Yes, you can cut line items. No, you probably won’t keep the savings.
If you’ve followed real estate news at all, you’ve seen the commission lawsuit noise.
Quick disclaimer: I’m a broker, not an attorney or CPA. Nothing here is legal or financial advice. If you need that, talk to someone with the right license.
Okay.
Here’s the short version.
For decades, sellers paid their listing broker, and that broker offered part of that to the buyer’s agent.
You can still do it that way. But now you can choose not to offer anything to the buyer’s agent.
So people ask me: “Can I skip paying the buyer’s agent?”
Yes. You can.
But the smarter question is: “Will skipping it actually help me?”
Here’s reality:
People who are in the business — investors, developers, builders — don’t try to nickel-and-dime this.
They know the old structure works because it produces the best overall result.
Now let’s get practical.
If you don’t offer buyer-agent compensation, the buyer now has to cover their agent themselves. So what do they do?
They subtract that cost from the price they’re willing to pay you.
Your net ends up basically the same — except you’ve added friction for no gain.
Think of it like gas taxes.
You don’t itemize them when you fill up — you look at the number on the sign.
If a station suddenly made you pay taxes separately, would you calmly pay the same pump price?
Didn’t think so.
Now let’s talk human nature.
Every buyer’s agent is essentially part of your sales force.
They know their clients. Their clients trust them. If your property fits, they’re the ones who can sell it.
But if they have to say,
“By the way, you’ll have to pay my fee out of pocket if you want this one,” they often just don’t show it.
They’re not supposed to behave that way — but they do.
On the other hand, if you offer a full commission how do you think they respond?
They show it. They push it.
They help make the deal instead of quietly letting it die.
That usually leads to a higher price and a better net — even if the middle of the process looks more expensive.
Especially when you’ve got someone negotiating who knows what they’re doing (hello).
The temptation to “save money” is normal.
But the right move is the one that maximizes your net, not the one that looks neat and tidy on a line item.
You have to embrace the uncertainty.
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PS: I offer a free, no-obligation analysis on any non-residential property.
Most people wait too long to start preparing.
I shoot straight, keep it simple, and treat you the way I’d want to be treated.
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