Do real estate agencies have the right to a percentage of the property price even when the owner finds the buyer themselves?

The question raised analyzes whether real estate agencies have the right to receive a percentage of the sale price of a property even when the owner themselves finds the buyer, without the agency's intervention. Many sellers who decide to sell their house without intermediaries believe they are automatically freed from any obligation to the real estate agency with whom they had signed a contract. However, the article suggests that reality is not always as straightforward as these owners think. The contractual relationship established between the owner and the real estate agency may imply obligations that remain even if the sale is completed by the property owner themselves. This is a question that frequently raises doubts and conflicts between property owners and real estate agencies in Portugal.