What the NAR Settlement Changed for Home Sellers and What Stayed the Same

Watch the breakdown on this topic from the First Responder Realtor channel.

What did the NAR settlement actually change?

Two things. First, MLS platforms can no longer display offers of buyer agent compensation. Before August 2024, a listing agent could advertise "2.5% to buyer's agent" right in the MLS data. That is gone. Buyer agent compensation is now a private decision between the seller and the buyer's side.

Second, buyer agents must have a written agreement with their client before showing homes. This means buyers have to acknowledge how their agent gets paid before they walk through your front door. That is a transparency gain for everyone.

What did NOT change?

Sellers can still offer buyer agent compensation. Most do. The mechanism changed, not the practice. Market data in early 2026 shows that the vast majority of sellers in Southern California still offer somewhere between 2% and 2.5% to buyer agents. The reason is practical: most buyers cannot afford to add their agent's fee on top of their down payment and closing costs.

Commission rates on the listing side barely moved. Agents are still charging 2% to 3%. The settlement created transparency on the buyer side but did not disrupt the listing-side percentage model. That disruption comes from a different direction: the $17,000 fixed fee.

How should sellers in Santa Clarita respond to these changes?

Use them as leverage. You now have full control over buyer agent compensation. That means you can:

• Offer a competitive rate (2% to 2.5%) to maximize buyer agent exposure
• Offer a flat dollar amount instead of a percentage
• Offer nothing and let the buyer negotiate their agent's fee separately
• Start with a lower offer and adjust based on showing activity

The right strategy depends on your market position, timeline, and price point. A Sellers Only Agent™ with no buyer relationships can advise you objectively because the recommendation is never influenced by what a buyer agent on the other side might expect.

Did the settlement make fixed fee listings more attractive?

Significantly. When the buyer side and listing side are separated, sellers can see exactly what each costs. A percentage-based listing agent charging 2.5% on a $1M home costs $25,000 on the listing side alone. The fixed fee model costs $17,000 for the same service. The separation created by the settlement makes that comparison impossible to ignore.

The sellers who benefited most from the old bundled system were the agents. The sellers who benefit most from the new separated system are the ones who compare the numbers. Run your comparison at SeventeenK.com.