real-estate

Realtor Commission Rates in Florida: What Sellers Pay Now and How the Rules Changed

Realtor commission rates in Florida run about 5 percent total in 2026: 2.5 to 3 percent to the listing side and 2 to 2.5 percent to the buyer side as a concession.

Realtor Commission Rates in Florida: What Sellers Pay Now and How the Rules Changed

A Florida seller closing on a $450,000 home this fall will typically pay $11,000 to $14,000 to the listing agent's brokerage and, if they agree to cover it, another $9,000 to $13,500 toward the buyer's agent. That works out to a total of 4.5 to 6 percent of the sale price, which is close to what Florida sellers paid before the 2024 changes to how commissions work. What changed is not the size of the number as much as who negotiates it, where it is written down, and how much room a seller has to push back.

The rules shifted in August 2024, when the National Association of Realtors settlement took effect. Listing agents can no longer advertise a buyer's agent commission on the MLS, buyers must sign a written agreement with their agent before touring homes, and the buyer's agent fee is now something the buyer negotiates with their own agent and then asks the seller to cover as part of the offer. Two years in, the Florida market has settled into a pattern, and sellers in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami, and the smaller markets can see what it costs.

What Listing Agents Charge in Florida

Listing commissions in Florida in 2026 run 2.5 to 3 percent of the sale price at most full-service brokerages, with 2.5 percent common in the larger metros and on higher-priced homes and 3 percent still common in smaller markets and on homes under $300,000. On a $450,000 sale, that is $11,250 to $13,500. Discount and flat-fee brokerages charge 1 to 1.5 percent or a flat $3,000 to $6,000 for a reduced service package.

Luxury listings above $1 million in Naples, Palm Beach, Miami Beach, and the Sarasota barrier islands often run 2 to 2.5 percent on the listing side because the dollar amounts are large. Homes under $200,000 in Ocala, Lakeland, or the Panhandle sometimes see 3 to 3.5 percent because the agent's work is the same and the dollars are smaller.

The listing commission is negotiable, and it always was. What the 2024 changes did was make sellers more aware of that. Agents in the Florida metros report more sellers asking for 2 or 2.5 percent than before, and more agents agreeing when the home is priced to sell quickly.

What the Listing Fee Buys

A full-service listing in Florida includes pricing, professional photography, MLS entry and syndication, showings, negotiation, contract management through inspection and appraisal, and coordination to closing. Agents who charge at the top of the range often add staging consultation, video, drone photography, and paid advertising. A flat-fee or discount listing typically covers the MLS entry and paperwork and leaves showings and negotiation to the seller.

The Buyer's Agent Fee After the Settlement

Before August 2024, the listing agent offered a buyer's agent commission, usually 2.5 to 3 percent, in the MLS, and the seller paid both sides at closing without much discussion. Now the buyer signs an agreement with their agent that states the agent's fee, and the buyer's offer to the seller includes a request that the seller pay some or all of it as a concession.

In practice, most Florida sellers are still paying the buyer's agent. Buyers in the state are often stretched on down payment and closing costs, and an offer that asks the seller to cover a 2.5 percent buyer's agent fee is standard in Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Sellers who refuse to pay any buyer's agent fee narrow their pool of buyers, and agents on both sides know it.

What has changed is the amount. Buyer's agent fees in Florida now run 2 to 3 percent, with 2 to 2.5 percent common in the metros and 3 percent still seen in smaller markets.

Some buyers negotiate their agent down to a flat fee or a lower percentage and then ask the seller for less. And some sellers counter an offer by agreeing to pay a smaller buyer's agent concession than the buyer requested, which was rare before 2024 and is now part of the negotiation.

Concessions and the Contract

The buyer's agent fee, when the seller pays it, shows up in the contract as a seller concession or a seller-paid closing cost rather than as a commission. Florida's standard contract forms were updated to handle this. It matters for lenders, because some loan programs cap seller concessions, and a buyer using an FHA or VA loan on a home in Kissimmee or Pensacola may need the fee structured carefully to stay under the cap.

