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No more compensation offers on the listing
Since August 2024, offers of buyer-agent compensation can no longer be advertised in the MLS listing. The split that used to be baked into a listing is gone from where buyers and agents shop.
Seller library
The commission settlement, explained for sellers.
By Melissa Albert · November 11, 2026 · Living in Kentucky Team, eXp Realty
If you have seen headlines about a big real estate settlement, here is the plain-language version: in 2024 the whole industry changed how buyer's agents get paid, and the major home-search sites changed how listings are displayed to match. This guide covers what actually changed, what it means for you as a seller, and what to ask your agent before you sign anything. The goal here is to teach, not to alarm: most of this is simpler than the headlines make it sound.
The short version
Four changes, in plain words
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Buyers sign before they tour
Buyers now sign a written agreement with their agent before touring homes, spelling out how that agent gets paid and how much.
3
Sellers are no longer required to pay the buyer's side
You are only obligated to pay your own listing agent, by your contract. The buyer's agent is paid through the agreement the buyer signed, not through the listing.
4
Concessions are still allowed, just not advertised
If you want to help with the buyer's side, you can still offer a seller concession toward their costs. It simply cannot be advertised through the MLS; it is negotiated directly.
Where the name comes in
Zillow didn't start this. Let's be clear about that.
The name people remember is Zillow, because it is the site where most buyers start their search. But the changes began with the industry itself. In August 2024, new rules took effect across the country after a class-action lawsuit over how commissions were set. Then, in November 2024, the National Association of Realtors settled with the U.S. Department of Justice, ending an antitrust investigation into those same commission rules.
The big home-search portals, Zillow included, then updated their listing pages and tools to match the new rules: offers of compensation no longer appear on the listings they display, and their search experience reflects the negotiated, written-agreement model. Zillow is the display window for the change, not the source of it. It deserves a fair read, and so does every other site that adapted: they updated their platforms because the industry's rules changed underneath everyone at once.
What matters for you is not which company announced what, but how the new mechanics show up in your specific sale. Those mechanics are the four changes above, and they are settled. Everything below is about the practical part.
For your sale
What a seller should understand going in
First, your contract with your listing agent is separate from all of this. You and your listing agent negotiate your commission, in writing, and the settlement did not change that. What changed is who pays the buyer's agent, and how.
The buyer's agent is now paid through the written agreement the buyer signs before touring homes. Some buyers will pay their agent directly, or roll it into their mortgage. Others will ask you, through their offer, for a concession to cover part of it.
That is the real decision the settlement puts in front of you. You are never required to offer a concession, but many sellers choose to, because a wider pool of buyers means a more competitive sale. A home that is affordable to more buyers draws more showings, and more showings protect your price. We model the number for your price range at your pricing conversation, with the trade-offs in writing, instead of leaving it to chance.
And one honest note on expectations: several quarters of data now show the average buyer agent commission has barely moved since the changes, hovering around 2.4 percent in early reporting from the Federal Reserve and industry sources. The settlement changed who decides and how it is disclosed, not the laws of supply and demand. A well-priced, well-marketed home still sells faster than a poorly priced one, no matter which side of the table writes the checks.
Questions to ask before you list
- In my market right now, are buyer's agents mostly being paid through seller concessions, or are buyers paying their agent directly?
- What portion of my proceeds should I budget for a possible concession, if I choose to offer one?
- Can you walk me through the buyer-broker agreement a buyer signs, so I understand what the other side expects?
- Does anything about my net proceeds change depending on whether I offer a concession or not?
Bring the questions to a real conversation.
Every sale now includes a decision about concessions and buyer's agent compensation. We walk you through it with your actual numbers, the same way we price every listing: evidence first, opinion second.