Where the commission conversation used to happen
You still hire and pay a listing agent the way you’d expect, a fee you negotiate before you sign anything. What changed is what happens to the buyer’s side of that money, and a lot of sellers haven’t caught up on it yet.
For years, the seller’s agent published an offer of compensation to buyer’s agents right inside the MLS. It sat there as part of the listing data. Most buyers never even saw the number, and most sellers never thought about it beyond checking a box.
What changed nationally
Industry practice changes tied to a 2024 legal settlement removed that field from the MLS. You can still choose to offer compensation toward the buyer’s side of a deal. It’s just no longer published automatically inside the listing itself.
It gets negotiated and put in writing separately, in the purchase agreement, outside the MLS feed.
Why buyers now sign an agreement before touring
Buyers working with an agent typically sign a buyer broker agreement before that agent shows them a single home. That agreement spells out how their agent gets paid and by whom.
As a seller, this matters because it changes what gets asked, and when. A buyer’s agent may raise compensation earlier in the process than sellers are used to, sometimes before a showing even happens.
What you actually decide as a seller
You have real choices here, and none of them are required by rule:
- Offer compensation toward the buyer’s agent up front, to keep more agents comfortable showing your home
- Leave it open and negotiate it once an offer actually comes in
- Offer nothing and let a buyer cover their own agent’s fee
- Change your approach mid-listing if showings or offers tell you something
It’s a business decision you make with your agent, not a form field that fills itself in anymore.
Where this lives in your paperwork now
Your listing agreement covers your own agent’s fee, same as always. Whatever you decide about the buyer’s side is a separate conversation, written down in the offer or a separate agreement, not something published for you by default.
If you’re unsure how a specific offer structures this, that’s a question for your agent or a real estate attorney before you sign anything.
Simple summary
You still pay your listing agent the same way you always have. What changed is that the buyer’s agent’s pay no longer shows up automatically inside the MLS. It gets worked out directly, in writing, and you decide what, if anything, you want to offer.
If you’re thinking about selling and want to walk through exactly how this plays out on your home, you can reach out here: Get in Touch With Chad