How a 1% Listing Fee Works, and What You Still Get
People hear “1% listing fee” and assume something has been taken out. The fair question is what you actually get for it, so here is the whole thing in plain terms.
What the 1% covers
- A full MLS listing on REcolorado, syndicated to Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, and the other major sites where buyers actually search
- A pricing strategy built from sold comps and days on market data, not an automated estimate
- Showing management and feedback
- Offer review and negotiation, including terms that are not price, like contingencies, closing timelines, financing strength, and who pays for what
- Inspection and appraisal negotiation
- Transaction management from contract to closing, coordinating title, the lender, and both sides
- A written update every Tuesday while you are listed, so you never have to ask how it is going
Photography is billed separately and it is the seller’s cost. If we list at the price I recommend, I front it. If you want to list above my recommendation, the photography is on you. Either way I tell you what it runs before anything is scheduled.
How I can charge 1%
Three reasons, and none of them involve doing less work.
**I run lean.** No team to pay, no office lease, no franchise overhead riding on top of every transaction. What I do not spend, you do not pay.
**I only work with sellers.** I do not split my week between buyer showings and listing appointments. Every system I have built points at one job, which is selling homes for the most money the market will pay.
**I came from the buy side.** Before I got licensed I bought and sold 35+ properties as an investor, about $16M worth. I know how buyers think about condition and price, because I have been the person writing the check.
The math on a real Denver sale
On a $600,000 sale:
- 3% listing fee: $18,000
- 1% listing fee: $6,000
- Difference: $12,000
On a $400,000 sale it is $8,000. On an $800,000 sale it is $16,000. The work is the same.
What the listing fee is not
Your listing fee and the buyer’s agent commission are separate. Since the 2024 changes, what you offer a buyer’s agent is negotiable and it is your decision. Many Denver sellers still offer between 2.5% and 3% to stay competitive, and we will talk through what makes sense for your price range and your buyer pool.
Closing costs like title fees, transfer fees, and prorated taxes usually run about another 1%, and those go to third parties, not to me.
“Does a lower fee mean a lower sale price?”
It is the fair question, and the answer is in the data, not in a sales pitch. What actually determines your sale price is the condition of the house, how it is priced against the comps, how well it is marketed, and how the offers are negotiated. None of those change because my fee is lower.
My last 5 closed listings went under contract in an average of 25 days, and those sellers kept $42,060 more than they would have at a 3% listing fee.
How to check the numbers for your house
Run your own figures with the net proceeds calculator, or book a free 15-minute call and I will do it for your specific address, including your payoff, so you see the real number you would walk away with.
No pressure and no pitch. If the timing is wrong or the market is not in your favor right now, I will tell you that.