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
A testator/testatrix who donates real property. ...
Person chosen by a testator/testatrix to handle and conduct the terms of a will to an estate. Duties include collecting and selling of properties and paying debts of the state. ...
Same as term mortgage correspondent: Individual having permission to act ob behalf of a bank or other financial institution in a specified locality to attract interest borrowers. ...
The construction of a highway right way over a privately held parcel of land. Property owners are entitled to compensation for the value of the property usurped by a highway easement. See ...
A certificate of ownership in a real estate company. Pledged assets for a borrowing. An example is an office building serving as collateral for the mortgage. Way of protecting property ...
Any real estate owner is aware that assets depreciate over time. So exactly what is accumulated depreciation then? As depreciation happens to every asset, whether it is a three-story ...
To enter illegally. For example, entering property without permission. ...
Person or business that benefits from the work of another person or business. The recipient has not compensated the other party for this gain. In law, the one being enriched at the ...
(1) Short-term loan that is made in anticipation of permanent longer term loans. The interest rate on such a loan is usually higher than on longer term loans. (2) A business loan in which ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.