Colorado Commissions Average 5.47%: Do I Still Have to Pay the Buyer's Realtor When I Sell My Arvada Home?
Short answer: no. No Colorado rule and no part of the national Realtor settlement requires you, the seller, to pay the buyer's Realtor. Since August 2024, who pays the buyer's agent is fully negotiable. Most Arvada sellers still choose to offer something, because at 7.4% mortgage rates many buyers are short on cash, and a concession can bring more of them to your door. The real question is how much to offer and when.
By Simon Dzienis, Colorado Realtor, Simon & Ewelina Team | Your Castle Realty
I'm Simon Dzienis, a Colorado Realtor based in Littleton with more than 20 years in Colorado real estate. My team partner Ewelina Kurka and I help sellers in Arvada, Westminster, Lakewood, Littleton and across the Denver metro, in English and in Polish. Since the commission rules changed, "Do I still have to pay the buyer's agent?" has become one of the most common questions I get at the kitchen table. Here's the plain-English version.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Simon Dzienis and Ewelina Kurka are Realtors (licensed Colorado real estate agents), not attorneys. For legal questions about a contract or agreement, talk to a Colorado real estate attorney.
What changed with buyer's agent commissions?
For decades, the listing side offered a set commission to the buyer's agent right in the MLS. That ended with the National Association of Realtors settlement that grew out of the Sitzer/Burnett lawsuit. Since August 17, 2024:
No compensation offers in the MLS. Offers to pay a buyer's agent can't be posted in a Realtor-affiliated MLS like REcolorado. They're discussed by phone, email, or in the purchase contract.
Buyers sign a written agreement first. A buyer's agent needs a written agreement with the buyer before touring a home, and it has to state what that agent will be paid. It can't be open-ended.
Sellers can still offer concessions. A seller can still agree to cover some or all of the buyer's agent fee, or offer closing-cost help. It's negotiated in the offer.
No set rate. The settlement doesn't set, cap or put a floor on commissions. Everything is negotiable.
According to a Chicago Title Colorado blog (Mile High Title Guy), the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the settlement on August 19, 2026, so these practice changes are here to stay.
So are sellers still paying buyer's agents?
Mostly, yes. Real estate company Clever's August 2026 survey of 434 agents put the national average total commission at 5.46%, with the buyer's agent at about 2.70%. Colorado's average was 5.47% total: about 2.78% for the listing agent and 2.69% for the buyer's agent. In February 2026 the national total was 5.70%, so rates are drifting down, but the old pattern hasn't disappeared.
Greg Hague of 72SOLD made the same point in his October 18, 2026 newsletter: moving compensation out of the MLS hasn't ended seller-paid buyer-agent pay. And because those conversations now happen privately, some sellers feel more pressure, not less.
Keep in mind these are survey averages. Your numbers are whatever you and your Realtor agree to in writing, and whatever you negotiate with each buyer.
Why many Arvada sellers still offer something
Buyers are stretched by 7.4% rates
Freddie Mac's weekly survey put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.40% for the week of October 15, 2026. A buyer who has to pay their own agent out of pocket, on top of a down payment and closing costs, may simply not have the cash. Those buyers often skip homes where they'd have to pay their agent themselves.
Concessions are now normal in Denver
Across the Denver metro, 63.5% of closings from January through September 2026 included some seller concession, up one point from 2025 (REcolorado data analyzed by The New Door Group, Oct. 17, 2026). Concessions can mean rate buydowns, closing costs, repair credits, or help with the buyer's agent fee. Buyers expect to ask. Sellers who refuse every request can lose deals to the house down the street.
Fewer buyers are out looking
Showings across the metro were down 22.1% from a year earlier for the week ending October 16, 2026, with about 0.81 showings per active listing (The New Door Group, REcolorado data). When traffic is that thin, anything that makes your home easier to buy matters.
What are my options as a seller?
You have more choices now than you did before 2024. Here are the common ones, in plain terms:
Offer nothing up front, consider requests in the offer. You keep the most flexibility and let each buyer ask. The risk: some buyers and their agents may pass on your home.
Offer a set concession up front. For example, a dollar amount or percentage toward the buyer's costs, which can include their agent's fee. It's clear and easy for buyers, but it's money you've committed in advance.
Offer general closing-cost help instead. A concession for the buyer's closing costs or a rate buydown, which the buyer can use as they see fit, including toward their agent's fee if their lender allows it.
Net it out. Look at your bottom line, not the headline price. A slightly higher price with a concession and a slightly lower price without one can net you about the same.
Which one fits depends on your price range, your timeline, your neighborhood's competition and how much equity you have. Lenders also have limits on how much a seller can contribute toward a buyer's costs, depending on the loan type, so your Realtor and the buyer's lender need to be on the same page.
