Most sellers don’t ask, though those who do usually get lower agent commissions

# What happened A July survey by Clever Real Estate of 500 Americans who sold a home in the previous two years found that only about one in three sellers asked their listing agent to lower their commission. Despite low rates of negotiation, sellers who did ask were overwhelmingly successful: 93% ended up paying a lower commission.

# Why sellers aren't negotiating The survey points to information gaps and behavioral factors. A majority of sellers—59%—didn't know they could opt out of paying the buyer's agent commission. Other reasons sellers did not push for a lower rate included believing the rate was fair (37%), prioritizing a quick sale (25%), or simply never thinking about negotiating (18%). Among the subset who didn't try negotiating, 35% said they were unaware negotiation was an option.

# How successful negotiators won concessions When sellers did negotiate, the concessions were real. Of those who asked for a lower rate:

• 93% secured a reduction.
• 90% received at least a 0.5 percentage-point cut.
• 45% won reductions of 1 percentage point or more.

Half of respondents who won a lower commission did so by making a direct request to their agent. Other effective approaches included arguing the home would sell easily (39%) or leveraging the high value of the property (27%).

# Who asks more often Men in the survey were more likely than women to ask for a lower commission (41% versus 26%). Gender did not materially affect the odds of an agent agreeing to reduce the rate once asked.

# How sellers choose agents and why that matters The agent-selection process limits many sellers' bargaining power. Most sellers interviewed very few agents: 65% interviewed just one, 27% interviewed two, and only 8% interviewed three or more. Nearly half chose an agent based on personal connection or referral — 20% used someone they already knew and 25% relied on a referral.

This narrow shopping pattern helps explain the knowledge gap about commissions and alternatives.

# Discount broker experience Awareness of low-commission brokerages is uneven: 41% of respondents didn't know such brokers existed. Among sellers who used a discount broker, satisfaction tended to be high: 82% said the service was as good as or better than a traditional agent, and 69% believed their home didn't sell for any less because of the lower fee.

# Practical takeaways for sellers

• Ask directly. The single most effective tactic reported was simply requesting a lower commission.
• Shop agents. Interviewing more than one agent gives you pricing and service benchmarks to support negotiation.
• Consider low-commission brokerages. Among users, most reported equal or better service and no negative effect on sale price.
• Use sale-related leverage. Sellers who expected an easy sale or had high-value homes used those facts to win reductions.

# Bottom line Sellers are still largely unaware they can negotiate agent commissions or opt out of paying buyer-agent fees. When sellers do ask, agents usually agree to lower their rate, often by meaningful amounts. Choosing to shop agents and making a direct request are the simplest, most effective steps sellers can take to reduce what they pay.