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Buyer's agent asked for 3.5 percent on a 2.8M listing and I said yes without thinking

Signed the listing agreement at 2.5 to the sell side and had a verbal with my agent at one. Buyer's agent called two days later representing a client who had already seen the property off-market and wanted to write. She asked for 3.5 and I said fine, I'll cover it, because I wanted the deal and did not want her to walk the client. Offer came in at 2.61M, we settled at 2.675M. My carry was 21k a month and I was at month nine. The 3.5 cost me 93,625. The one point I had already promised my agent cost me another 26,750. Total commission side was 120k on a deal where my projected margin was 190k going in and actual was closer to 140k before that conversation. I made money, just not the money I modeled. The lesson for me is not about commission rates, it is that I agreed to a number while I was relieved the buyer existed, and relief is a bad negotiating position.

3 replies

The 3.5 ask is aggressive even on luxury. In my market the buyer-side on anything above 2M has been running 2 to 2.25, and agents who push past that on high-price properties are usually testing to see who blinks. You blinked at the exact moment the deal felt real, which is when most people do.

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