Sales Commission
Definition of "Sales commission"
Broadly speaking, a commission is a remuneration a person receives after acting on someone else’s behalf.
In the real estate world, you’ll usually hear the term “sales commission”, which is the remuneration a real estate broker and/or agent earns in regards for his/her service representing the home seller (or the home buyer) in a house buying/selling transaction.
Well… most of the times, at least.
Sorry if you’re looking for easy answers; the real estate market is complex - that’s why an agent expertise is something you should not turn your back to.
Sometimes agents do earn money regardless of a house being sold: Buyer’s agents, for instance, might earn a real estate sales commission even if the prospective home buyer doesn’t end up buying a house. Think about it: the buyer’s agent drove the client around showing houses on the weekend, shared his/her educated knowledge regarding the real estate market… that comes at a cost and it wouldn’t be right if the agent gets nothing out of it should the client decide it’s not the right time to buy a house.
And there are some times when the agent gets no real estate commission at all! Yup; even if the house is sold! If an agent entered an Open Listing or an Exclusive Agency Listing but did not manage to bring the final offer to the table, then the real estate commission will go to the agent who brought it or to the homeowner.
The standard real estate sales commission is 5% to 6% of the final sales price and the listing agent splits it evenly with the buyer’s agent.
Real Estate Tips:
Check our Glossary Terms for more real estate lingo!
And find an agent to help you with the complex task of buying or selling a house!
Popular Real Estate Terms
Requires collateral to secure the debt. An example of collateral might be one's home. ...
What is real estate speculation? The term real estate speculation may have a difficult definition, but explaining it may be easier. Think of the stock market, buying stocks when they are ...
The smallest lot area required for building under the municipal zoning code. For example, a municipal zoning code requires all building lots to have a minimum lot area of 1/4 of an acre in ...
House that can be bought at a low price because it is in poor condition. A buyer who is handy may find it attractive because he can personally make the needed repairs without hiring others. ...
See accommodation endorser, maker, or party. ...
A rule that the price of a house should not exceed about 2 to 2.5 times your family's gross annual earnings. Example : If annual gross income is $70,000, the highest price one could afford ...
Surface level of water. ...
Roof having a concave angle. ...
Tax assessed on a transfer of property made without adequate legal consideration. This tax is based on the appraised value of the property at the time of transfer.Also, gifts of property ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.