{"id":66514,"date":"2026-01-20T09:45:46","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T17:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=66514"},"modified":"2026-03-30T14:13:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T21:13:37","slug":"who-pays-realtor-fees-in-north-carolina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/who-pays-realtor-fees-in-north-carolina\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Pays Realtor Fees in North Carolina?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re making plans to sell your house in the Tar Heel State, you\u2019re probably looking at the selling prices of recently sold nearby homes<\/a> and calculating your potential proceeds. If this is your first time selling a house \u2014 or maybe it\u2019s been a while \u2014 you might also be wondering, Who pays Realtor fees in North Carolina?<\/p>\n

This is a common question among home sellers ever since a court settlement<\/a> by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) changed how real estate agent commissions are handled.<\/p>\n

Under the new rules that took effect in August 2024<\/a>, the seller is no longer automatically expected to pay the buyer\u2019s agent’s fees, which had been the standard practice for more than a century. But has the NAR settlement changed<\/a> the way Realtor fees are paid in North Carolina?<\/p>\n

In this post, you\u2019ll learn who pays the Realtor fees, how agent commissions work in the current market, and when it might make sense to cover your buyer\u2019s agent fee<\/a>. We\u2019ll also provide a handy North Carolina agent commission calculator to help you decide what Realtor fees you may want to pay.<\/p>\n

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Who pays Realtor fees in North Carolina?<\/h2>\n

Following the NAR settlement, some industry analysts predicted buyers would feel pressured to pay their own Realtor fees, rerouting commission costs away from sellers. However, this shift hasn\u2019t happened at scale \u2014 in North Carolina or anywhere in the U.S. According to a nationwide HomeLight survey<\/a>, 92% of top agents report that sellers are still paying their buyer\u2019s agent commissions.<\/p>\n

Why are sellers covering buyer commissions? Agents say it boils down to being practical. High mortgage rates and affordability issues have impacted North Carolina\u2019s housing market. When buyers are hesitant, offering to pay their Realtor fees and providing other concessions<\/a> is a smart strategy to attract offers and close a sale.<\/p>\n

Despite the NAR rule changes, most North Carolina sellers continue to offer to cover the buyer\u2019s agent commission. This is especially true in North Carolina housing markets where:<\/p>\n