“Why is this worth 4% over that of traditional 3%?”
I don't know. The seller offered it to buyers' agents. Why is the anger focused on the buyers' agents?

I've worked plenty of transactions for buyers when I was only offered a 2% commission from the sellers. Should I ask my buyers to give me some extra cash to make up for it? Of course not. I still give my clients great service and my full attention for a 2% commission. In the rare occasion when the seller offers a 4% commission, why would I turn it down?

You're free to attempt to purchase a home without representation. However, if you choose to have an agent represent you, it doesn't make sense to tell your agent how much he/she can receive from the seller.

“Why is this worth 4% over that of traditional 3%?”
I don't know. The seller offered it to buyers' agents. Why is the anger focused on the buyers' agents?

I've worked plenty of transactions for buyers when I was only offered a 2% commission from the sellers. Should I ask my buyers to give me some extra cash to make up for it? Of course not. I still give my clients great service and my full attention for a 2% commission. In the rare occasion when the seller offers a 4% commission, why would I turn it down?

You're free to attempt to purchase a home without representation. However, if you choose to have an agent represent you, it doesn't make sense to tell your agent how much he/she can receive from the seller.

Sure, without the buyer some agents would not have income. Without the agent some – not all – buyers would never be buyers due to their not having a clue as to how to find and buy a place to live. And while a monkey might be able to fill out a real estate contract could it explain the legal ramifications of what the prospective buyer is signing. Savvy buyers might understand but not everyone will.

Also, I no longer use traditional agents. I like companies like Redfin, or even real estate attorneys to write up my contract. Guess what? There are real estate attorneys that have taken the 60 hour real estate class, have access to show homes, and can fill out the canned contract, for less than $1500! All other commissions are refunded to the buyer! A google search provided me with a list, I made some calls, and found 2 law firms that offer this service.

I have sold bank owned properties with a 2% or 2.5% commission and did twice as much work as I would on a non-bank owned but didn't ask the buyer to make up the difference from the “traditional” 3% and would never dream to.

Some deals are easy and you don’t have to do a ton of work for your commission and others you spend weeks on and then get paid nothing. That is the difference between commission and salary/hourly wages. There is huge risk not to get paid on hours and hours of work and that is why the reward is greater for the deals that do go together.

The MD – Yes there are drafted “canned” documents available to agents but they still have to be filled out correctly and if you don’t know what you are doing it can really screw up a deal and cost the buyer or seller a lot of money.

There are good and bad agents just like any profession. It is up to the customer (Buyer or Seller) to find the best possible agent. Don’t smear everyone with same brush just because you have met a few bad ones.

BTW – is this The MD that is always on here or the imposter?

I'll stick with Matt's sentiments, and I agree the agent's commission should be split between Buyer's Agent and Buyer.

However, buyers agents, especially in this market, often show properties to clients for weeks on end – not making a dime until a purchase is made. And the commission doesn't just pay for the filling out of documents (yes they are usually 'canned') but for advice and knowledge and time spent assisting a client. Sure there are worthless agents out there, just like there are worthless doctors, but I don't think generalizations should be made.