Who Pays The Real Estate Agent?
Now that you’ve learned how much does a real estate agent make, you’re wondering who pays the real estate agent?
Get ready for a non-answer. Or a super-answer. It’s a half-full/half-empty situation.
The thing is that both the home buyer and the home seller pay the real estate agents involved with the sale of a property but if you want to get too technical and literal, it’s the home seller.
Confusing? Ok, let’s go step by step of a sale and after we’ll comment and set things straight:
If Home Buyer Sam and his agent Steve close the deal with Seller Diane and her agent Roxanne, Home Buyer Sam pays up Home Seller Diane, who is obligated to give Agent Roxanne her real estate commission of 6%, that will be, then, split 50-50 with Agent Steve.
So, as you can see, the 6% commission is included in the payment done by the buyer and passed on by the seller. It’s a matter of point of view if you want to look at it as one specific party paying for that commission. And, of course, many greedy people see it this way: home buyers complain they could have spent less for the property if it wasn’t for the real estate commission and home sellers complain they could keep more of the money in their pockets if it wasn’t for the real estate commission.
But the truth is that they are both wrong. What is positively correct is the exact opposite: going about a house sale by way of a For Sale By Owner with no real estate agent involved will make you lose money. Whether you are the seller – by pricing it below (or even worse: above!) its true market value potential – or if you are the buyer – by not knowing how to detect and negotiate through the pitfalls of real estate and failing to avoid problems with paperwork and home inspection that will come to haunt you later and cost you lots of money.
Contact one of our local real estate agents right now so you don’t have to worry who pays for the real estate agent. Actually, you know what? We’re adding another answer to the question of who pays for the real estate agent! It’s not the seller or the buyer or the combination of the two… if you think about it, the agent actually pays for himself through the great work and return over your investment in hiring him! Do it!
Popular Real Estate Questions
Popular Real Estate Glossary Terms
A loan indemnified against default by the borrower. Such loans may be a mortgage loan insured by a standard mortgage insurance policy or by FHA mortgage insurance. In the event of the death ...
Unincorporated combination (roll-up) of limited partnerships in a real estate together as a group. It is usually more comprehensive, financially sound, and marketable than individual ...
The concept of a release can define various meanings in the financial and real estate business. Typically, it establishes a discharge or literal escape from a loan borrower's economic ...
The company is not responsible to a third party if an account or financial instrument is dishonored by the debtor. The creditor's recourse is solely to the debtor's property. An example is ...
An official indicating intensity of land use in a zoned urban area. ...
An agreement allowing occupancy of a premises for a stated period of time provided certain terms are met. A limited occupancy agreement is most frequently used when a prospective buyer is ...
Charitable gesture, such as when real estate is donated to a charity. The fair market value of the donated property may be tax deductible as a charitable contribution. ...
The meaning of a grace period refers to a specific time after a payment’s due date. During this period, one can reimburse the amount without penalty, extra costs, or forfeiture. Find ...
Legal lien on property on behalf of an individual who has not been paid for material furnished in constructing property. The material enhanced the value of the property, and as such the ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.