> For example, realtors made sense back in the day when there was no internet. But, what value does a real estate agent add in 2026? An owner can list their apartment/house directly online. The buyer and search, find and contact the owner directly, a lot of times even for free (FB Marketplace, WhatsApp groups, etc.).

Is anyone forcing you realtors where you live?

FB Marketplace is just another middle man. (And that supports my thesis from another follow up comment: you want lots of competing middle man!)

Btw, real estate agents in eg the UK take about half the cut in a typical home sale compared to the US.

> Car dealerships rank right on the second in my list.

Yes, and as far as I know they are only a problem in the US, and that's because the US has crazy regulations that pretty much mandate car dealerships. In eg Germany you can buy your car direct from Volkswagen or from any dealership you want.

> We don't need more agents. We need democratized access to information.

Let a thousand flowers bloom. We need more agents, more competition. (But also make direct access legal, where possible.)