Total Cost on a Typical Florida Sale

A $350,000 home in Lakeland, Port St. Lucie, or Palm Coast with a 2.75 percent listing fee and a 2.5 percent buyer's agent concession costs the seller $18,375 in commissions, or 5.25 percent. A $600,000 home in Wellington, St. Petersburg, or Winter Park with a 2.5 percent listing fee and a 2.5 percent concession costs $30,000, or 5 percent. A $1.2 million home in Naples with 2 percent on each side costs $48,000, or 4 percent.

Those figures are before other seller closing costs. Florida sellers also pay documentary stamp tax on the deed at 70 cents per $100 of sale price outside Miami-Dade, title insurance in most counties by custom, and prorated property taxes and HOA dues. On a $450,000 sale, those add $5,000 to $8,000 on top of the commissions.

Where Sellers Can Save

Negotiating the listing fee is the most direct lever. A seller with a well-maintained home in a neighborhood where listings sell in two to three weeks, which describes a lot of Tampa's suburbs and Jacksonville's Southside this year, has leverage to ask for 2 to 2.5 percent. A seller with a difficult property or a slow market has less.

Offering a lower buyer's agent concession is the second lever, and it works better in a seller's market than a buyer's market. Florida in 2026 is closer to balanced than it was three years ago, with more inventory in the condo market and in the Southwest Florida markets that saw the biggest run-up. Sellers there should be careful about cutting the buyer's agent concession too far.

Flat-fee and discount brokerages are the third option. They save $5,000 to $10,000 on a typical sale and shift work to the seller.

For a seller who has sold before, has time to handle showings, and is in a market where homes sell themselves, they are a reasonable choice. For a first-time seller in a slower market, the full-service listing usually earns its fee.

Questions to Ask a Listing Agent

Ask what the listing fee is and what it includes. Ask what buyer's agent concession the agent recommends offering and why. Ask what the agent's average days on market and sale-to-list ratio were in the past year in your zip code.

Ask whether the agent will reduce the fee if they also represent the buyer, which happens more often now that buyer agreements are required. Browsing real estate agents and brokerages listed for Florida with recent reviews is a fast way to build a list of three to interview.

The Market Context This Fall

Florida's market has cooled from the 2021 and 2022 peak, and commissions have followed. Inventory is up in most metros, days on market are longer, and sellers in the condo market are dealing with rising association fees and insurance costs that have pushed buyers toward single-family homes. In that environment, the listing agent's marketing and pricing work matter more than they did when everything sold in a weekend, and the pressure to cut the listing fee has eased a little.

The buyer's agent side has stabilized at 2 to 2.5 percent in the metros, and the fear that buyer's agents would disappear after the settlement did not materialize. Most Florida buyers still use an agent, most sellers still pay a concession toward that agent's fee, and the total cost of selling has come down by roughly half a percent from the pre-settlement norm. Our blog has more guides to selling and buying in Florida if you are planning a move this year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average realtor commission in Florida in 2026?

About 5 percent total, with 2.5 to 3 percent to the listing brokerage and 2 to 2.5 percent to the buyer's agent when the seller agrees to cover it. Totals run from 4 percent on luxury sales to 6 percent on lower-priced homes in smaller markets.

Do Florida sellers still pay the buyer's agent?

Most do, as a concession written into the contract rather than a commission offered through the MLS. Sellers can decline or offer less, and doing so narrows the buyer pool, so the decision depends on the market and the property.

Can I negotiate the listing commission?

Yes, and sellers with well-priced homes in fast-moving neighborhoods have the most leverage. Listing fees of 2 to 2.5 percent are common in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, and South Florida for straightforward listings.

What other closing costs does a Florida seller pay?

Documentary stamp tax on the deed at 70 cents per $100 of sale price outside Miami-Dade, title insurance by custom in most counties, prorated property taxes and HOA dues, and any agreed repairs or credits. On a $450,000 sale, those add $5,000 to $8,000.

Is a flat-fee listing a good idea in Florida?

For an experienced seller in a market where homes sell quickly, it can save $5,000 to $10,000. For a first-time seller, a difficult property, or a slower market like some Southwest Florida condo segments, a full-service listing usually earns its fee.