The average realtor commission in Texas is 5.88% of the sale price in 2026, above the 5.70% national average. On a $345,000 home, that’s roughly $20,286, split between the listing and buyer’s agents. Texas charges no state transfer tax, so commission is the biggest line item most sellers pay — and the one you can actually change.
I’ve watched thousands of Texas sellers sign a listing agreement without ever asking what that number actually buys them. Here’s the honest breakdown of what you’ll pay in 2026, who pays it after the NAR settlement, and where the real savings hide.
What is the average realtor commission in Texas right now?
A February 2026 survey of Texas agents put the statewide average at 5.88%. That’s the combined figure. It usually breaks down to about 2.94% for the agent who lists your home and 2.94% for the agent who brings the buyer, though those two halves are negotiated separately now. Statewide, the Texas Real Estate Research Center puts the median home price at roughly $345,000 as of June 2026, so I’ll use that number for the math below.
Rates aren’t uniform across the state. Dallas sellers tend to pay closer to 5.54%, while Houston runs a touch higher near 5.9%. Austin, with its higher price points, often sees lower percentages because agents will trim their rate on an expensive listing and still walk away with a healthy check. The percentage is a starting point for a conversation, not a fixed price. Texas has no law setting or capping real estate commissions, and it never has.
Who pays the realtor commission in Texas?
The seller still writes the check at closing. That part didn’t change. What changed after the 2024 National Association of Realtors settlement is how the buyer’s agent gets paid, and whether the seller covers it at all.
For decades in Texas, the seller paid both agents through one lump commission, and the buyer’s side was baked in without much discussion. Since August 2024, buyer’s agents have to sign a written agreement with their client spelling out their fee before showing homes, and sellers are no longer expected to blanket-cover that fee. In practice most Texas sellers still offer something to the buyer’s agent, because a competitive offer of buyer-agent compensation keeps showings flowing. But it’s now openly on the table. You can offer 2%, you can offer 3%, you can offer a flat dollar amount, or you can let the buyer negotiate it into their own contract. That flexibility is worth real money if you use it.
What the realtor commission in Texas actually costs at the median
Percentages feel abstract until you turn them into dollars. Here’s what the listing-agent side of a standard commission costs against 2026 Texas prices, next to a 1% listing fee. (The Austin figure is the City of Austin single-family median — the wider five-county metro runs closer to $450,000, so adjust down if you’re outside city limits.)
| Sale price | Standard listing fee (~2.94%) | 1% listing fee | What you keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| $345,000 (Texas median) | ~$10,143 | $3,450 | ~$6,693 |
| $405,000 (Dallas-Fort Worth median) | ~$11,907 | $4,050 | ~$7,857 |
| $645,000 (Austin city median) | ~$18,963 | $6,450 | ~$12,513 |
That’s just the listing side. You’ll still decide what to offer the buyer’s agent on top of it. But look at the Austin row: a seller there saves more than $12,500 on the listing fee alone by paying 1% instead of the going rate. That’s not a coupon. That’s equity you built, staying with you.
How a 1% listing fee changes the math
This is where I’ll show my hand. I think the standard 3% listing fee in Texas is a leftover from a time before the internet did most of a buyer’s searching. You’re not paying for a yard sign anymore. You’re paying for pricing strategy, negotiation, photography, MLS exposure, and someone who answers the phone when an inspection goes sideways. All of that can be delivered by a salaried, full-service agent for a 1% listing fee instead of 3%.
At Houwzer, the model is a flat 1% listing fee with a top local agent and in-house title through Newfound Title, and the typical seller saves somewhere between $12,000 and $15,000 depending on price point and what they offer the buyer’s side. On a $345,000 Houston home, cutting the listing fee from roughly 2.94% to 1% alone hands you back about $6,693. If you’re selling a $645,000 home inside Austin city limits, you’re closer to that $12,500 figure before you’ve touched the buyer-agent line. I walked through the mechanics of this in how a 1% commission agent saves sellers thousands, and it holds up under scrutiny because the savings come out of the fee, not out of the service.
The key thing to understand: low commission and low effort are not the same thing. A discount real estate broker that hands you a lockbox and disappears will cost you more than it saves when your house sits. The version worth paying for is full service at a fair price. If you want to see the difference laid out honestly, what a fair real estate fee looks like breaks down where your money should actually go.
