Worked example
What 3 proposals look like side by side
This is the first thing anyone will ask you to sign, and it is the one document you can still change without cost.
Every agent answers the same rows in the same order, so comparing them is a reading exercise rather than a research project. This is a complete one. Nobody in it is real — the terms are constructed to make the choice genuinely hard, which is what a real set looks like.
On a $385,000 purchase, the difference between 2.25% and 2.75% is $1,925. That is the number nobody shows you, and it is only one of the things that differ.
The terms
| R.M.Blue Ridge Realty Group | D.O.Cardinal & Co. | K.T.Summit Property Partners | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CommissionWhat they are asking to be paid, as a percentage of the purchase price. | 2.25% | 2.75% | 2.5% |
| How long you are committedThe length of the agreement. A shorter term is easier to leave and is not automatically better — some agents work harder with a longer runway. | 6 months | 3 months | 4 months |
| HoldoverAfter the agreement ends, how long they can still claim a commission on a home they showed you. This is the term most people do not know they agreed to. | 6 months | 2 months | Not answered |
| Getting out of itWhat they say it takes to end the agreement early. | Either of us can end it with 30 days written notice, for any reason. | You can end it any time, in writing, with no notice period and no fee. | Thirty days written notice. |
| If the seller pays lessWho covers the difference when the seller offers less than the rate you agreed. This is the line that can turn into a bill at closing. | You would cover the difference at closing. | I absorb the first full percent of any shortfall. Anything beyond that we talk about before you make the offer. | Not answered |
| Transactions closedTheir own figure, not ours. We do not verify it and we do not rank on it. | 14 | 31 | 19 |
| Years licensedAlso their own figure. | 6 years | 11 years | 4 years |
| Full time?Whether this is their whole job. Neither answer is disqualifying; both are worth knowing. | Full time | Full time | Part time |
Where a row is a number, the most favourable figure is marked so your eye can find it. That is not a score and nothing here is ranked — the cheapest agent on this sheet also commits you the longest, which is the sort of thing a ranking would have hidden from you.
Their answers to your questions
| How many buyers did you close in my price range last year? | Nine of my fourteen last year were between $300k and $450k, so most of my work is right where you are looking. | Twelve in that band last year out of thirty-one total. | Most of my closings last year were in the $250k to $400k range. |
|---|---|---|---|
| If the seller offers less than your rate, who covers the gap? | I would ask you to make up the difference. I will tell you before we write the offer if I think it is likely, so it is never a surprise at the table. | I take the first point of it. I would rather lose part of a commission than have you find out about it at closing, and it is in the agreement rather than a promise I made on the phone. | Not answered |
| What happens if I want out after 30 days? | Thirty days notice and we are done. I do not charge a cancellation fee. | Send me an email and it is over that day. I have never charged anyone to leave. | We would need to talk it through, but I have never held anyone to the term. |
One agent did not answer two of these. That is shown rather than hidden, because it is information: they read the question and chose not to answer it, and you are entitled to weigh that alongside everything else.