What Is a 4.5% Real Estate Commission?

A 4.5% real estate commission means you’ll pay 4.5% of your home’s sale price in total realtor fees, covering both the listing and buyer’s agents. That’s lower than the national average of 5.70% which could save you thousands at closing.

On a $400,000 home, dropping your total commission rate from 5.70% to 4.5% puts $4,800 back in your pocket.

You don’t have to sacrifice service to get there. Several reputable discount brokerages, including Clever Real Estate, Redfin, and SimpleShowing, offer a 1.5% listing fee, which gets you to 4.5% total commission once you factor in a competitive buyer’s-agent fee. You still get a licensed local agent, MLS exposure, and full-service support.

Below, we cover which companies actually offer this rate, exactly how much you’ll save versus today’s true national average (not the outdated 6% baseline), how to vet a discount agent so you don’t trade quality for the savings, and how the NAR settlement has impacted buyer’s agent fees.

⚡ Skip the legwork. Our free agent-matching tool connects you with top local agents pre-negotiated to a 1.5% listing fee — including agents from Keller Williams, RE/MAX, and Berkshire Hathaway. Compare hand-picked options in one place. Find agents in your area today!

The best companies that offer a 4.5% commission (or less!)

1. Clever Real Estate

Listing fee: 1.5% (min. $3,000) | Buyer savings: $250–$500 cash back | Rating: 4.9/5 (4,500+ reviews)

Editor’s take: Clever is the best option for most sellers because you get more than one agent to choose from and the 1.5% rate doesn’t change based on which agent you pick. The platform pre-negotiates the rate with full-service realtors from major brokerages (Keller Williams, RE/MAX, Berkshire Hathaway), so the lower fee comes from Clever’s volume relationship, not from cutting the agent’s service obligations.

How the savings work: You answer a few questions, Clever sends you a shortlist of local agents who’ve agreed to the 1.5% listing fee, and you interview as many as you want before deciding. If none of them feel right, you can walk away. The agents don’t pay to be matched; Clever earns a referral fee from the agent’s brokerage if you close, which is what funds the 1.5% pricing.

Trade-offs: The $3,000 minimum means sellers below ~$200,000 won’t see the full percentage savings. And like any platform model, the experience depends on the specific agent you choose — Clever vets agents for production and reviews but can’t guarantee personality fit. (Our recommendation: actually interview at least two.)

Disclosure: Clever Real Estate owns and operates this site. We rank ourselves at No. 1 because the agent-choice model (multiple vetted options, no obligation to pick one) materially differs from competitors that match you with a single agent or charge a higher fee. Where competitors beat us (like SimpleShowing’s 1% rate in select markets), we say so.

2. Redfin

Listing fee: 1.5–2% (min. fees vary) | Buyer savings: 0.25% cash back | Rating: 2.6 / 5 (1,400+ reviews)

Editor’s take: Reputable national discount brokerage with significant savings — especially when you both sell and buy with Redfin (the listing fee drops to 1%). Watch the minimum fees, which vary by market. Redfin agents handle far more transactions per year than a traditional realtor, so hands-on availability can suffer.

Redfin uses in-house W-2 agents who charge 1.5% for full-service listings, totaling ~4–4.5% commission when you offer a competitive buyer’s agent fee. The 2.6-star average rating on our platform reflects the most common complaint: response times. Read the full Redfin review.

3. SimpleShowing

Listing fee: 1% (min. fees vary) | Buyer savings: Up to 1% | Rating: 4.9 / 5 (277 reviews)

Editor’s take: SimpleShowing offers the lowest listing fee in this ranking and customer reviews are strong. The catch is geographic reach (FL, GA, TX only) and a small agent roster, which limits choice — and the minimum fee compresses savings on homes under ~$500,000.

SimpleShowing agents handle 20–25 transactions per year — nearly double a traditional realtor’s load — which is how they support the 1% fee. For sellers in covered metros with homes above $500,000, this is the savings leader. Read our full SimpleShowing review.

4. Ideal Agent

Listing fee: 2% (min. $3,000) | Buyer savings: None | Rating: 5.0 / 5 (6,900+ reviews)

Editor’s take: Ideal Agent vets aggressively — only top-1% local producers — and customer reviews are excellent. But you’re matched with a single agent (not a shortlist), and the 2% listing fee isn’t the cheapest. Best for sellers who prioritize agent quality over the deepest discount.

Ideal Agent’s commission isn’t the most competitive in this ranking; if maximum savings is your priority, a 1–1.5% option will beat it.

» MORE: How to Choose a Realtor to Sell Your Home

5. Prevu

Listing fee: 1.5% (min. fees vary) | Buyer savings: Up to 1% rebate (on properties over $1.25M) | Rating: 5.0 / 5 (646 reviews)

Editor’s take: Prevu is purpose-built for high-end coastal markets. The 1.5% listing fee and meaningful buyer rebate work well above ~$700,000, but minimum fees can swallow the savings on lower-priced homes. Limited geography (eight states).Best as a buyer-side tool for expensive markets; sellers in covered states with $700k+ homes can also benefit.

What's the average real estate commission in 2026?

As you can see in the above map, average real estate commission rates vary by market. Generally speaking, you pay 5–6% of your home's final sale price to the listing agent and buyer's agent in most places.

According to a Clever survey of partner agents, the national average real estate commission is 5.70%. That means a typical seller could pay anywhere from $10,000 to over $54,000 in commission, depending on their home’s price.

