Despite the housing market downturn, many homeowners are still paying a whopping 6% commission to real estate brokers. Although 6% may not sound like much, but with the average price of a home is $313,000, the average seller has to pony up nearly $19,000 in broker fees. This is a hefty penalty for selling your own home, one that more and more Americans are unwilling to pay. Many homeowners are now opting to market their property directly to the consumer using online real estate listing services such as Yahoo Real Estate, Trulia and Craig’s List.