{"id":53213,"date":"2025-01-27T08:42:39","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T16:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=53213"},"modified":"2025-01-27T08:42:39","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T16:42:39","slug":"net-listing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/net-listing\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Net Listing When Selling a Home?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re exploring your options for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-to-do-to-sell-your-house\/\">selling a home<\/a>, you might come across a term that raises some eyebrows: net listing. While it may sound like a straightforward approach, a net listing can come with serious risks for you as the seller.<\/p>\n<p>This guide explains net listing, how it works, and why it\u2019s often discouraged in favor of other, more common <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/listing-agreement\/\">listing agreements<\/a>. We\u2019ll also provide examples so you can better understand why net listing is illegal in most states.<\/p>\n<p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"geo-cta widget-cta widget-cta--content     widget-cta--dark widget-cta--dark-blue-gradient\">\n    <div class=\"widget-element--content\">\n        <div class=\"widget-element--content-header\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"homelight logo\" class=\"widget-element--logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/logo-small-cta.png\" width=\"106\" height=\"25\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        \n                <h3 class=\"cta-headline widget--bold\">Find a Top Agent With a High Sale-to-List Ratio<\/h3>\n                        <p>HomeLight can connect you with the highest-rated agents in your market. Our data shows that the top 5% of real estate agents across the U.S. sell homes for as much as 10% more than average agents.<\/p>\n        \n                <div class=\"widget-element--buttons\">\n            <a data-type=\"In Content CTA\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/find-agent\/quiz\/seller?#\/qaas=0\/\" class=\"cta-click-track widget-element--button\">Get Started<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <div id=\"section--1\" data-toc-header=\"What is a net listing in real estate?\" data-toc-type=\"head\"><\/div><\/p>\n<h2>What is a net listing in real estate?<\/h2>\n<p>A net listing is a type of real estate agreement where the seller sets a minimum amount they want to receive from the sale of their home. Any amount above this minimum becomes the agent\u2019s commission.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you set a net price of $300,000 and your home sells for $350,000, the agent would pocket the additional $50,000 as their fee. While this arrangement might seem appealing for sellers who prioritize simplicity, it can lead to conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n<p>Since the agent\u2019s earnings depend entirely on the sale price exceeding your net, it could incentivize them to prioritize their profit over your best interests.<\/p>\n<div id=\"section--2\" data-toc-header=\"Net listing agreement examples\" data-toc-type=\"head\"><\/div>\n<h2>Net listing agreement examples<\/h2>\n<p>Here are a couple of scenarios to illustrate how net listings might play out:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Scenario 1: <\/strong>You agree to a net listing with a $200,000 minimum. Your agent finds a buyer willing to pay $275,000. The $75,000 difference becomes the agent\u2019s commission, which far exceeds the typical percentage-based fee.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Scenario 2:<\/strong> A seller sets a net price of $400,000. After negotiations, the buyer offers $405,000. The agent walks away with just $5,000 in commission, which may discourage them from putting in extra effort to secure better offers.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Scenario 3:<\/strong> You inherit a home in a different state, and an agent tells you they\u2019ll get you at least $500,000 for the property on a net listing agreement. You\u2019re unaware of the home\u2019s value, and the agent sells it for $650,000. The agent walks away with $150,000 compensation on a house that would normally involve a 3% commission of $19,500.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While these examples highlight potential outcomes, they also showcase why net listings can be problematic and why protections exist that either outlaw or restrict them.<\/p>\n<div id=\"section--3\" data-toc-header=\"Are net listings legal?\" data-toc-type=\"head\"><\/div>\n<h2>Are net listings legal?<\/h2>\n<p>Net listings are illegal in most states due to the potential conflicts of interest they create. These agreements can lead to unethical practices.<\/p>\n<p>In real estate, agents have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/wex\/fiduciary_duty\">fiduciary responsibility<\/a> to act in the best interests of their clients. A net listing undermines this responsibility, as it encourages the agent to focus on maximizing their earnings rather than securing the best deal for the seller.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, if the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/realtor-vs-real-estate-agent\/\">agent is also a Realto<\/a>r \u2014 a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) \u2014 they are prohibited from using net listings under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nar.realtor\/about-nar\/policies\/code-of-ethics-and-professional-standards\">NAR\u2019s Code of Ethics<\/a>. Net listings are also forbidden on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-the-mls\/\">Multiple Listing Service<\/a> (MLS), the primary platform for real estate professionals to share and advertise properties.<\/p>\n<p>While net listings are outright illegal in most states, they are subject to strict regulations in others that allow them, such as California, Texas, and Florida. But even in these states where they are allowed, net listings are rarely used due to their controversial nature.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is a net listing? Learn how this risky real estate agreement works, why it\u2019s illegal in most states, and better options for selling your home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":53215,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[322,238],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-logistics","category-working-with-agents"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is a Net Listing When Selling a Home?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is a net listing? 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Previously, he served as an editor and content producer for World Company, Gannett, and Western News &amp; Info, where he also served as news director and director of internet operations.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.homelight.com","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/richard-w-haddad"],"url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/author\/richardhaddad\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/298"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}