How Much Can I Save With 1 Percent Real Estate Fees? A Homeowner’s Guide

With 1 percent real estate fees, a homeowner can save thousands, often tens of thousands, of dollars on a typical home sale. By reducing the listing agent’s commission from the traditional 3% to just 1%, you keep a significant portion of your home equity without sacrificing the full-service support needed to sell your home effectively.

The High Cost of Selling: Are Traditional Real Estate Fees Eating Your Equity?

You’ve worked for years to build equity in your home. It’s your largest asset, a testament to your financial discipline and hard work. So when it’s time to sell, why does it feel like you’re giving away a massive chunk of that wealth before you even see a dime? For most homeowners, the biggest shock isn’t the closing costs or the moving expenses—it’s the staggering real estate commission.

The industry has operated on an outdated, bloated fee structure for decades. But what if you could keep thousands, or even tens of thousands, of that hard-earned money in your pocket? What if you could get the exact same level of professional, dedicated service without the exorbitant price tag?

With 1 Percent Lists, you can. We are not just a low cost real estate broker; we are a full-service brokerage built for the modern homeowner. As one of the fastest-growing real estate franchises in the country, we’re leading the charge to put your equity back where it belongs: with you.

Key Takeaways

• Significant Savings: The 1 Percent Lists model can save you 2% of your home’s sale price compared to the traditional 6% commission structure, which can amount to tens of thousands of dollars.
• Full Service is Standard: You don’t sacrifice service for savings. Our 1 percent listing agents provide everything a traditional agent does, including professional photography, MLS listing, expert negotiation, and full transaction support.
• A Smarter Business Model: We leverage technology, efficiency, and a volume-based approach to reduce overhead, passing those savings directly to you without cutting corners on service or results.
• Market Advantage: Lower commission costs give you more flexibility. You can price your home more competitively to attract buyers, have more room to negotiate, or simply walk away with more cash at closing.

Understanding the Standard 6% Commission Model

For too long, the 6% commission has been presented as a non-negotiable cost of doing business. Most sellers accept it without question because it’s “just the way it’s done.” But it’s time to pull back the curtain and ask why you’re paying so much.

Where Does the 6% Actually Go?

That 6% fee isn’t just one lump sum paid to your agent. It’s typically split four ways, which is a crucial detail many homeowners miss. Here’s the standard breakdown:

• 3% to the Buyer’s Brokerage: This is the commission offered to the real estate company that brings the buyer.
• 3% to the Listing Brokerage: This is the commission for the real estate company that represents you, the seller.

From there, each brokerage takes a cut before paying their respective agents. The buyer’s brokerage pays the buyer’s agent, and your brokerage pays your listing agent. The system is complex, with multiple hands in the pot—your pot.

The Financial Impact on a Typical Home Sale

Let’s put this into perspective. The numbers are jarring. Consider a typical home sale in a market where the average price is $450,000.

A 6% commission on a $450,000 home amounts to a staggering $27,000.

That’s $27,000 of your equity gone before you even account for other seller closing costs, like title fees or potential capital gains tax. It’s enough for a new car, a significant down payment on your next home, or a year of college tuition. It’s your money, and the traditional model takes a massive slice of it.

The Big Question Answered: How Much Can I Save with 1 Percent Real Estate Fees?

This is where the game changes. The 1 Percent Lists model for selling your home isn’t about eliminating commissions; it’s about making them fair and reflective of the modern real estate landscape.

The 1 Percent Lists Model Explained

Our structure is simple, transparent, and designed to maximize your net profit. Instead of the traditional 3% listing fee, you pay your 1 Percent Lists agent just 1%.

Here’s the key: you still offer a competitive commission to the buyer’s agent (typically 2.5-3%). Why? Because this is the single most important factor in ensuring every agent in your market is motivated to show your home to their clients. We don’t cripple your home’s marketing potential to save a buck. We simply fix the bloated, inefficient side of the equation—the listing fee.

This approach ensures maximum exposure for your property while delivering maximum savings to you.

The Savings Breakdown: A Side-by-Side Comparison

The numbers speak for themselves. Let’s compare the traditional 6% model to the 1 Percent Lists model (assuming a 1% listing fee + a 2.5% buyer’s agent fee, for a 3.5% total).

What Could You Do with an Extra $12,500?

Seeing the numbers in a chart is one thing, but what does that money actually mean for you and your family? Saving $12,500 on the sale of a $500,000 home isn’t just a discount; it’s a life-changing amount of money. You could:

• Make a larger down payment on your next home, reducing your mortgage.
• Complete that kitchen renovation you’ve been dreaming of.
• Pay off high-interest credit card debt or a car loan.
• Fully fund your retirement accounts for the year.
• Take your family on an unforgettable vacation.

This isn’t monopoly money. It’s your hard-earned equity, and you deserve to keep it.

Is It Too Good to Be True? Full Service vs. “Discount” Service

The most common question we get is, “What’s the catch?” Homeowners have been conditioned to believe that lower fees must mean lower service. With some companies, that might be true. But with 1 Percent Lists, it’s absolutely false.

