{"id":15587,"date":"2023-08-14T01:46:06","date_gmt":"2023-08-14T08:46:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=15587"},"modified":"2026-04-14T02:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T09:30:09","slug":"buyer-realtor-fees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-realtor-fees\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Are Realtor Fees? A Guide for Homebuyers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note: On March 15, 2024, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> a landmark lawsuit settlement that will change the way real estate agent commissions are handled in the future. These changes will \u201cdecouple\u201d seller and buyer agent compensation. Industry experts predict that this decoupling will likely lower agent fees and give buyers the ability to negotiate commission amounts directly. <\/span>Learn more<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Though buyers tend to begin their home search online, 86% ultimately purchase their home through a Realtor\u00ae<\/a>. That\u2019s not surprising, considering all the benefits that working with a buyer\u2019s agent can bring<\/a> to the homebuying process.<\/p>\n

For many buyers, the excitement of finding the perfect property can overshadow the intricacies of the transaction itself. Besides all the paperwork and negotiations, there\u2019s also the Realtor fees. But just how much are these fees, and what do they cover?<\/p>\n

Understanding the structure and rationale behind Realtor fees can provide clarity during your home search, ensuring that you’re not caught off-guard when it’s time to finalize your purchase.<\/p>\n

To answer all your questions, we interviewed a real estate pro to put together the ultimate guide to Realtor fees for homebuyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\n \"homelight\n <\/div>\n \n

Connect with a Trusted Top Agent for Top Results<\/h3>\n

HomeLight can connect you with a top-performing, trusted agent in your market. We analyze over 27 million transactions and thousands of reviews to determine which agent is best for you based on your needs.<\/p>\n \n

\n Find Agent<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Real estate agent vs. Realtor<\/h2>\n

First, a quick primer: A Realtor is not exactly the same thing as a real estate agent<\/a>, though there is a lot of overlap between those two job titles. A real estate agent is someone who\u2019s been licensed by the state to help transact real estate (and is usually also a Realtor, but not always); A Realtor is a member of the National Association of Realtors (and is almost always also a practicing real estate agent or broker).<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

What are Realtor fees?<\/h2>\n

As the name implies, Realtor fees are paid to the buyer\u2019s agent and listing agent for their services after closing.<\/p>\n

Realtor fees are a percentage of the home\u2019s sale price, usually around 5%-6%<\/a>. If that percentage seems high, remember: your agent doesn\u2019t get as much as you think. The median hourly wage for agents across the U.S. is $24.03 per hour<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Buyer\u2019s agents and seller\u2019s agents typically split commissions 50\/50. So if a home\u2019s Realtor fees are 6%, the buyer\u2019s agent would get 3% and the seller\u2019s agent would get 3%.<\/p>\n

Fees are determined by individual real estate agents and their clients. Sellers typically cover agent commissions<\/a>, so they negotiate with their agent to determine what percentage of the sale their own agent and the buyer\u2019s agent will get.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe buyer does not see the fee, nor do they pay the fee,\u201d says Anthony Navarro<\/a>, an agent with 18 years of experience who\u2019s completed close to 500 transactions.<\/p>\n

The median home price in Q2 of 2023 was $416,100<\/a>, according to the U.S. Census. If you assume commission fees of 5.8%, the buyer\u2019s agent and listing agent would split just over $24,000.<\/p>\n

In standard transactions where the fee is split in half, $12,000 would go to the buyer\u2019s agent and the same amount would go to the listing agent. The agents then split their portion of the commission according to individual agreements with their respective brokers. Some brokers take 50%<\/a>, but top producing real estate agents often get more. Each broker receives a check at closing and splits it accordingly.<\/p>\n

A number of factors, including the local market, go into what determines Realtor fees. In San Francisco, where Navarro is based, the average commission is 5.46%<\/a>. In Atlanta, average fees are 5.72%<\/a> and in Baltimore they\u2019re 5.86%<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are Realtor fees, and who pays them? Check out our homebuyer\u2019s guide to Realtor fees to learn everything you need to know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":37813,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[192,640,638],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-buyers","category-work-with-agents","category-house-hunting"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow Much Are Realtor Fees? A Guide for Homebuyers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What are Realtor fees, and who pays them? 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