Texas closing costs, disclosures, and the no-transfer-tax advantage
Texas gives sellers one genuinely nice break: there’s no state real estate transfer tax. Plenty of states skim 0.4% to 2% off every sale at closing. Texas takes zero. On a $345,000 sale, a 1% transfer tax elsewhere would be $3,450 gone. Here, it stays in your pocket, which makes the commission line stand out even more as the number worth negotiating.
A few other Texas specifics that shape your net proceeds:
- Seller’s disclosure is required. Under Texas Property Code § 5.008, most sellers of single-family homes must give the buyer a written Seller’s Disclosure Notice covering known conditions and defects. There are carve-outs, like transfers between spouses or direct family, court-ordered sales, and estate sales. Skipping it when it’s required is how sellers end up in court after closing.
- No attorney needed to close. Texas is a title-company state. A title or escrow company handles the settlement, moves the deed, and disburses funds. You don’t have to hire a real estate attorney the way sellers in New York or Georgia do, which keeps closing costs lower.
- Your MLS depends on your metro. Houston runs on HAR, Dallas-Fort Worth on NTREIS, Austin on Unlock MLS (ACTRIS), and San Antonio on SABOR. A good listing agent knows which one your buyers actually search and how to make your listing show up well there.
Outside of commission, expect to pay title policy fees, a settlement fee usually in the $350 to $600 range, prorated property taxes, and any concessions you agree to. Texas property taxes run high, so the proration at closing can be a real number depending on your closing date.
How to lower your realtor commission in Texas
You have more leverage than you think, especially in a market where homes are sitting longer than they did two years ago. Sellers in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio have been cutting prices by $12,000 to $15,000 to get deals done in 2026, which means every point of commission matters more than it did at the peak.
Three ways to actually bring the number down:
- Negotiate the listing side directly. Nothing stops you from asking a traditional agent for 2% or 2.5% instead of 3%. Some will say yes, especially on a higher-priced or fast-moving home.
- Start with a low-fee model, not a discount gimmick. A flat 1% listing fee from a full-service brokerage skips the negotiation entirely and locks in the savings. Run your own numbers with a realtor commission calculator before you sign anything.
- Be deliberate about the buyer-agent offer. Post-settlement, you decide what to offer. If you’re buying your next place too, a buyer rebate can put money back on that side of the move.
If you’d rather start from the low-fee side instead of haggling, our guide to low commission realtors in Texas covers how the 1% model works statewide, market by market.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average realtor commission in Texas in 2026?
The average realtor commission in Texas is about 5.88% of the sale price, slightly above the 5.70% national average. That splits into roughly 2.94% for the listing agent and 2.94% for the buyer’s agent, and both halves are negotiable. On a $345,000 home, 5.88% comes to about $20,286.
Who pays the realtor commission in Texas, the buyer or the seller?
The seller pays the commission out of the sale proceeds at closing. Since the 2024 NAR settlement, buyer’s agents set their fee in a written agreement with the buyer, and Texas sellers are no longer required to cover it. Most still offer buyer-agent compensation to attract offers, but the amount is now openly negotiable.
Can you negotiate realtor commission in Texas?
Yes. Texas has no law setting or capping commission rates, so every fee is negotiable. You can ask a traditional agent to drop from 3% to 2%, or start with a full-service brokerage that charges a flat 1% listing fee. On the Texas median home, moving the listing fee from about 2.94% to 1% saves roughly $6,693.
Does Texas have a real estate transfer tax when you sell?
No. Texas is one of a handful of states with no state or local real estate transfer tax. Sellers in other states can lose 0.4% to 2% of the sale price to transfer tax at closing, but in Texas that cost is zero, which leaves commission as the largest fee you can control.
How much can I save with a 1% listing fee in Texas?
It depends on your price point. At the $345,000 state median you save about $6,693 on the listing side versus a standard rate. On a $645,000 home inside Austin city limits, the listing-side savings climb past $12,500. Houwzer sellers typically save $12,000 to $15,000 overall with a full-service 1% listing fee.
The realtor commission in Texas isn’t fixed, it isn’t required by law, and in 2026 it’s more negotiable than it has ever been. You get no transfer tax, a straightforward title-company closing, and full control over both sides of the agent fee. The sellers who keep the most equity are the ones who treat that 5.88% as a starting offer instead of a settled bill. My advice: ask what your listing fee actually buys, run the math on 1% versus 3% yourself, and put the difference toward whatever comes next.