Home price	Estimated commission*
$200,000	$10,880
$350,000	$19,040
$500,000	$27,200
$750,000	$40,800
$1,000,000	$54,400

*Based on Clever’s 2025 survey of its partner agents.

However, actual rates can vary based on location, property type, and the agents involved.

"My team usually asks for compensation in the range between 5% and 6% of the sales price," says realtor Cynthia Cummins, who has three decades of experience in real estate. "Yet, it's important to note that commissions are always negotiable and there's no set fee."

Cummins notes that many factors can influence her actual commission rate. "I almost always offer a lower rate for repeat and past clients," she says, "whereas I'll ask for a larger commission when a listing promises to be particularly complicated ([like] … hard-to-sell properties [and] tenant-occupied properties)."

"Every home listing is different," says Ken Sisson, an associate real estate broker with Coldwell Banker in Los Angeles. "I may lower my commissions if I feel a property will be easier to sell. Conversely, I probably wouldn’t lower my commissions on a home I feel will require more resources and expense to get it sold."

The lesson: an “average” rate is a starting point, not a ceiling. If your home is well-priced, well-maintained, and in a hot market, you have leverage to negotiate — or to hire a discount brokerage that’s already pre-priced.

How much can I save with a 4.5% commission rate?

Reducing your total commission to 4.5% could save you thousands of dollars on realtor fees compared to the typical 6% realtor fee. For example, on a $400,000 home, you'd save as much as $6,000 in realtor fees.

Here's a breakdown of how much you can expect to save based on your home price.

Home price	Estimated savings at 4.5%*
$200,000	$3,000
$350,000	$5,250
$500,000	$7,500
$750,000	$11,250

*Compared to a 6% commission rate.

» MORE: How to find the best low commission realtors

How does a 4.5% real estate commission work?

A 4.5% real estate commission typically comes from working with an agent or brokerage that charges a 1.5% listing fee, compared to the traditional 2.5–3% commission that most agents charge.

In most real estate transactions, the commission is taken out of the home seller’s proceeds and split between the two real estate agents involved in the sale:

• The listing agent, who advertises the property for the seller
• And the buyer's agent, who brings their client to purchase the property

In a conventional transaction with a 6% fee, each agent collects 3% of the home's sale price.

Agents offer a reduced commission to help them attract more sellers in a competitive market. When shopping for a real estate agent, choose one who won't cut corners on service in exchange for a lower rate.

Why does the buyer's agent fee stay the same?

The 2024 NAR settlement removed the requirement for listing agents to advertise buyer’s agent compensation in the MLS. In theory, that should have driven down buyer agent fees. In practice, fees have largely held at 2.5–3% for three connected reasons.

1. Sellers still want buyer demand. Cutting the buyer’s agent fee narrows the pool of agents motivated to show your home. Most sellers, after running the math, choose to keep it competitive.

2. Buyers can’t always afford to pay their own agent. Down payment plus closing costs plus moving plus, in 2026, mortgage rates in the high 6s leave most buyers without the cash to pay 2.5–3% out of pocket. If your listing doesn’t cover the buyer’s agent, you’ve effectively raised the price of your home for anyone who’s already stretched.

3. The rule changed, the economics didn’t. As one agent put it:

“This is what’s so annoying about this NAR thing: Commissions have always been negotiable before and after. Realistically, real agents who do this full time? My parents have been in the business for 30+ years. It’s in my blood. This whole thing is just almost laughable, but it is what it is," says David Baca, REALTOR, Life Realty District (Henderson, NV).

Baca’s bigger point: buyer’s agent compensation is now openly negotiated in offers rather than baked into the MLS, but the dollar amount sellers cover hasn’t moved much. Christina Rordam’s read from Orlando is similar.

“I haven’t had a sale since this has gone down where we didn’t agree to have the seller cover the compensation, at least most of it. It’s just become part of the offer," says Rordam.

What the data says: Industry research from Redfin and competitors shows buyer’s agent fees have hovered between 2.5% and 3% nationally since the settlement took effect, with most variation explained by local market dynamics rather than the rule change itself.

Practical takeaway for 2026 sellers: Plan on offering 2.5–3% to the buyer’s agent unless your market is unusually competitive in your favor. Build it into your net-proceeds math up front so it doesn’t surprise you at the closing table.

Other ways to get a 4.5% real estate commission

Aside from selling with a low commission real estate agent, there are a few other ways to lower your total real estate commission to 4.5%, such as looking into a 2% commission realtor. You can also try to negotiate a lower fee with your agent, or you can hire a limited-service real estate agent.

👉 Jump back to the best 4.5% commission companies

Alternatives to paying a 4.5% real estate commission

You don't have to use a real estate agent to sell your home. Several options offer more control, convenience, or speed compared to a traditional realtor — but each option comes with its own trade-offs.

Best savings | Most flexible | Most convenient | Fastest way to sell

Best commission savings: For sale by owner (FSBO)

Selling your home for FSBO allows you to handle the entire process yourself (and avoid any listing fees).

» MORE: How to sell your house for sale by owner

Most flexible option: Flat fee MLS companies

Flat fee MLS companies list your home on the multiple listing service (MLS) — an agent-only local listings database — for a low fee.

» MORE: The best flat fee MLS listing services

Most convenient choice: iBuyers

iBuyers, like Opendoor and Zillow Offers, use technology to make all-cash offers on homes within specific markets.

» MORE: What is an iBuyer?

Fastest way to sell: 'We buy houses for cash' companies

"We buy houses for cash" companies make all-cash offers on nearly any home, no matter its condition.

» MORE: Everything you need to know about "we buy houses for cash" companies

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