If you've read anything about the NAR settlement, you've probably wondered whether commissions are now optional or negotiable in a whole new way. It's a fair question, and honestly, I'd rather answer it directly than dance around it.

It's not an hourly rate. It's a fee tied to the result, getting your home sold, for the right price, without the deal falling apart along the way. And there are a lot of ways a transaction can fall apart.

Here's what's happening behind the scenes: pricing strategy, marketing, coordinating showings, managing disclosures, negotiating through inspections, handling appraisal issues, troubleshooting financing problems, and keeping escrow on track from contract to close. Most sellers only see the sign in the yard and the offer that comes in. They don't see everything that happens in between.

On top of that, there are real costs that come out of an agent's pocket before a home ever sells, photography, marketing materials, websites, and outreach to other agents and buyers. That's spent whether the home sells or not.

Technically, yes. Practically, it's one of the most important decisions you'll make in this sale.

Here's why. If your home doesn't offer competitive compensation to the agent bringing the buyer, fewer agents show it. A 2025 Iowa Law Review study found that homes offering low buyer agent commissions took 33 percent longer to sell, and had a 75 percent greater risk of never selling at all.

In other words, the money you might save on commission can cost you far more in time on market, or in the sale never happening.

A lot of sellers are working with a tight budget, whether it's a divorce, downsizing, or falling behind on payments. That's more common than people think, and there's no shame in it.

The commission comes out of the proceeds at closing, not out of your pocket upfront. And a fair commission to the buyer's agent widens your pool of buyers, which usually works in your favor, not against it.

You deserve to know exactly what you're paying for and why the system works the way it does. If you want to talk through your specific situation before listing, I'm happy to walk you through it, no pressure, no scripts, just an honest conversation.