Shelley Dutro

Heath, I'm sorry for the confusion, as is every REALTOR in the country. As Luis explained, nothing has really changed, the commissions have always been negotiable. You don't HAVE to pay your listing agent 3% and you don't HAVE to cover the buyer's agent fee either, it's all negotiable. However, this is the only way agents get paid. Think of it like this: You're not paying your agent or the buyer's agent out of your current money. Those fees come out of the sale of the home. Prior to the legal changes, that amount was around 6% and was then split between the two agents. It may have been split 50/50, or 4% to listing agent, 2% to buyers agent, etc. What the law changed was making these negotiable percentages more transparent. The seller negotiates with his agent, the buyer with hers. But the money to pay these percentages still comes from the same place - the sale of the home. If it didn't, after down payment and closing costs, very few buyers would have the additional cash to pay their agent. So, as before, it comes from the sale of the home. We are no longer allowed to list a commission offer to buyer's agents, but I have yet to have a listing where the seller has refused the buyer's agent commission. Again, this all comes out of the sale of the home, and frankly, the buyer is paying it all out of his/her mortgage loan. The difference to you as a seller is in what you net, which is no different than before the legal changes.