How are typical full-service real estate commissions paid and split among agents?
First, commissions are paid to the brokers, who then in turn pay their agents. The listing agent/broker is the one who “lists” the property on the MLS and represents the seller. The buyer’s agent is the one who finds a buyer. A typical full-service commission (for example 7%) is paid at closing by the seller to his/her listing broker. Then, if the buyer’s agent is different than the listing agent, this commission is usually split in half and, in this example, 3.5% would be paid to the buyer’s broker.
