Sales Commission
Definition of "Sales commission"
Broadly speaking, a commission is a remuneration a person receives after acting on someone else’s behalf.
In the real estate world, you’ll usually hear the term “sales commission”, which is the remuneration a real estate broker and/or agent earns in regards for his/her service representing the home seller (or the home buyer) in a house buying/selling transaction.
Well… most of the times, at least.
Sorry if you’re looking for easy answers; the real estate market is complex - that’s why an agent expertise is something you should not turn your back to.
Sometimes agents do earn money regardless of a house being sold: Buyer’s agents, for instance, might earn a real estate sales commission even if the prospective home buyer doesn’t end up buying a house. Think about it: the buyer’s agent drove the client around showing houses on the weekend, shared his/her educated knowledge regarding the real estate market… that comes at a cost and it wouldn’t be right if the agent gets nothing out of it should the client decide it’s not the right time to buy a house.
And there are some times when the agent gets no real estate commission at all! Yup; even if the house is sold! If an agent entered an Open Listing or an Exclusive Agency Listing but did not manage to bring the final offer to the table, then the real estate commission will go to the agent who brought it or to the homeowner.
The standard real estate sales commission is 5% to 6% of the final sales price and the listing agent splits it evenly with the buyer’s agent.
Real Estate Tips:
Check our Glossary Terms for more real estate lingo!
And find an agent to help you with the complex task of buying or selling a house!
Popular Real Estate Terms
Latin term meaning something in exchange for something else. For example, a person rushes through an order for another in return for having first choice in selecting a parcel of ...
Latin term meaning legal capacity to act on behalf of oneself. ...
Records maintained as evidence of ownership of the home and any of its contents. ...
An Act, passed by congress in order to prevent the practice of redlining and disinvestments in central city areas. Redlining is a practice in which lenders refuse to make loans in certain ...
Extended area of land commonly held for subdividing and development into residential units. ...
A provision not explicitly stated in an agreement, but considered as an important item. For example, the buyer of a home anticipates it to meet seller's claims as to condition and use. ...
Amount invested in property in cash. ...
Increase in the value of property caused by inflation. For example, John buys a home for $150,000. Because of inflation, the home is worth $200,000 five years later. The inflation equity in ...
Local zoning law or private limitation on how far in feet a structure might be situated from the curb or other appropriate marker. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.