A big Realtors settlement could have led to lower agent commissions. They haven't.

"When Eric Itakura listed his Mountain View condo last year, he hoped to save some money on commissions. The rules over how agents' fees are set had recently been rewritten as part of a landmark settlement reached between the National Association of Realtors and a group of home sellers. For decades, sellers typically paid a fee between 5% or 6%, split between their own broker and the buyer's."

"Two buyers made offers, both asking that he cover their agent's fee. One wanted 2.5%, the other 3%. Itakura knew he could say no but he also knew the buyers could walk. There's a convention that's been in place for a long time, Itakura said. The more you try to buck against that standard, the more potential problems you create for yourself."

"Across the country, sellers like Itakura are discovering that while the settlement changed the rules on paper, the practice of sellers paying commissions remains the same and so have the fees. Nationwide, the average buyer's agent commission in the second quarter of 2025 was 2.43 percent, according to Redfin almost identical to a year earlier, before the rule change. On a median-priced Bay Area home of $1.3 million, that's about $31,600 going to the buyer's agent."

Rule changes from a settlement between the National Association of Realtors and home sellers aimed to alter how agents' fees are set. Sellers still commonly pay buyer agents' commissions, and industry behavior has not substantially changed. Buyers continued to ask sellers to cover agent fees, often 2.5–3%. Nationwide average buyer's agent commission in Q2 2025 was 2.43 percent, nearly unchanged from a year earlier. On a median Bay Area home priced at $1.3 million, that equals roughly $31,600 to the buyer's agent. Listings on MLS historically required sellers to disclose commission splits to buyer agents.

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