept.
- COMMISSION REMOVED
- $39,000
- SELLER CONCESSIONS
- $50,000
- TOTAL IMPACT
- $89,000
— CHRIS K. · $1.3M PURCHASE · VIRGINIA
Learn to keep five figures on your next home. Start with one email a week.
Practical, no-hype home buying — and first word when the founding course opens. Unsubscribe anytime.
Isn't the buyer's agent free? I thought the seller paid them.+
That's the industry's most durable myth. A buyer's agent commission has always been built into the deal — the money comes out of the same transaction you're funding. Since the 2024 industry settlement, buyer-agent fees are explicitly negotiable, and more buyers are paying them directly. Either way, it's your money on the table. The only question is whether you keep it.
Can I really buy a home without my own agent?+
Yes. Self-representation is completely legal in all 50 states. Our job is to make sure you do it well — with the knowledge, the forms, and the confidence to run the process yourself.
How much can I actually save?+
A buyer's agent commission typically runs 2–3% of the purchase price — $14,000 to $21,000 on a $700,000 home. Those savings aren't automatic: commissions are negotiable, and you negotiate them into your offer. That's exactly what we teach. Our documented client outcomes range from $22,000 to $89,000 per closed purchase, counting commissions and seller concessions together.
Do I need prior real estate experience?+
No. Most of our buyers are repeat purchasers, but the process is teachable from zero. It's mostly paperwork — and paperwork is learnable.
What if I hit a situation the guides don't cover?+
That's the moment one-on-one help exists for — coaching is paused right now while we build the course, and the founding list will hear first when it reopens. And for genuinely complex legal questions, we'll tell you plainly: talk to a real estate attorney. Knowing when to bring in a professional is part of doing this well.
Will sellers take me seriously without an agent?+
Yes — if you show up prepared. A pre-approved, organized, well-informed buyer who communicates clearly is exactly the buyer listing agents like working with. We teach you to be that buyer.
When should I hire an agent instead?+
When the situation calls for it. In a competitive market, a non-traditional offer can spook a listing agent or a nervous seller — and sometimes hiring an agent is what wins you the house. Part of what we teach is recognizing those moments, and hiring well when they come: fee, scope, and term, negotiated like everything else. Self-representation is a tool, not a religion.
What if I decide self-representation isn't for me?+
Then hire an agent — as an informed client who knows what good service looks like. Everything you learn here makes you a better principal either way. A good agent is worth it, if you want one.
How much time does this take compared to using an agent?+
You take on tasks an agent would handle: scheduling showings, researching comparable sales, preparing offers, and tracking deadlines. Most buyers find the total time comparable — just distributed differently, and under your control. The difference is that your time builds a skill you'll keep.
You're a Realtor teaching people not to hire one — so what's in it for you?+
There's no contradiction, and no catch — it's a both/and. Self-represented buyers aren't new, but for decades they've been under-served, with almost no resources built to educate and empower them, and that's the story I want to be part of. If you'd rather have full-service representation, I'm still a working Realtor — my local team, The Tartan Team, is glad to help. If you want more independence, and the cost savings that come with it, the course and community are on the way — education, priced like education. Most of what I publish is free, and it's how people find me. With everything available to a motivated buyer in 2026, getting the assistance you need shouldn't be an either/or decision.