What is the Real Estate Agency fee and who pays for it?
Posted on July 6, 2012 by Susie Hollands
Estate Agency fees if required are normally included in the purchase price of the property. In effect, both the buyer and the seller pay the agency commission because it is part of the sales price. Commission comprise (written as C/C) indicates that the price includes the agent’s commission. Beware. A price quoted as net vendeur excludes the selling agent’s fees.
There are no government controls on agents’ fees, although they’re obliged to post a list (barème) in their offices. Fees are usually levied on a sliding scale between 4 and 7 per cent: the cheaper the property, the higher the percentage.
The agent’s commission is built into the asking price and can sometimes be negotiable but not by the buyer by the seller. If the agent is anxious to sell, he may be willing to reduce his fee to the seller in order to encourage the sale.
