Andrew Koenig wrote:

My understanding is that if we buy a house without a buyer's agent,
the listing agent gets to collect the entire 6% commission (with our
target price, 6% amounts to $30-35K, not exactly pocket change).
We are thinking of trying to negotiate for either a rebate, or
reduction in price based on the fact that the listing agent won't have
to split the commission with the buyer's agent.

What you're proposing to do is to try to convince the seller's agent to give
you money to which the agent is contractually entitled in exchange for
nothing. Why would the agent ever agree to that?

My *original* thinking (since then other people have been
explaining why it's unrealistic) is that even though I am not
a party to the contract between the seller and the listing
agent, I have complete control over the listing agent's
compensation. With one phone call, I can cut it from
6% to 3% by bringing another agent into the deal.
It *seemed* to me (apparently, erroneously) that this
should give one some negotiating leverage; that the
listing agent only expects to receive 3%, not 6%,
so it's not in exchange for nothing - it's in exchange
for part of the usual buyer's agent's share, of which the
listing agent would normally not see a single cent.
Again, this was my original reasoning, and folks have
been explaining why this won't work.

Are you by any chance Andrew Koenig of C++ fame?
Couldn't imagine I'd be getting house buying advice
from you