{"id":60918,"date":"2025-07-31T09:31:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T16:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=60918"},"modified":"2026-03-30T14:22:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T21:22:18","slug":"who-pays-realtor-fees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/who-pays-realtor-fees\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Pays Realtor Fees?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re selling a home, you’re likely wondering: <\/span>Who pays the Realtor fees?<\/span><\/i> This question has taken center stage following last year\u2019s rule changes tied to a <\/span>landmark court settlement<\/span><\/a> involving the National Association of Realtors (NAR).<\/span><\/p>\n

Under <\/span>new rules<\/span><\/a> that went into effect in August 2024, home sellers are no longer automatically expected to compensate the buyer\u2019s agent, bending a 100-year-old commission tradition. But has the NAR settlement really changed things for sellers?<\/span><\/p>\n

In this post, we\u2019ll break down who pays real estate agent commissions and provide a simple commission calculator to help you estimate your agent fees \u2014 and weigh whether you\u2019ll offer to cover the buyer\u2019s agent costs.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Who pays Realtor fees in a home sale?<\/h2>\n

The NAR settlement created a wave of predictions that the industry was shifting and that buyers would take on more responsibility for covering their own agent\u2019s fees. But on the ground, that shift hasn\u2019t materialized. According to a recent nationwide <\/span>HomeLight survey<\/span><\/a>, 92% of top agents say sellers are still covering the buyer\u2019s agent commission.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why? Because in a slower market marked by elevated mortgage rates and affordability concerns, offering to pay the buyer\u2019s agent fees \u2014 and sometimes additional <\/span>concessions<\/span><\/a> \u2014 remains a powerful tool to attract serious offers.<\/span><\/p>\n

In short, while home sellers are no longer obligated to offer compensation to the buyer\u2019s agent, in practice, most sellers continue to do so, especially in markets where:<\/span><\/p>\n