Flat Fee vs. Realtor Commission: What You Actually Keep at Closing

Published by Cash Flow Deals · Last updated 2026-08-03 · Reviewed by Camilo Palacio, Licensed Florida Real Estate Professional (License #3280644, REALTOR®), affiliated with Silver Door Realty, LLC (License #CQ1064903) · 4 min read

What you actually keep depends on what gets subtracted before the check clears, not the sticker price. With Cash Flow Deals, you choose between the Fast Cash Offer, where we buy your house as-is and close, and the Premium Cash Offer, where a pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have, ready to go, pays more and buys directly from you. Compare the closing math for both with a traditional listing through a brokerage such as Silver Door Realty. Listing commission has been negotiable since the NAR Sitzer/Burnett settlement took effect August 17, 2024. On Premium, Cash Flow Deals is paid as a separate line item, last from what remains after anything owed is settled and you receive your number. If the Premium buyer's loan falls through, that is our problem, not yours, and you can still take the Fast Cash Offer at its own number.

Factor	Traditional Listing	Cash Flow Deals
Timeline	About 99 days average statewide (66 days on market, 33 to close) before net proceeds are known for certain	You compare your Fast Cash Offer and Premium Cash Offer numbers and choose. The number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens.
Repairs	Buyer-requested repair credits or price cuts after inspection reduce net proceeds, often after the seller has already counted on the higher number	We cover repair costs, and we figure out a way, so nothing comes out of your pocket. With the Fast Cash Offer, we buy as-is; with the Premium Cash Offer, only what your buyer's lender requires gets fixed, settled from the sale proceeds from our share.
Fees / Costs	Commission is negotiable since the 2024 NAR settlement, agreed with the listing agent, plus standard seller closing costs subtracted at the end	On Premium, you review any brokerage commission with Silver Door Realty. Cash Flow Deals' payment appears as a separate line item on your closing statement and is paid last, after anything owed is settled and you receive your agreed number. Commissions and closing costs come from our share.

What The NAR Settlement Actually Changed

The Sitzer/Burnett settlement, brought against the National Association of Realtors, took effect August 17, 2024. It stopped buyer-agent compensation from being published on the MLS and requires a written buyer agreement before a buyer's agent tours a home with them. The practical result: commission is negotiable, deal by deal, and no longer treated as a fixed percentage set anywhere in advance. That single change is the reason what's the going commission rate stopped having one answer nationally, including in Florida.

What Cash Flow Deals Actually Is

With Cash Flow Deals, you choose between the Fast Cash Offer, where we buy your house as-is and close, and the Premium Cash Offer, where a pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have, ready to go, pays more and buys directly from you. Cash Flow Deals is a Florida real estate investor, not a brokerage. On Premium, your home may be listed through Silver Door Realty, a licensed Florida brokerage, with a licensed agent and scheduled showings. We cover repair costs, and we figure out a way, so nothing comes out of your pocket. Only what the Premium buyer's lender requires gets fixed, with costs fronted and settled from the sale proceeds from our share. On either offer, the number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens. On Premium, Cash Flow Deals is paid as a separate line item on the closing statement, after anything owed is settled and you receive your agreed number.

Cash Flow Deals' Process: How We Get Paid

1. Request your written offers with Cash Flow Deals. You compare the Fast Cash Offer, where we buy as-is and close, with the Premium Cash Offer, where a pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have, ready to go, pays more and buys directly from you. You choose. 2. Review your number and the closing math, including any brokerage commission arranged with Camilo Palacio at Silver Door Realty. The number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens. 3. On Premium, we cover repair costs, and we figure out a way, so nothing comes out of your pocket. Only what the buyer's lender requires gets fixed, settled from the sale proceeds from our share. Anything owed is paid first from the sale, then you receive your number, then Cash Flow Deals is paid last as a separate line on the closing statement. 4. On Premium, your buyer signs a new contract directly with you, title transfers once from you to that buyer, and their lender funds the purchase. If the buyer's loan falls through, that is our problem, not yours, and you can still take the Fast Cash Offer at its own number, or continue with the Premium Cash Offer if it remains available.

Repair Credits Are Where Net Proceeds Usually Take The Hit

Under a traditional listing, a repair credit negotiated after inspection can reduce what you expected to keep, even when the sale price on paper stays unchanged. With Cash Flow Deals, you choose the Fast Cash Offer, where we buy your house as-is and close, or the Premium Cash Offer, where a pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have, ready to go, pays more and buys directly from you. We cover repair costs, and we figure out a way, so nothing comes out of your pocket. On Premium, only what the buyer's lender requires gets fixed, settled from the sale proceeds from our share; on Fast Cash, you make no repairs. The number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens.

Running The Actual Math

Net proceeds math has three parts on either path: the price, what gets subtracted for the professional handling the transaction, and what gets subtracted for repairs or credits. A traditional listing usually settles the second and third numbers late, often in the final two weeks before closing. Cash Flow Deals settles the fee and the repair question before the price is even scoped, so a seller doing the math has real numbers from day one instead of estimates that keep moving until closing week.

Common questions

Is a flat fee always cheaper than a negotiated commission?

Not automatically. Since the NAR Sitzer/Burnett settlement took effect August 17, 2024, commission is negotiable and varies deal by deal, so there is no single percentage that tells you which option leaves you with more. Compare what you receive after everything owed is settled. With us, you choose between the Fast Cash Offer, where we buy as-is and close, and the Premium Cash Offer, where a pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have, ready to go, pays more and buys directly from you. Review each offer's closing math alongside any listing proposal.

Does Cash Flow Deals' fee change if repairs turn out to be more expensive than expected?

On the Premium Cash Offer, your closing statement shows Cash Flow Deals' payment as a separate line item. Anything owed is settled from the sale first, then you receive your agreed number, and we are paid last from what remains. Repair costs, commissions and closing costs come from our share, with nothing out of your pocket. The number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens. You can review any brokerage commission with Silver Door Realty before signing.

Who pays real estate commission after the NAR settlement?

It's negotiable and set contract by contract, not fixed by any published rate. A seller working with a traditional listing agent should confirm that number in writing as part of the listing agreement, since it is no longer published on the MLS the way it once was.

How do I know what I'll actually net if I sell traditionally?

The real number isn't final until repair credits, negotiated commission, and standard closing costs are all subtracted, which typically doesn't happen until close to the actual closing date, not when the home is first listed.