Flat Fee vs. Realtor Commission: What You Actually Keep at Closing
2 min read · Last updated 2026-08-03 · Reviewed by Camilo Palacio, Licensed Florida Real Estate Professional (License #3280644, REALTOR®)
What a seller actually keeps depends on what gets subtracted before the check clears, not the sticker price. Cash Flow Deals is one of the real options a Florida seller has for that math: a flat fee arranged through Silver Door Realty, disclosed as one line item, versus a traditional listing commission, which has been negotiable since the NAR Sitzer/Burnett settlement took effect August 17, 2024.
| 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 | Net price locked at the walkthrough, so the number a seller keeps is known before repairs are even scoped |
| Repairs | Buyer-requested repair credits or price cuts after inspection reduce net proceeds, often after the seller has already counted on the higher number | Net price locked before repairs are scoped, so repair costs do not reduce the number after the fact |
| Fees / Costs | Commission is negotiable since the 2024 NAR settlement, agreed with the listing agent, plus standard seller closing costs subtracted at the end | Flat fee arranged through Silver Door Realty, disclosed as one line item on the closing statement, calculated against the already-locked price |
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
Cash Flow Deals is a Florida real estate investor that locks in a net price for a seller's house before repairs are scoped, using a novation-based, flat-fee process arranged through its licensed FL brokerage partner, Silver Door Realty — not a traditional listing, and not a brokerage itself. Cash Flow Deals is paid the flat fee through Silver Door Realty as its own line item on the closing statement, calculated against the net price the seller already locked in, not against a final sale price still open to negotiation.
Cash Flow Deals' Process: How The Flat Fee Gets Calculated
1. Request your net-price walkthrough. Cash Flow Deals locks a net number with the seller before repairs are scoped, and that number becomes the baseline for every calculation after it. 2. Camilo Palacio at Silver Door Realty structures the flat fee against that locked price, not against a final sale price that could still move. 3. The fee shows up as its own line on the closing statement, the same place a title company or attorney fee appears, never folded into the price the seller was quoted. 4. Title transfers once, from seller to buyer, and the seller sees the same net number that was locked at the walkthrough.
Repair Credits Are Where Net Proceeds Usually Take The Hit
Under a traditional listing, a repair credit negotiated after inspection comes straight out of the number a seller expected to keep, even though the sale price on paper might look unchanged. Cash Flow Deals locks the net price before repairs are ever scoped, which removes that subtraction entirely. 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, and that's the wrong comparison. Since the NAR Sitzer/Burnett settlement took effect August 17, 2024, commission is negotiable and varies deal by deal, so there's no single percentage to compare a flat fee against. What matters more is which number is locked earliest and what still gets subtracted for repairs after the fact.
Does the flat fee change if repairs turn out to be more expensive than expected?
The flat fee is arranged through Silver Door Realty against the net price locked at the walkthrough. Repairs found after signing don't change that fee. The narrow exception is anything structural that wasn't visible or disclosed before signing, which gets re-costed and brought back to the seller to decide on.
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.