How Does a Realtor Get Paid?

This is understandably a common question that I get on a regular basis, “so how do you get paid?”.  This is especially common for first time home buyers who have not gone through the process before.  And thankfully most first time home buyers are thrilled with my answer that in most U.S. states it is the home seller that covers all of the realtor fees.  While I will delve into the process a bit more extensively below, what this really means is that especially for any first time home buyer there is absolutely no reason for them to find a highly recommended, experienced realtor to guide them through the sometimes tricky home buying process.  I think often times buyers avoid contacting a realtor at the beginning of their search for fear of accruing fees.

Another interesting thing to note is that a realtor does not get paid (not a single…