When houses are sold, realtors get a percentage of the gross sale price (not just the gain), staging companies are brought in, painters and handymen are hired, and title companies, mortgage lenders, and assessors all get work. The local government also gets paid, in the form of transfer taxes.
These don't apply to all big ticket items, but since you mentioned houses, I thought I'd flesh out the picture on who benefits from buying/selling activity.
It's worth noting that all of these people get paid, regardless of whether the home seller made money or lost money on the home (or how much). So in a strong market, they will get a small share of the gains. But in a down market, the seller may make nothing, while these service providers all get paid.
These don't apply to all big ticket items, but since you mentioned houses, I thought I'd flesh out the picture on who benefits from buying/selling activity.
It's worth noting that all of these people get paid, regardless of whether the home seller made money or lost money on the home (or how much). So in a strong market, they will get a small share of the gains. But in a down market, the seller may make nothing, while these service providers all get paid.