Traditional agents spend very little time brokering a deal, Mr. Hsieh added.
The battle by the traditional agents reveals how vulnerable the broker's 6percentt commission has become.
Other traditional agents argue that they have the market knowledge and expertise to get the highest price.
Traditional agents contend that most people are not fully aware of the work that agents do to sell a home.
Indeed, even Rightmove and Zoopla (like OnTheMarket) are only property search sites that use the listings of the traditional agents.
Last quarter, traditional agents booked $74 million worth of Classic Custom Vacations packages, up from $42 million in the fourth quarter of 2002.
William Morris and Creative Artists dominate the field, each with an expanding separate division that works hand in hand with traditional agents.
New regulations – such as the "right to rent" immigration checks – are also encouraging landlords to use traditional agents to ensure they are complying with the law, he says.
Traditional agents portray their service as more personal and thus more valuable, but such agents, unlike Ms. Howard, are not paid unless a deal is completed.
And when larger macroeconomic forces put the brakes on home sales, many traditional agents struggle or drift away from the profession.
