What is a real estate agent's fee on a Loan Estimate?

Updated November 2026 · Every dollar figure is an illustrative example, not a quote

A real estate agent's fee appears on a Loan Estimate in Section H only when you, the borrower, are paying it: a buyer's agent fee you agreed to in a written agreement with your agent, commonly in the range of 2% to 3% of the price, though it is negotiable and some buyers agree a flat fee instead. If the seller is paying the agents' fees, as was long the custom, nothing appears on your estimate.

Where it is on the form

Page 2, Section H, Other, as Real Estate Brokerage Fee or Buyer's Agent Fee, when it is a cost to you. On the Closing Disclosure, agent fees paid by the seller appear on the seller's side of the statement, not in your Section H.

Illustrative rangeWhere the buyer pays: commonly 2%–3% of the price, or a flat fee; negotiable

Since 2024, a buyer who wants an agent's help must sign a written agreement that states what the agent will be paid, and the seller may or may not agree to cover it in the purchase contract. Rates are set by negotiation; a flat fee or a lower percentage is increasingly common. On a $475,000 home, 2.5% is $11,875, which is why the line, when it is yours, is the largest in Section H.

Paid toThe real estate brokerage, through the settlement agent

Can you shop for it?Yes

Can it change at closing?No tolerance limit: It is an estimate and can move either way

Why it is on the form at all: the rule puts in Section H anything the borrower pays at closing that the lender knows about, whether or not the lender required it. An agent's fee the buyer owes is money the buyer has to bring, so it belongs in cash to close. Most loan programs let the seller pay the buyer's agent as a seller concession within the program's limits, and a seller credit for it appears in the Calculating Cash to Close table.

The lender cares about the agreement for one reason: a buyer who owes an agent's fee needs that much more cash at closing, and the lender has to see it is there. Give the lender the signed agreement early so the Loan Estimate shows the right cash to close.

Can you shop for it?

Entirely. The fee is set in your agreement with your agent before you make an offer, and you can negotiate the rate, agree a flat fee, or ask the seller to pay it in the purchase contract. The lender has no part in it.

Can it change between the Loan Estimate and closing?

No tolerance limit. It is not a service the lender requires, so it is outside the tolerance rules. What appears at closing is what your agreement and the purchase contract say.

Questions to ask the lender

Does this line reflect my signed agreement with my agent, or an assumption?
Can the seller pay this fee under the purchase contract, and does the loan program allow that concession?
If the seller pays it, where does the credit appear on the estimate?

Red flags

An agent's fee on your estimate that the purchase contract has the seller paying, with no matching seller credit.
A buyer's agent fee you never agreed to in writing.
A seller concession for the agent's fee that pushes total concessions past the loan program's limit, which the lender will cut at closing.

Questions people ask

Why is a real estate agent's fee on my Loan Estimate?

Because you have agreed to pay your agent and the lender knows it. Section H holds any cost you pay at closing that the lender is aware of, required or not. If the seller pays the agent's fee instead, it comes off your estimate.

Can the seller still pay the buyer's agent?

Yes, if the purchase contract says so and the loan program's limits on seller concessions allow the amount. The credit then appears in the Calculating Cash to Close table and offsets the fee in Section H.

Is the real estate agent's fee negotiable?

Yes. Rates are set between you and your agent in a written agreement, and a lower percentage or a flat fee is common. comparemyloan does not negotiate anything for you; that one is between you and your agent.

Only have one quote? That's the problem.

Tell us the rate and the fees you were quoted. It is free, there is no credit pull, and nobody calls you. We check whether another lender beats it, fees included. Or start with the free Loan Estimate checker, which reads your rate, points and Section A and flags anything out of the ordinary.

Check my quote

Every dollar figure on this page is illustrative. Fee ranges are general observations, not a survey or a quote, and are not a loan offer, approval, commitment to lend, or Loan Estimate. Your actual rates and fees depend on qualification with lenders, your state and county, and your closing date. The tolerance rules described are the federal TRID rules in general terms; the rule itself and your own Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure decide how it applies to your loan. comparemyloan does not negotiate with lenders, lock rates, or take loan applications.