A J.D. Powers residential real estate satisfaction survey released this week finds 23 percent of home sellers and 32 percent of buyers did not use a real estate professional in a study period ending April 2018. The findings are based on 3,332 survey responses from consumers who worked with a limited number of brokerages. The findings are questionable and the responses do not appear to be from the random sample needed to make a proper statistical inferences, NAR researchers believe.

NAR’s Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers report, which has been released since 1981 and is widely used by researchers, is based on a large, random, nationwide survey sample. It finds 87 percent of buyers were assisted by real estate professionals and 7 percent purchased directly from a builder’s agent.

The long-term for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) trend has been down, according to the NAR series. Consumers transacting a sale without the help of a professional declined from 18 percent in 1995 to 8 percent today. Those who sold through an agent is at an all-time high of 89 percent.

The NAR figures are based on large survey sample using data from a random sample of recent buyers in all parts of the United States. The latest figures, using 2017 data, are based on a sample size of 7,866 consumer responses, representing a 95 percent response rate with a confidence level of plus or minus 1.10 percent.