Most fees you pay to buy a home are Fully Negotiable.
We want to help you understand what you’re paying and save you money. Which stage of the homebuying process are you in?
Our tools to help you save
What is negotiable depends on where you are.
- Before you sign with an agent
- Your terms. Fee, length, holdover.
- While you are talking to lenders
- The rate, and every fee on the quote.
- Once you are under contract
- Title and settlement, still yours to shop.
- At the closing table
- Almost nothing. By then it is checking, not asking.
Pick a stage 01–06 in the section above and we will show you how we can help.
Anything you upload is encrypted, never sold, and never shared with any lender or agent. You can delete it at any time, and delete means erased.
Whichever stage you pick, the questions after it are the same, and nothing is charged before you see a price.
Who is behind this
“It makes me sad to watch people overpay for no reason other than nobody told them they could ask.”
Mason Kiffmeyer
Licensed real estate agent, LPT Realty
Lynchburg, Virginia
| Volume | 40 to 60 a year |
|---|---|
| Saved in his practice * | $800,000+ |
| Own listing fee | Published flat fee |
| Lender money taken | None, ever |
| Fully Negotiable | His passion |
* In Mason’s own brokerage practice, compared with a 3% fee. Not a Fully Negotiable figure.
Mason is a licensed real estate agent, which is clearly disclosed. Fully Negotiable takes no money from any lender, ever, and never recommends one. When we compare real estate agents for home buyers, Mason’s own market is excluded entirely, so there is no market where we are both rating agents and competing with them.
Everyone in the room
Eight people are paid on your purchase. Count how many are paid to explain it.
None of this is misconduct. Every one of these people can be good at their job, honest, and genuinely glad to see you, and the answer beside their name is still no. It is a fact about how the room is paid, not about who is in it.
Listing agent
Paid to explain it
No
Paid by
The seller, out of the price you pay
More money if
the price is higher
Buyer’s agent
Paid to explain it
No
Paid by
From that same money, or by you
More money if
the price is higher
Loan officer
Paid to explain it
No
Paid by
The lender, on the loan they sell you
More money if
the loan costs you more
Title company
Paid to explain it
No
Paid by
You, at closing, often chosen for you
More money if
more endorsements are added
Appraiser
Paid to explain it
No
Paid by
You, but hired by the lender
More money if
nothing changes either way
Home inspector
Paid to explain it
No
Paid by
You, often on a referral
More money if
they are referred again
Closing attorney
Paid to explain it
No
Paid by
You, at a rate set by custom
More money if
nothing changes either way
Referral network
Paid to explain it
No
Paid by
Your agent, out of their commission
More money if
your agent’s fee is higher
Fully Negotiable
Paid to explain it
Yes
Paid by
You, at $99, published up front
More money if
nothing. The price is the price.
None of this is a secret. We’re just the only one in that room paid to explain it.
The sites that match you with an agent for free are paid a referral fee at closing, usually around 30 percent of your agent’s commission. On a $420,000 purchase that is roughly $3,780. It is priced into the rate that agent proposes, so it comes out of your purchase, and it is $3,780 less room they have to move on your fee.
We charge you $99 and take nothing from anyone else. That is the whole difference. Our promise →
One transaction, itemized
Twenty-eight lines on a typical purchase are negotiable.
28
you can negotiate
20
the same either way
Buyer’s agent compensation
$0–$20,000
Discount points
$0–$25,000
Owner’s title insurance
$900–$5,000
Origination fee
$795–$4,000
Settlement fee
$395–$2,000
Underwriting fee
$0–$1,500
Attorney review
$0–$1,200
Processing fee
$0–$895
Title endorsements
$0–$600
Broker transaction fee
$0–$495
Twenty other lines are the same no matter what you do. We will tell you which, so you can stop worrying about them and spend your attention on the ten above.
From the guide