What if a buyer's agent says, "Pay me or I won't show your home"?
That's the pressure Greg Hague wrote about. Here's how I think about it as a listing Realtor:
The buyer's agent works for the buyer, and the buyer has already agreed in writing how their agent gets paid. Your job is to decide what's worth it to you to sell your home, not to cover someone else's agreement automatically.
If a buyer really wants your home, the price, the concession and the agent's pay can all be worked out in the offer.
Get every offer and request in writing, and have your Realtor walk you through your net. If you have legal questions about an agreement, that's a question for a Colorado real estate attorney, not for me.
At every one of our listings, Simon or the team is at the showing in person. That's our agent-present, no-lockbox approach. It means we meet every buyer and buyer's agent and can answer questions on the spot, which helps when the money conversation comes up later. You can read more in Lockbox vs. Agent-Present Showings.
What does this mean for Arvada sellers right now?
Arvada sits between two very different markets. Westminster's active listings were up 30.9% from a year earlier for the week ending October 10, 2026, while closer-in suburbs like Highlands Ranch were down 23.9% (The New Door Group, REcolorado data). When more homes compete for fewer buyers, sellers who are flexible on concessions tend to get more showings.
A few practical steps:
Price it right from day one. In the September 2026 market, homes with no price changes typically sold within about a week at around 99.45% of list price, while homes that needed cuts took about 47 days and closed near 92% of their original price (Re/Max's Landin Smith, via The Denver Gazette, Oct. 6, 2026).
Decide your concession strategy before you list. Know your bottom line and what you're willing to give, so you're not deciding under pressure.
Talk to your lender and CPA if needed. If you have tax questions about your sale, ask a CPA. If you're behind on payments, a HUD-approved housing counselor can help, and you can read Colorado Foreclosures Are Up 57%: What Are My Options?
Compare your net, not just the price. Ask your Realtor for a net sheet for each offer.
How Simon and Ewelina help Arvada sellers
Simon Dzienis and Ewelina Kurka are Colorado Realtors with Your Castle Realty, based in Littleton and serving Arvada and the Denver metro. We:
Show you a clear net sheet with and without a buyer's agent concession, so you can decide.
Are present at every showing, with no lockbox, so we meet every buyer and agent.
Explain every offer in plain English, in English or Polish.
Help with short sales and pre-foreclosure when a seller owes more than the home is worth.
Also work with buyers, including first-time buyers and house hackers who want to live in one part of a home and rent the rest.
We were also pioneers of 72SOLD in Colorado, starting in 2020. We can't promise any result, but we'll give you the honest numbers for your home.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay the buyer's agent when I sell my house in Colorado?
No. Paying the buyer's agent is negotiable. Many sellers still offer a concession that can go toward it, because it can attract more buyers.
Can I still offer to pay the buyer's agent?
Yes. You can agree to cover some or all of it. It just can't be posted as a compensation offer in a Realtor-affiliated MLS like REcolorado; it's discussed directly or in the offer.
What is the average commission in Colorado in 2026?
Clever's August 2026 survey put Colorado's average at 5.47% total, about 2.78% listing side and 2.69% buyer side. Every commission is negotiable.
Will buyers skip my home if I don't offer anything?
Some may, especially cash-tight buyers at today's 7.4% rates. Others won't care. Your Realtor can help you weigh that for your price range and area.
Is this legal advice?
No. This is general information. Simon and Ewelina are Realtors, not attorneys. For legal questions, talk to a Colorado real estate attorney; for tax questions, a CPA.
Talk to a Colorado Realtor about your Arvada home
Thinking about selling in Arvada and not sure what to offer the buyer's side? Call or text me for a free, confidential conversation and a net sheet for your home.
Simon Dzienis, Colorado Realtor: 720-936-7873
Simon & Ewelina Team | Your Castle Realty · Littleton, Colorado
5280HomeSold.com · SoldInOneWeekend.com
Related: Denver Home Sales Hit a 2008-Level Low · Colorado Property Taxes Jumped Up to 40% · 5280HomeSold.com
Sources: Clever Real Estate, Average Real Estate Commission survey, August 2026 (listwithclever.com); Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week of Oct. 15, 2026; The New Door Group, Denver Metro Weekly Market Update, Oct. 17, 2026 (REcolorado data); The Denver Gazette, Oct. 6, 2026; Mile High Title Guy (Chicago Title Colorado) blog on the Aug. 19, 2026 Eighth Circuit decision; REcolorado, "REcolorado and the NAR Settlement"; Greg Hague, 72SMART Weekly Update, Oct. 18, 2026. General information only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Simon Dzienis and Ewelina Kurka are Realtors (licensed Colorado real estate agents), not attorneys.
