Flat fee vs. a percentage listing

Q: Is a cheaper listing side a weaker listing?

It is the same MLS, the same syndication and the same representation. What changes is how the listing side is priced, not what gets done.

We charge a flat package fee. Two of the three packages also have a fixed amount due if the property sells. The comparison below assumes a listing side charge of 3%, an illustration rather than a rate anyone is required to charge. Different arithmetic, and you choose the service level.

The comparison6%

3% listing side, plus a similar figure again for the buyer’s agent

With us3.5%

A flat package fee, and whatever you decide to offer the buyer’s agent

Only one number changes

The buyer’s agent concession is identical either way, and so is the transfer tax, the title work and your mortgage payoff. The listing side is the only thing we price differently, and it is the single biggest line on most closing statements.

What that looks like in dollars

Our MLS Listing package at $599, against an assumed 3% listing side. Listing side only.

Sale priceAssumed 3% listing sideOffer SupportYou save

$175,000$5,250$1,674$3,576

$225,000$6,750$1,924$4,826

$275,000$8,250$2,174$6,076

$375,000$11,250$2,674$8,576

$500,000$15,000$3,299$11,701

$750,000$22,500$4,549$17,951

The comparison column assumes a listing side charge of 3% of the sale price. It is an illustration for comparison, not a rate any brokerage is required to charge; real estate compensation is negotiable and another brokerage may quote you more or less.

Listing side only. The MLS Listing column is the package fee and excludes any add-ons. Commissions and fees are not set by law and are fully negotiable.

Want this with your own numbers, including the mortgage payoff? Use the proceeds calculator.

Why the gap widens

A percentage commission grows with every dollar your home sells for. A flat fee does not. The table above is the same package doing the same job at six different prices, and the gap at the bottom of it is many times the gap at the top.

There is no version of a percentage listing fee where the broker does several times as much work on the more expensive house.

What you are not giving up

Your listing is entered and maintained for you, and agents send offers to your listing's offer address rather than to your phone. How much of the offer and closing work we take on is the package you choose.

Common questions

Is a cheaper listing side a weaker listing?

It is the same MLS and the same syndication. What changes is how the listing side is priced, and how much of the transaction you hand over.

Why is a percentage the usual way to price a listing?

Convention, mostly. A percentage was a reasonable way to price the work before listings syndicated automatically, and it stuck. It is not set by law and it is fully negotiable.

Does a lower listing fee put buyer’s agents off?

Since August 2024 offers of compensation cannot be advertised in the MLS at all, so a buyer’s agent cannot see what the listing side is paid. Any concession you offer is negotiated in the purchase agreement.

What do these figures leave out?

The package fee itself, and any add-ons, both of which increase what you pay. They also exclude any concession you offer a buyer’s agent, which costs the same whichever brokerage lists your home.

Ready to list? Tell us the address and what you want handled. We will verify your address is in our service area, recommend a package, and send the listing agreement before anything is paid.

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