What’s the Average North Carolina Real Estate Commission Rate?

Does the agent get to keep the full commission?

Although the seller pays the entire commission, the listing agent, who is representing the seller in a transaction, doesn’t keep it all. Part of their commission will go toward marketing your property with professional photography, open houses, offline marketing, and more.

Hill also says your agent should be very clear about what they’ll be using your commission fee money for and how it will serve your listing. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you’re unsure what services your agent is performing or why.

“The seller has the right to ask the agent what their marketing budget is or how they are spending this dollar amount that they’re actually charging them,” Hill says. “There should be no secret accounts that it gets hidden in — and no one gets to know what happened to it. The seller has a right to say, ‘Hey, Mr. or Mrs. Broker or Brokerage Company, I’m paying you X amount. What are you going to do for me for that X or how is some of that money allocated?’”

The commission is also typically split 50/50 with the buyer’s agent to compensate them for bringing a buyer to the sale and coordinating the buy-side of the transaction. So, around 2.5% to 3% goes to the listing agent, and the other 2.5%-3% goes to the buyer’s agent.

Both the listing agent and the buyer’s agent will then share a percentage of their commission with their sponsoring broker.

These split rates can vary; however, it’s common for the listing agent to give their broker anywhere from 30%-50% of their commission, depending on the agent’s level of experience, their market size, and brokerage agreement.

How is the commission divided between agents?

The commission that’s paid by the seller will typically be split among each agent and the brokerages through which they hang their real estate license. Let’s say you sell your home for $300,000 with a 5.5% commission rate. You pay a commission of $16,500, and each agent has a 70/30 split agreement with their brokerage. Here’s how that might look:

• Listing agent: $5,775 (70% of their $8,250 commission share)
• Listing broker: $2,475 (30% of their $8,250 commission share)
• Buyer’s agent:$5,775 (70% of their $8,250 commission share)
• Buyer’s broker: $2,475 (30% of their $8,250 commission share)

Hill emphasizes that, once again, these numbers will be discussed and agreed upon when the listing agreement is built. You’ll know exactly who is getting what before you begin the home-selling process.

“All of this is negotiated within our actual contract that we’re negotiating with homeowners when they decide to market their homes and represent them,” Hill says.

Are North Carolina commission rates negotiable?

You can negotiate real estate agent commission rates, but don’t be surprised if your agent holds firm on how much they charge. A Consumer Federation of America report found that only 27 percent of agents are willing to negotiate the commission.

One reason agents often don’t lower their rate is that it may reduce their ability to negotiate a higher sale price for the seller. An agent’s services often include photography and pricing analysis, so a lower commission could also translate into a smaller marketing budget for your property, an inaccurate list price, fewer home promotions, and a lower likelihood of selling.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Hill says you should try negotiating the commission price with any agent before entering a listing agreement. After all, “everything is negotiable,” Hill says.

If you do want a lower commission rate, you can also ask for less in return. Maybe you’re a professional photographer and can take your own photos. Or maybe you’ve sold a home before and decide to stage the home yourself. Just remember, you’ll be giving up some expert knowledge your real estate agent might be able to give you.

“[The lowest amount an agent will accept] really depends on the level of service that the seller is requiring or wanting,” Hill says. “Because not every homeowner and every seller wants the same level. Some sellers have experience and sales knowledge in our industry, and they don’t necessarily need some of the skills that more seasoned agents may have.”

Overall, commissions in North Carolina are negotiable but do your research first. When asking an agent to lower their pay, you’re limiting the pool of agents willing to work with you. And the downsides to working with a low-commission agent can be steep. Without a top North Carolina agent in your corner, you could dramatically undersell your home, have a rough selling experience, or fail to sell the home at all.

What is included in a real estate agent’s commission?

A full-service real estate agent in North Carolina will provide a high level of offerings that go toward giving you a great selling experience and boosting exposure to your home.

Once again, Hill emphasizes that it’s in your and your agent’s best interest to ask questions upfront. It helps the process and your partnership to make sure you know exactly what you’ll be getting when you hire an agent.

“Asking those questions actually helps both parties — the real estate professional if they haven’t addressed it and the seller — have that answered; to know where that money is actually going, and to build trust in the relationship,” Hill says.

An agent’s services fall into a few main categories:

Guidance on pre-sale improvements

Agents see a lot of houses in their North Carolina markets. They will have an eye for the small but impactful improvements you could make to help it sell for more. The best agents will go above and beyond to help their clients get the job done.

Top agents like Hill will also know what North Carolina home shoppers expect to be improved or repaired, and what things you don’t need to fix when selling your house.

Pricing strategy

An agent will put together a comparative market analysis (CMA) in the form of a thick packet featuring charts, facts, figures, and photographs of houses. The analysis will show you what your home is worth based on comparable sales in the neighborhood, market trends, and local price per square foot. This key tool helps you set a realistic price that can attract offers right off the bat in a fraction of the time it would take a non-professional to determine.

Marketing services

As part of their commission, at a minimum, North Carolina agents should offer expert home prep and staging, professional photography, marketing flyers and pamphlets, direct mail, automatic postings of your listing on major home search sites, local advertisements, exclusive previews for other brokers, and open house coordination. Advanced agents may also offer the development of a virtual tour.

