How Much Does a Real Estate Agent Make on a $300,000 House?

At a 5.70% total commission, a $300,000 home sale produces $17,100 in combined compensation for both sides of the transaction, not one agent’s paycheck. (Yahoo Finance)

The amount an individual agent receives depends on the compensation for that side, the brokerage split, and the agent’s business costs and taxes. I’ll follow the money through a worked example, compare a few brokerage splits, and put the national estimate beside Mississippi’s average home-value figure.

Start with the total commission and the two sides

Commission rates are not one fixed number. Yahoo Finance reports a 2026 average total rate of 5.70%, with 2.88% for the listing side and 2.82% for the buyer side, based on Clever data. (Yahoo Finance) On a $300,000 sale, those rates work out to $17,100 combined: $8,640 for the listing side and $8,460 for the buyer side. (Yahoo Finance)

A separate FastExpert survey of 682 agents reported a 5.84% combined average, made up of 3.01% for the listing side and 2.84% for the buyer side. (FastExpert) Its table puts those sides at $9,020 and $8,510, respectively, on a $300,000 home, or $17,530 combined. (FastExpert) The surveys do not give the same figure, so they are best read as separate estimates, not as a fee schedule for a particular sale.

Keep the division between the two sides clear. FastExpert explains, “The total commission doesn’t all go to one person. It’s usually split between the listing brokerage and the buyer’s brokerage, and each agent then splits their share with their broker.” (FastExpert) The amount for one side is not the amount one agent automatically takes home.

Follow one side through a brokerage split

For a straightforward example, take the 5.70% total estimate and divide it evenly between the two sides. Each side grosses $8,550 on a $300,000 sale. (iBuyer.com) This even division is a calculation for the example; the reported 2.88% and 2.82% side averages are close, but not identical. (Yahoo Finance)

Now apply a 70/30 agent-brokerage split, with 70% going to the agent and 30% to the brokerage. The agent’s share is $5,985 before business expenses and taxes, while the brokerage share is $2,565. (Yahoo Finance) A 70/30 split is an example, not a term that applies to every agent or transaction.

The same $8,550 side gross produces different amounts under other splits. At 50/50, the agent receives $4,275 before expenses and taxes; at 80/20, the agent receives $6,840. (iBuyer.com) Yahoo Finance also lists 50/50, 80/20, and 90/10 as possible brokerage splits. (Yahoo Finance) The written brokerage agreement determines the actual arrangement.

That is why commission and personal earnings are not interchangeable. Yahoo Finance puts it plainly: “How much a realtor makes on buying or selling a house is generally less than the commission they earn.” (Yahoo Finance) In this example, $8,550 is the one-side gross, $5,985 is the agent’s amount after the brokerage split, and neither is a final take-home figure.

Account for business costs and taxes

The agent’s share after a brokerage split is still not the same as profit. Examples of agent expenses include MLS dues, licensing fees, errors and omissions insurance, marketing, and transaction-coordinator costs. (iBuyer.com) The amount varies by agent and brokerage, so a commission example cannot establish what an individual keeps after operating costs.

A separate iBuyer.com example starts with a 3% one-side commission on a $300,000 sale. That is $9,000 for the brokerage side, and a 70/30 split leaves the agent $6,300 before taxes and expenses. (iBuyer.com) The article’s calculator applies a 15.3% self-employment-tax assumption to that amount, estimates $964 in self-employment tax, and gives an approximate remaining amount of $5,300. (iBuyer.com)

The source describes its result this way: “After the 15.3% self-employment tax on net earnings, the estimated take-home drops to roughly $5,300.” (iBuyer.com) That is a simplified example, not a personal tax calculation, and the source says it excludes other business expenses such as MLS fees, insurance, marketing, and licensing costs. (iBuyer.com) It should not be applied as though it were the after-tax result for every agent.

Put the example beside a Mississippi home value

Zillow reported an average Mississippi home value of $194,531, updated September 30, 2026. (Zillow) That is an average home-value measure, not a median sale price.

On Zillow’s $194,531 average Mississippi home value, 5.70% is about $11,088 in combined commission. (Yahoo Finance; Zillow) If divided evenly, that would be about $5,544 per side before a brokerage split. (Yahoo Finance; Zillow) These calculations apply a national commission-rate estimate to the state’s average home value; they are not reported Mississippi commission averages.

The $300,000 example is above Zillow’s statewide average-value reference, but the same steps apply at either price: identify the compensation for the side, determine the brokerage split, then account for costs and taxes. The 5.70% rate and 70/30 split in the worked example are assumptions, not a standard fee schedule.

Historical data also cautions against treating an old rule of thumb as a current agreement. A Federal Reserve note using CoreLogic listing data reported that the average buyer-agent rate fell from about 3% in the late 1990s to about 2.7% in its analysis. (Federal Reserve) That historical buyer-agent measure is not the same as a newer survey’s combined total rate.

One closing does not tell you annual income

This calculation answers a narrow question: what might an agent receive from one side of one $300,000 sale under stated assumptions. It does not establish an agent’s yearly income. Each agent’s number of transactions, sale prices, compensation terms, brokerage arrangement, expenses, and tax circumstances can differ.

Published estimates also vary. Yahoo Finance reports a 5.70% average total rate and side averages of 2.88% and 2.82%, while FastExpert’s survey reports 5.84% combined and side averages of 3.01% and 2.84%. (Yahoo Finance; FastExpert) Those different results reflect separate estimates, and neither tells you what a particular agent agreed to earn.

For the $300,000 worked example, one side grosses $8,550 if the 5.70% total rate is divided evenly. (iBuyer.com) A 70/30 split leaves the agent $5,985 before expenses and taxes. (iBuyer.com) The practical answer is not one guaranteed paycheck; it is a sequence of amounts that depends on the specific agreement and the agent’s own costs.

Frequently asked questions

The takeaway

Before signing, ask for the compensation terms for the specific side, the services covered, and how the brokerage split affects the agent’s gross. Do not treat a combined commission estimate as one agent’s take-home pay.