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
Written agreement in which the lessee pays rent to the lessor for the use of real property for a stated time period. An example is the tenant's rental of an apartment or office space. ...
Invests in rental property but does not manage that property. ...
Ownership in property by two or more persons at the same time. ...
Same as term resale proceeds: Net amount received when property is sold. It equals the selling price less outstanding mortgage balance less all costs incurred in connection with the sale. ...
Type of flooring, made up of tiles of colored stone or marble that is set in concrete. ...
An organized group of ethical behavior guidelines governing the day-to-day activities of a profession or organization. ...
Map that shows the location and boundaries of individual properties. ...
The bonus depreciation definition refers to a tax incentive that allows a business to accelerate the depreciation deduction in the year when the asset is purchased and placed into use. The ...
A prefabricate house constructed in a factory with final assembly and erection on site. Because of economies of scale and modern factory production techniques, modular housing is ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.