“Depending on the firm or broker you’re interviewing, they might also have overhead to support the actual transaction,” Hill says. “They might say, ‘Hey, know you’re hiring myself and everybody else [in my office].’ And some of that money goes to fund that.”

Offer management and negotiations

When you receive one or multiple offers, an agent will help you determine the strength of the offer and work with you to proceed with responding to buyers. They’ll advise on whether to accept, reject, or make a counteroffer while putting together offer spreadsheets to identify the best offer in bidding war situations.

If a buyer requests repairs after the inspection, an agent will help you push back where appropriate and advise on when to concede. Should the appraised value be lower than the contract price, an agent can help you determine whether to ask the buyer to make up the difference or if you should lower your price.

Market knowledge and neighborhood expertise

Great North Carolina real estate agents know what local buyers seek in homes and which of your home’s attributes to highlight. An agent will skillfully incorporate key features into your home’s listing description and immediately be able to recognize what makes your house or the surrounding area special. They’ll also be there to answer any questions you have during this often confusing process.

“If you need somebody, there’s someone there to answer the phone all of the time,” Hill says. “There needs to be somebody when you say, ‘Okay, I have this problem. You can help me.’ That also comes at a cost.”

What is a fair real estate commission in North Carolina?

As noted above, the average commission rate in most North Carolina markets is between 5%-6% to hire a full-service real estate agent. This rate should mean you have an agent who is dedicated to selling your home for the best possible price, who is available and communicative, and who is willing to shepherd the transaction from start to finish. If an agent isn’t willing to offer all or the majority of services listed above, you should interview more candidates.

What if my North Carolina house doesn’t sell?

Real estate agents only get paid commissions if and when your home sells successfully. Most real estate contracts include an exclusive right to sell, which gives the real estate agent the sole rights to market the property, list the property on MLS, and receive the commission if the sale closes in a determined time frame. If your house remains on the market beyond the time period outlined in the listing agreement, you are not obligated to pay your agent.

However, keep in mind that your listing agreement may contain a protection clause, also known as a “brokerage protection clause,” “safety clause,” “extension clause,” or “tail provision.” The protection clause states that if a buyer who the listing agent introduced to the property purchases the property after the listing agreement expires, the seller still must pay the agent a commission.

Hill also says it’s possible (though extremely rare) you may be on the hook for the commission if you turn down an acceptable offer that complies with everything in your contract. After all, if the agent does a substantial amount of work and brings you what you asked for, they may still want to be paid in certain situations.

“A contract in North Carolina will cover that,” Hill says. “But there are different models. Maybe a real estate professional wants to collect [the fee] every single time, or maybe one says, ‘You know, we have a great history together, just let me know when you’re ready to sell and we’ll try again.’ But there are rights in the actual listing agreement for both seller and listing firm when that does happen.”

How can you avoid paying Realtor fees?

There are two main ways to avoid paying Realtor® fees. You can either sell your North Carolina home without an agent’s help, or sell it directly to a cash buyer without ever going on the market.

For Sale By Owner

Without a real estate agent, you’re responsible for preparing your home for sale, marketing, negotiating, and navigating legal and financial documents. When selling a house on your own, you’ll need to hire an attorney, at a minimum, to make sure the paperwork is right.

Typically, For Sale By Owner (FSBO) makes the most sense if you already have a buyer. As of 2022, 50% of FSBO sellers knew their buyer.

This indicates that while the FSBO route is rare, making up just 10% of sellers, it’s even more rare to forgo a real estate agent’s help when you don’t already have a buyer lined up and ready to go. In addition, according to a 2022 National Association of Realtors report, the median FSBO house sold for $225,000, compared to a median of $345,000 for agent-assisted sales. That’s a significant loss of proceeds in an effort to save 5%-6% on commissions.

Hill sometimes offers a compromise if a seller decides to go the FSBO avenue to help both the homeowner and agent.

“I might take a different approach and say, ‘Mister Seller, would you entertain maybe compensating myself if I brought you somebody that would like to buy your house and see if maybe we could work together that way.’”

Sell to a cash buyer

Cash buyers — including iBuyers, investors, and house-buying companies — are individuals or entities that purchase your home outright, without the need for lender financing. These buyers typically make off-market purchases and can provide speed and convenience to sellers.

Just be aware that the price offered by most cash buyers may not match what you could receive on the open market with the help of a top agent.

If you’re interested in a cash sale, you can receive a no-obligation offer through HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform, with no hidden fees or agent commission. Simple Sale connects you to the largest network of cash buyers in the U.S.

Now you know how North Carolina agent commissions work

Sellers pay real estate commissions in exchange for an agent’s expertise and services throughout the sale process. If you’re worried about the cost of the commission, consider that targeted upgrades, stellar marketing, and savvy negotiations can help you maximize your sale price. With a performance-proven North Carolina agent to guide you, you also avoid the stress of navigating this complex process without professional oversight.

The key is finding a quality agent who provides the highest amount of value for their commission fee. In fact, our transaction data shows that the top 5% of agents in North Carolina sell homes for as much as 10% more than the average agent.

HomeLight can connect you with top North Carolina agents with experience tailored to your needs. Whenever you’re ready to get started, HomeLight would be happy to put your commission worries to rest by introducing you to several agents in your area who are well worth it.

Writer McCoy Worthington contributed to this story.

Header Image Source (Emma Frances Logan / Unsplash)