What Percentage Do Real Estate Agents Make?
Published by Cash Flow Deals · Last updated 2026-08-04 · Published and reviewed for compliance by Camilo Palacio, a Florida Licensed Realtor
Real estate agents typically split a total commission around 5.7% of the sale price, roughly 2.9% to the listing side and 2.8% to the buyer's side, though every number is negotiable. Since the NAR Sitzer/Burnett settlement took effect August 17, 2024, buyer-agent pay is no longer listed on the MLS and must be agreed to in writing before a tour. Cash Flow Deals charges a separate line-item fee instead of a price percentage.
| Factor | Traditional Route | Cash Flow Deals |
|---|---|---|
| How the fee is set | Percentage of sale price, commonly split roughly 2.9% listing / 2.8% buyer side | A fee shown as its own line item on the closing statement, not tied to the sale price |
| When it's agreed to | Buyer-agent compensation now has to be negotiated and signed before a home tour, since the MLS no longer lists it | Fee structure is part of the same upfront conversation as the locked net price |
| Who negotiates it | Two separate commissions, listing side and buyer side, each independently negotiable | One fee, disclosed at the same time as the net price |
What 'Percentage' Actually Means Here
There's no law that sets a fixed real estate commission rate. What most people mean by the percentage agents make is the total cut taken out of the sale price at closing, then split between the listing agent's brokerage and the buyer's agent's brokerage. Recent survey data puts the national average total commission around 5.7% of the sale price, with roughly 2.9% going to the listing side and 2.8% to the buyer side. That's an average, not a rate anyone is required to charge. Actual deals run anywhere from about 4% to 8% total, and discount brokerages sometimes charge as little as 1% to 1.5% on the listing side alone.
What Changed on August 17, 2024
The National Association of Realtors settled the Sitzer/Burnett antitrust lawsuits in 2024, and the practice changes took effect on August 17, 2024. Two rules matter most for how commission gets set. First, MLS listings can no longer advertise a set commission offer to buyer's agents, that used to be baked into the listing itself. Second, agents working with buyers now have to get a signed, written buyer agreement in place before showing a home, spelling out what that agent gets paid and by whom. The settlement didn't ban seller-paid buyer-agent commissions, it just took the automatic, unadvertised version of it off the table.
Did Commissions Actually Go Down?
Not by much, based on the data so far. Buyer-agent commission has moved in a narrow band since the settlement rather than collapsing, and survey data from February 2026 puts it close to where it started, around 2.8%. Listing-side fees have stayed close to flat the whole time. What did change is transparency: buyers now see and sign off on what their agent charges before they start touring homes, instead of that number being buried in MLS data they never saw. The rate itself proved sticky. The negotiation process around it did not.
How CFD's Fee Structure Is Different
A percentage commission moves with the sale price: the more the home sells for, the bigger the dollar amount, even if the agent's actual work didn't change. Cash Flow Deals charges a fee that shows up as its own separate line item on the closing statement, not a markup baked into the price the seller sees. The net price to the seller gets locked before repairs are even scoped, and the fee is disclosed as part of that same conversation, not calculated as a moving percentage of whatever the home eventually sells for.
Common questions
Is 6% still the standard real estate commission?
No single percentage is standard or required by law. Recent survey data puts the national average total commission closer to 5.7%, and it has always been negotiable, before and after the NAR settlement.
Who pays the buyer's agent now?
It depends on what the buyer and their agent agree to in writing before touring homes. Since the NAR settlement, seller-paid buyer-agent compensation is optional, not automatic, and has to be negotiated deal by deal.
Can I negotiate a lower commission with my listing agent?
Yes. Commission has always been negotiable, and the NAR settlement requires MLS participants to disclose in plain language that broker commissions are not set by law.
What is the NAR settlement everyone talks about?
It's the resolution of the Sitzer/Burnett antitrust lawsuits against the National Association of Realtors, which took effect August 17, 2024, and changed how buyer-agent compensation gets disclosed and agreed to.
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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.