The number worth talking about is 2.5%. That is the listing side, it is the part I control, and it is what funds everything on this page.
Why the two halves are different conversations
Total commission on my listings is 5%, divided in two.
2.5% to the co-operating brokerage
Your offer of compensation to whichever brokerage brings the buyer, whoever that turns out to be. Two and a half per cent is the usual figure in this market, and like every other part of commission it is negotiable.
It is not my income and it is not a budget I direct. So while it is genuinely your money and worth understanding, it is not the number that tells you anything about what your agent is doing for you.
2.5% to the listing side
This is the half I am accountable for. Out of it may come the staging, the photography, the floor plans, the video, the brochures, the print, the property website, the advertising, the open houses and the pre-listing inspection, depending on what the property needs and what we agree. My own income is what remains after all of that.
So when you are assessing what a listing agent is worth, this is the number to hold them to. Ask what comes out of it, and ask what is left.
Treat the co-operating half as a cost of access, much like land transfer tax is a cost of buying. It is real money and it is largely fixed by the market you are selling into.
Then treat the listing half as a budget: yours, itemised, and spent on your property. That is the part where an agent's decisions actually show up in what your home sells for, and it is the part worth interrogating before you sign anything.
What the listing budget covers
Staging: I work with some of the industry's best stagers and interior designers, on a plan appropriate to the property and to the buyer it is aimed at.
Professional photography: a photographer, not a phone. Impactful visuals that resonate with a buyer and spark curiosity, which makes this the single highest-leverage line in the budget.
Home inspection report: commissioned before listing, so buyers see it up front rather than discovering things during their own inspection.
Floor plans: drawn and produced for the listing. Consistently among the most-clicked elements of any listing, because buyers want to know whether their furniture fits before they book a showing.
Print campaign: flyers, postcards, a feature sheet, and a property brochure.
Digital campaign: a dedicated property website and targeted Meta advertising.
Open houses: hosted, and followed up on.
Most sellers find this counter-intuitive: why hand buyers a list of the house's faults? Because they'll get that list anyway, during their own inspection, at the worst possible moment: after you've accepted an offer, when the only conversation left is a price reduction. Putting it out front turns a renegotiation into a disclosure, and it lets serious buyers write firm offers with confidence.
What isn't in the commission
Legal fees, mortgage discharge penalties, and any repairs you choose to make are yours. So is HST on the commission itself. Your lawyer will give you a full statement of adjustments before closing.
Commission in Ontario is negotiable by law and is never set by a board, association, or regulator. Any agent who tells you a rate is "standard" or "fixed" is describing a habit, not a rule.
My listing side is 2.5% because that is what the campaign above costs to run properly and still be worth my doing. The co-operating side is 2.5% because that is the convention in this market. Both are yours to discuss, and I would rather have that conversation openly than have you wondering about it later.
"James brought us multiple offers. We would highly recommend his services as a realtor."Pam, Midtown