What Percent Do Real Estate Agents Get Paid?
Published by Cash Flow Deals · Last updated 2026-08-04 · Published and reviewed for compliance by Camilo Palacio, a Florida Licensed Realtor
Commission is never fixed by law. Nationally it has run close to a combined 5 to 6 percent of the sale price, split between listing and buyer agents, but the number is negotiated deal by deal. That got more explicit after the 2024 NAR Sitzer/Burnett settlement, which pulled buyer-agent pay off the MLS. Cash Flow Deals works differently: it locks a seller's net price before repairs get scoped, with its fee shown as its own line on the closing statement.
| Factor | Traditional Route | Cash Flow Deals |
|---|---|---|
| How the fee is calculated | Percentage of the final sale price, negotiated with the agent | Locked net price set before repairs are scoped, fee is a separate line item |
| Who pays | Historically the seller covered both sides; now negotiated deal by deal | Disclosed clearly on the closing statement, not built into the sale price |
| When you know your number | Can shift until closing depending on repairs, appraisal, and negotiations | Net price is locked upfront, before repairs are scoped |
There's No Set Percentage, Anywhere
Real estate commission has never been fixed by law in the United States, and any agent or brokerage that suggests otherwise is misrepresenting how the business works. What did exist for decades was a strong informal norm: a combined commission near 5 to 6 percent of the sale price, split between the agent who listed the house and the agent who brought the buyer. That norm came from custom and from how compensation offers used to be published on local MLS systems, not from any rule requiring it. Individual agents commonly earned somewhere around 2.5 to 3 percent of the sale price on their side of a deal.
What Changed With the 2024 NAR Settlement
The National Association of Realtors settled a set of antitrust lawsuits, commonly referred to by the case names Sitzer and Burnett, and the resulting practice changes took effect August 17, 2024. Two changes matter most for anyone asking what agents get paid. First, MLS systems can no longer publish offers of buyer-broker compensation, so that number is no longer displayed automatically the way it used to be. Second, buyer's agents now have to sign a written agreement with their buyer, spelling out an amount that's objectively set rather than open-ended, before they can tour homes together. The result is a market where commission has to be discussed and agreed to explicitly, instead of assumed.
Who Actually Pays It
For decades, the seller paid both sides of the commission out of the sale proceeds, which is part of why buyers rarely thought about agent pay at all. After the 2024 settlement, that's no longer the automatic default. Sellers can still choose to offer to cover a buyer's agent's fee as an incentive, but they're not required to, and buyers can now be on the hook for paying their own agent directly if their seller doesn't offer to cover it. That makes the buyer's written agreement with their agent, spelling out exactly what they'll pay and under what terms, more important than it used to be.
How Cash Flow Deals' Fee Works Instead
Cash Flow Deals doesn't operate off a percentage-of-sale-price commission at all. It connects a seller directly with a real FHA or conventional buyer, whose own lender funds the purchase, and title transfers once, straight from seller to buyer, through novation. The seller's net price is locked before repairs are ever scoped out, and Cash Flow Deals' fee shows up as its own separate line item on the closing statement rather than as a percentage cut of the sale price. That's a structurally different arrangement than a commission, not a discounted version of one.
Common questions
Is real estate commission negotiable?
Yes. Commission has always been negotiable in the United States, and the 2024 NAR settlement made that negotiation more explicit by requiring written agreements that spell out an exact amount instead of relying on assumed norms.
Who pays the real estate agent's commission, buyer or seller?
It depends on what's negotiated in the deal. Sellers historically covered both sides of the commission out of sale proceeds. After the 2024 settlement, sellers can still choose to offer to cover a buyer's agent's fee, but buyers may also be responsible for paying their own agent directly under their written agreement.
What exactly did the NAR settlement change?
The settlement, effective August 17, 2024, stopped MLS systems from publishing offers of buyer-broker compensation and required buyer's agents to have a signed written agreement, with an objectively set amount, in place before touring homes with a buyer.
Do all real estate agents charge the same percentage?
No. Individual agents and brokerages set their own rates, and those rates are negotiated per deal. There's no standard percentage that applies across the industry, even though a combined 5 to 6 percent has historically been common.
How is Cash Flow Deals' fee different from a commission?
Cash Flow Deals doesn't charge a percentage of the sale price. It locks the seller's net price before repairs are scoped, and its fee appears as a separate line item on the closing statement instead of being built into a commission split.
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What this means for your options
Every path to selling a house has real tradeoffs. Cash Flow Deals is built for the middle: faster than a traditional listing, more money than a cash investor.
Wait and see
Keep the property as-is and hope conditions improve. The mortgage, insurance, and upkeep keep costing money while you wait, with no set date for things to turn around.
List with a traditional agent
Standard MLS listing, typically 5-6% in commission, and a financed buyer whose deal depends on appraisal, inspection, and lender approval — any of which can fall through after weeks on market.
Sell to Cash Flow Deals
No repairs, no showings, no financing contingency on your side — our novation structure connects you with a bank-financed buyer at a price locked at signing. Usually within one business day.
See your selling options before you decide anything.