Is the ability to negotiate realtor commissions a form of Fakenews?

[James McGovern]

I have not seen any statistics showing that sellers have been successful in negotiating down commissions other than in one-off scenarios. What are the best practices in negotiating a lower commission with a listing agent?

[Sam Yin]

@James McGovern

I don't mean to sound basic... But all you need to do is ask the agent you will deal with.

I have negotiated down agent commissions about a dozen times. Generally speaking, I negotiated to 4%. How they divide between seller/buyer or keep it all is up to them. On a few occasions I negotiated a flat rate of $4000 because brought the buyer and just wanted them to do the paperwork. On some occasions, I just take a simple contract to a local escrow office and do it myself.

Basically, everything in real estate is negotiable. This applies to all types of real estate. I wouldn't try to negotiate too aggressively if you are not an active investor. Your transaction frequency will help you get better rates.