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
When you sell your home, the total real estate commission typically runs around 5.7% of the sale price, roughly 2.9% to the side representing you and 2.8% to the side representing your buyer, though every number is negotiable. Since the NAR Sitzer/Burnett settlement took effect August 17, 2024, compensation for representing your buyer is no longer published in the shared property database and must be agreed to in writing before a home tour. With Cash Flow Deals, our fee appears as a separate line item instead of a price percentage. 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.
| 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 | Your fee structure is explained upfront as you compare the Fast Cash Offer and Premium Cash 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. |
| 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 your sale price: the more your home sells for, the bigger the dollar amount, even if the work involved stays the same. 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. Our fee appears as a separate line item on the closing statement, and we explain it when you compare your offers. 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. We cover repair costs, and we figure out a way, so nothing comes out of your pocket. With Premium, only what your buyer's lender requires gets fixed, with repair costs settled from the sale proceeds out of our share. With Fast Cash, you sell as-is without making repairs. If your Premium buyer's loan falls through, that is our problem, not yours, and you can still choose the Fast Cash Offer at its own number instead of the Premium Cash Offer.
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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- Tampa Bay Real Estate in 2026: What Slowing Sales Mean for Hillsborough Sellers ›
- How to Actually Vet a Real Estate Agent in Florida Before You List ›
- What Does a Florida Listing Agent Actually Do for Your Home Sale? ›
- How Do You Counter an Offer on Your House? ›
- When Does the Buyer Get Possession of the House? ›
What this means for your options
Every path to selling a house has real tradeoffs.
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
Two offers for your house, Fast Cash or Premium Cash, and you choose. Cash: Cash Flow Deals buys the house as-is and closes. Premium: More money. A pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have buys directly from you.
See your selling options before you decide anything.