You Don’t Sacrifice Service, Just High Fees

We are a full-service brokerage. Let’s be clear about what that means. You get the exact same—and often better—level of service and marketing that you’d expect from an agent charging 3%. The only thing you’re “discounting” is the outrageous commission.

Here’s what every 1 Percent Lists client receives:

• Professional Photography & Virtual Tours: High-quality visuals are non-negotiable for attracting buyers online.
• Full MLS & Syndication: Your home is listed on the local MLS and pushed to every major real estate website, including Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com.
• Expert Pricing Strategy: We provide a comprehensive Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to ensure you are listing your home for the correct price from day one.
• Professional Yard Signs & Marketing Materials: We provide all the traditional marketing tools to capture local interest.
• Showing Coordination: We manage all showing requests to make the process seamless for you.
• Skilled Contract Negotiation: This is where great agents prove their worth. Our agents are experts at getting you the best possible price and terms.
• Full Closing & Transaction Support: From contract to close, we manage every detail, every deadline, and every piece of paperwork.

There are no corners cut. Period. We believe a client-first approach to real estate means providing exceptional service and exceptional value.

How Our Business Model Makes It Possible

We didn’t just lower the price; we reinvented the process. The traditional real estate brokerage model is weighed down by massive overhead: expensive office buildings, outdated technology, and inefficient systems.

1 Percent Lists was built for the digital age. Our model is based on:

• Technology and Efficiency: We leverage cutting-edge technology to streamline the real estate industry, reducing administrative bloat and agent downtime.
• Lower Overhead: We don’t invest in flashy, unnecessary office spaces. Our agents are equipped to work efficiently from anywhere.
• Volume and Expertise: Our compelling value proposition attracts more clients, allowing our agents to do more business. This volume-based model means we can afford to take a smaller piece of a bigger pie, and our agents often earn more than they did at traditional brokerages.

This is why we are one of the fastest-growing real estate franchises in America. It’s a smarter model that benefits everyone.

A Local Focus: What Your Savings Look Like in the Your Market

Let’s bring this home to an upscale neighborhood. Imagine selling your house in a desirable area.  With the average sale price there hovering around $600,000, you’d save over $15,000 with 1 Percent Lists compared to a traditional agent.  Want to see exactly how much you can save?  We have a savings calculator where you can see in an instant.  That’s a powerful advantage in any market.

How Lower Fees Give You an Edge

This isn’t just about walking away with more money. Those savings create strategic advantages during the selling process.

• For Sellers: You have more negotiating power. If a buyer comes in slightly under your asking price, you have the financial cushion to accept the offer without feeling like you’re losing. You can also price your home more competitively from the start to generate more interest and potentially a bidding war.
• For Buyers: A seller with lower fees is often a more flexible seller. They may be more willing to negotiate on price or offer concessions for repairs, making your offer more attractive.

Who Benefits from the 1 Percent Model? (Hint: Everyone)

Our model is designed to disrupt the industry for the better, creating a win-win-win scenario for sellers, buyers, and agents.

For Homeowners: Keep Your Hard-Earned Equity

This is our primary mission. Your home is your best investment, and our goal is to help you maximize the return on it. Stop accepting the 6% fee as standard and start demanding a smarter, fairer way to sell your home.

For Homebuyers: More Options and Flexibility

When you’re searching for homes for sale, working with a 1 Percent Lists agent or buying a home we’ve listed can be a huge plus. As mentioned, sellers with more equity in their pocket are often more agreeable during negotiations, which can help you secure a better deal or get assistance with closing costs.

For Realtors: A Modern Brokerage for a Modern Agent

Are you an agent tired of giving away 30%, 40%, or even 50% of your hard-earned commission to a broker who provides little in return? The traditional model is broken for agents, too. At 1 Percent Lists, we offer our agents an incredible opportunity to keep more of their commission, leverage a powerful and fast-growing brand, and build a more profitable business. Join our team!

Learn why we’re one of the fastest-growing real estate franchises in the country. Explore opportunities with 1 Percent Lists by browsing our real estate offices across the country.

The Bottom Line: Stop Overpaying to Sell Your Home

The real estate industry is finally catching up with the rest of the world. Just as technology has disrupted travel, transportation, and retail, it’s now transforming how we buy and sell homes. The traditional 6% commission model is an artifact of a bygone era, and homeowners now have a choice.

You no longer have to choose between saving money and receiving top-tier, professional service. You can have both. It’s time to stop forfeiting your equity and start making the smart choice.

Full Service, Full Results, for Just 1 Percent.

Ready to Calculate Your Savings?

Don’t just wonder how much you could save. Find out for sure. The first step to keeping more of your money is a simple conversation. Let us show you how our full-service approach and fair fee structure can make a massive difference in your net proceeds.

Contact your local 1 Percent Lists agent in today! Our team is ready to provide you with a free home valuation and a transparent breakdown of your potential savings.