{"id":2024,"date":"2025-03-24T02:00:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T09:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=2024"},"modified":"2025-10-30T12:46:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T19:46:45","slug":"how-much-do-real-estate-agents-make","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-much-do-real-estate-agents-make\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Do Real Estate Agents Make On A Home Sale?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When selling your house<\/a>, you may wonder how much your real estate agent will make from the sale. Most real estate agents are paid through commissions<\/a>, calculated based on the home\u2019s sale price. The average commission rate has traditionally been between 5% and 6%, typically covered by the seller<\/a>, but this model has changed, given the new real estate commission rules rolled out in late 2024.<\/p>\n

In this post, we\u2019ll answer the question, \u201cHow much do real estate agents make?\u201d and review the factors that influence their earnings.<\/p>\n

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How real estate agents are paid<\/h2>\n

Real estate agents predominantly earn their income through commissions, a percentage of the home’s sale price. Historically, when a property was sold, the 5%-6% commission paid by the seller was typically split between the listing agent<\/a> and the buyer’s agent<\/a>. From there, a portion was given to their respective brokerages<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On August 17, 2024, a landmark lawsuit settlement<\/a> by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) changed how Realtor fees are handled. These changes \u201cdecoupled\u201d seller and buyer agent compensations, allowing sellers to decide whether to pay the buyer’s agent, giving buyers the ability to negotiate commission amounts<\/a> directly with their agent.<\/p>\n

While commissions remain the standard, who pays and how the fees are divided have evolved. (More on this in the next section.) Depending on who you hire, some agents might charge a flat fee<\/a> or work for a salary, particularly in certain discount brokerages<\/a> or specialized real estate firms. Nevertheless, the commission-based model is the most common, as it ties an agent’s compensation directly to their performance and the property’s final sale price.<\/p>\n

According to the most recent salary statistics from the NAR, here is a breakdown of what real estate agents make annually:<\/p>\n