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- Diem Nguyen recently bought a home near San Francisco without using a real-estate broker.
- She is in the minority: More than 85% of American homebuyers this year used an agent.
- Buying without a realtor might save you a little cash, but it can be risky for inexperienced buyers.
In October, Diem Nguyen bought a home in the San Francisco Bay Area for $1.6 million — without a realtor.
The 36-year-old tech worker used Aalto, a home-buying and selling website that looks at first glance like Zillow or Redfin. House hunters can browse on-the-market and off-market homes in certain parts of California, see market data, and even submit offers.