A Boulder, Colorado homeowner is making waves on Instagram—and the real estate industry is watching. Posting under the handle @realtorshateme (RHM), he documented his journey of selling his home without an agent, exposing what he calls the “real estate cartel.”
His viral videos didn’t just spark debate; they caught the attention of industry heavyweights like Jared James and Ricky Carruth, who have since responded with their own takes.
So, what’s the real story here? Is RHM just another FSBO seller frustrated with agent commissions, or is he tapping into something bigger?
How It Started: The $80,000 Commission Question
On February 19, 2025, RHM posted, “Day 1 of Trying to Sell My House without an Agent.” What began as a simple attempt to avoid commission fees quickly turned into a deep dive into real estate practices that he believes are rigged against FSBO sellers.
Cut to March 10th, and RHM is responding to Jared James, who had brought up the FSBO owner’s posts in his latest podcast:
For context, RHM goes back to the story behind his campaign to expose what he calls the “real estate cartel.”
“This all started when I wanted to sell my turnkey home in a desirable neighborhood in Boulder, Colorado. Every agent that I interviewed failed to justify a 2.5–3% commission.”
When he tried to list the home himself using an MLS entry-only service, he hit another roadblock:
“I signed up for an MLS entry-only service, only to get a call the next morning from the owner stating that they couldn’t do entry-only service in Colorado because Colorado is what’s called a minimum service state. And basically, this means that consumers are forced to pay thousands of dollars to brokers and hand over work they want to do themselves just to get access to the MLS.”
According to RHM, this was just the beginning. Here’s his full response to Jared James:
The Viral Fallout: Industry Response & Accusations of “Steering”
As RHM continued documenting his FSBO experience, he uncovered what he claims is direct evidence of agents steering buyers away from his listing. His videos, racking up thousands of views, featured comments from local agents openly criticizing him or admitting they wouldn’t show FSBO homes.
“Agents in my town began recording videos publicly admitting to steering clients away from my listing, saying that I stole their photos. And as my community started to grow, supportive realtors in the area started exposing even more cases of client-steering—with receipts.”
Then came his battle with Zillow.
FSBO vs. Zillow: A “Hidden” Listing Controversy
One of RHM’s most viral posts called out Zillow for suppressing FSBO listings. According to him, Zillow intentionally hid FSBO homes from main search results, making them only visible if buyers manually adjusted their filters.
“I’ve worked in tech for many years. And there is zero UX benefit to making buyers hunt for a filter to see a home. After posting my video, the Zillow team reached out to me immediately. And within 24 hours, they quietly pushed an update to their platform to fix the issue.”
RHM claimed victory, but he wasn’t done yet.
Jared James & Ricky Carruth Respond
As RHM’s following exploded, industry leaders took notice. Jared James responded with a video acknowledging that while real estate isn’t perfect, RHM’s claims painted an overly simplified picture. For one, he addressed the claim that Zillow had essentially hid his listing from buyers.
“You talk about how listing as for-sale-by-owner, you were put in a separate tab and were basically shadow-banned, so you didn’t get the same visibility. Now, I would actually argue that being in that separate tab by yourself brought you more visibility—rather than being in the overall tab with all the properties listed by agents (the 100s or 1000s of them).
“But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter because Zillow is a for-profit company and owes you absolutely no distribution when their whole profit model is based on selling leads to realtors—not by listing for-sale-by-owners. And again, they have absolutely every right to do that…”
RHM fired back:
“You can’t scream ‘free market’ while actively blocking competition… I think we can all agree that massive change is coming whether or not agents like it.”
Ricky Carruth also weighed in, specifically addressing RHM’s claim that Zillow was suppressing FSBO listings:
“Bro, Zillow owes you nothing. Their business model is not to help for-sale-by-owners sell their properties faster. That’s not what they’re in business to do. There’s no law that says Zillow has to expose all the listings…They literally let you use their platform for free. Their core business, just so you know, is not to help for-sale-by-owners; it’s to sell leads to real estate agents. That’s what their core business is.”
While both James and Carruth agreed that RHM brought up real concerns, they also pointed out that real estate agents—when skilled and ethical—offer undeniable value to sellers.
Sellers have every right to choose the for-sale-by-owner route. But there’s a reason 90% of them choose to work with a real estate agent.
The Bottom Line for Agents
By Day 15, RHM’s home was under contract. He estimates that his FSBO approach saved him $70,000 in commission. But does that mean agents are obsolete? Not exactly.
Here are three key takeaways for real estate professionals watching this unfold:
- Transparency is non-negotiable. Sellers want to know exactly what they’re paying for. If you can’t articulate your value beyond “I sell homes,” you’re going to lose listings. And it’s not enough just to give the seller a list of the things you plan to do for them.
- Steering is a bad look. Agents who actively discourage buyers from FSBO properties, reinforce the very stereotypes disruptors love to call out. It’s one thing to want to protect buyer clients who can’t afford to pay your compensation; it’s another to keep your clients in the dark about a FSBO home that could be perfect for them.
- The industry is evolving—adapt or be left behind. Whether it’s commission lawsuits, new business models, or shifts in consumer expectations, one thing is clear: change is happening. Agents who embrace it will thrive. Those who fight it? Not so much.
Love him or hate him, @realtorshateme isn’t just selling his house—he’s starting a conversation.
What would you add to it?
