If you have sold a home in the last two years, you may have noticed the commission conversation feels different than it used to. Since August 2024, the rules for how a buyer's agent gets paid changed in a meaningful way. For Triangle sellers, understanding this shift is the difference between guessing at your costs and walking into closing knowing exactly what you keep.
Here is the short version: buyer agent compensation is no longer advertised through the MLS as part of your listing. That single change uncoupled the buyer side of the commission from your sale price. What it means for you depends on how your listing is structured, and that is exactly where a zero-commission model changes the picture.
This guide walks through what the rule change actually does, what it does not do, and why it makes the Sold Zero Commission model more relevant than ever for homeowners in Raleigh, Cary, Apex, and the wider Triangle.
What actually changed in 2024
In March 2024, the National Association of Realtors agreed to a $418 million settlement in the commission lawsuits, and the core practice changes took effect August 17, 2024. Three things stand out for sellers:
- Offers of compensation to a buyer's agent can no longer be advertised through the MLS, including in listing fields or remarks.
- Buyers must sign a written buyer representation agreement with their agent before touring a home, and that agreement spells out how their agent gets paid.
- Sellers are no longer automatically expected to fund both the listing and buyer side. Paying the buyer's agent is now a negotiated part of the deal, not a baked-in line item.
The important clarification: commissions were never banned, and they are fully negotiable. What the settlement did is remove the old default where the seller's listing price quietly included a cooperative commission for the buyer's side. Today that is a negotiation, and it puts more decisions, and more potential savings, in your hands.
What this means for your next home sale
For a Triangle seller, the practical effect is that your listing fee is no longer a fixed number hiding inside a total. You can see your costs clearly, and you can structure a deal that keeps more of your equity. That is the whole point of knowing the rules.
A seller might still choose to offer a concession toward the buyer's agent to make their home more attractive, and many do. But the key shift is that it is now a choice, negotiated on the merits of your sale, rather than an assumed cost built into every comparable listing.
Before the Change
Buyer agent pay advertised on the MLS, typically treated as a standard seller cost folded into the list price.
After the Change
Buyer agent pay negotiated off the MLS, with more transparency and more control over what you pay.
When you combine that clarity with a listing model that charges zero listing commission, you get the rare combination of full transparency and real savings. You know exactly what you keep, and it is more than the traditional structure would leave you.
Why zero listing commission fits this moment
On a $500,000 home, a traditional 6% commission split the old way could put around $15,000 on the listing side before your sale even closes. With Sold Zero Commission, the listing-side commission is waived when you buy your next home through our team. That is $15,000 or more that stays with you as equity for your next down payment, your moving costs, or simply money you keep.
Traditional Listing
~$15,000+
Typical listing-side cost on a $500,000 home sold the conventional way.
Sold Zero Commission
$0
Listing-side commission when you buy your next home through our team.
In a market where mortgage rates have been hovering around the high 6s and inventory has edged up across the Triangle, every dollar of equity counts. You are not choosing between great marketing and low fees. You are choosing premium, full-service marketing with the listing fee waived. That is the difference between a discount brokerage and a model built on keeping you whole.
This is not a discount brokerage
When sellers hear "zero commission," some picture a stripped-down, sign-in-the-yard operation. The opposite is true. Sold Zero Commission includes the same premium marketing a top listing deserves, and it simply does not charge the listing-side commission when you buy your next home with us.
That means a custom property website, Zillow Showcase placement, 4K video, licensed aerial drone footage, glossy printed catalogs, custom signage with SMS tracking, neighborhood door-hanger campaigns, and hyper-targeted digital ads. You can see the full stack on our marketing showcase, and read more in our full-service marketing guide.
The rule change gives sellers more control over what they pay. Sold Zero Commission takes that further by removing the listing-side fee entirely, so you keep more equity without giving up a single marketing advantage.
What a buyer representation agreement means for you as a seller
One of the biggest practical shifts of the 2024 rule change has nothing to do with your listing paperwork, yet it changes the buyers who walk through your door. Buyers must now sign a written representation agreement with their agent before touring a home, and that agreement spells out how the buyer's agent will be compensated. That means the buyers viewing your property in the Triangle are coming in pre-committed to a compensation arrangement, not assuming the listing covers it.
For you as a seller, this makes the compensation conversation explicit instead of assumed. When an offer arrives, the buyer's side is a term you can see, evaluate, and negotiate. Many sellers still choose to offer a concession to broaden buyer interest, and for some properties it is the right competitive move. The difference in 2026 is that it is your call, made with real information, instead of a fee quietly folded into a list price.
This transparency is exactly why the Sold Zero Commission model fits the post-settlement market so well. Your listing side is a clean $0 when you buy your next home with us, and the buyer side is handled as an open negotiation on a deal-by-deal basis. You always know what you are paying and why. For more on the settlement and its practical effects, our FAQ page collects the most common questions Triangle sellers ask.
Your purchase side: the other half of the conversation
Most articles about the commission rule change stop at the sale, but for sellers who are also buying their next home, the purchase side matters just as much. When you buy through our team within 90 days of your sale closing, you carry the same post-settlement transparency into your purchase: your buyer's agent compensation is agreed in your representation agreement, negotiated as part of the transaction, and never a mystery at the closing table.
And because the listing-side fee on your current home is waived, the money you keep is bigger in both directions. You sell without a listing fee, and you buy with full representation and complete visibility into what the buyer side of your purchase costs. Together, that is the rare combination the rule change was meant to encourage: sellers who understand their costs and keep more of their equity.
Ready to see your specific numbers? Request your Seller Net Sheet through our sell page, pair it with the current Triangle market reports, and bring both to a free consultation where the math gets done before you sign a thing.
Common questions, answered
Did commissions get banned?
No. Commissions are still legal and fully negotiable. What changed is that buyer agent compensation is no longer advertised on the MLS, so it is now part of the negotiation instead of a default cost.
Will I still have to pay a buyer's agent?
That is now a negotiated choice, not an assumption. Many sellers choose to offer a concession to attract buyers, but you can structure your deal to fit your goals. Your agent will walk you through the options.
Does zero listing commission mean cheaper marketing?
No. The premium marketing stack is part of the program. Cheap is not the model. Full-service, premium marketing with the listing-side fee waived is the model.
How do I know what I will actually keep at closing?
A quick, no-obligation conversation lets us run the numbers on your specific home, your timeline, and the place you plan to buy. You will see the math clearly before you commit to anything.
The Bottom Line
The 2024 commission rule change handed sellers more control over their costs. Knowing the rules is the first step, but acting on them is where the savings happen. A zero-commission listing, paired with full-service premium marketing, is how Triangle homeowners turn that control into thousands of dollars of preserved equity.
Know Your Numbers. Keep Your Equity.
Want to see what zero listing commission would mean for your specific home? Raise your hand for a clear breakdown of your numbers, or book a free Zoom to talk it through directly.
New to the model? Start with what Sold Zero Commission is, or compare your options against iBuyers and guaranteed offers.
Need the quick answers? The FAQ page covers the commission rules and the program in plain language, and the Triangle market reports show what sellers in your town are seeing right now. When you are ready, the sell page is where your next step starts.
Real estate commissions are fully negotiable and not set by law. Sold Zero Commission listing fee waivers apply when you list and purchase your replacement home through Phil Slezak Real Estate. Savings figures are illustrative examples, not a guarantee for any specific property. The 2024 rule change summary is provided for general informational purposes and is not legal advice.