If the buyer has a buyer’s agent, you are going to pay this broker a commission either directly or indirectly.

As an example, the house sells for $100,000. Assume the seller hired a broker to sell the house at a 6% commission ($6,000). If the buyer hired a buyer’s agent, that agent wants to get paid from either the buyer or the seller. The 6% seller commission includes not only the seller agent’s fee, but also how the buyer’s agent gets paid. Assume a 50% split. This means that when you pay the agent 6%, you are really paying 3% to both the seller and buyer’s agent. The seller’s agent gets $3,000 and the buyer’s agent gets $3,000.

If the buyer did not hire an agent, the seller’s agent keeps the entire $6,000 without sharing the fee. If you purchase private sale packages without paying a seller's commission, these are your possible scenarios.

Option 1: Direct commission from the seller – You offer the buyer’s agent a finder’s fee to help close the deal (i.e. a flat fee or commission on the selling price).

Option 2: Payment from the buyer – The buyer will ask you to reduce the price of the house. For example, if the buyer's agent wants a $2,000 finder's fee, the buyer may ask you to reduce the price by $2,000 to offset the fact that you are saving money by selling the property without a broker. The buyer then uses this savings to pay the buyer's agent.