Allen Markel, REALTOR® · Texas Premier Realty

Buying

Buyer-agent compensation

Enter what your written buyer agreement says: what you might owe at closing, what a seller could cover, and the lender limits to confirm.

Before you start

  • Buyer-agent compensation is negotiable. It is not set by law or by any association, and there is no standard amount.
  • Since August 2024 you sign a written buyer agreement before touring homes with an agent. That agreement states what your agent is paid, and it governs — enter the figure from yours.
  • A seller may agree to pay some or all of it, or give you a credit toward closing costs. Either is negotiated in your offer.

A typical recent 30-year rate. Edit to your lender's quote.

Property tax: 2.25% typical in Harris County. Typical total rate for the 17,904 homes for sale in Harris County (median of their certified 2025 tax bills; most are between 2.13% and 2.51%). Add your ZIP for a closer figure.

Your agent’s compensation, from your written buyer agreement

Starts blank on purpose. There’s no standard amount — use what your agreement says.

Only if the seller agrees to it in the contract. 0 if not.

A concession negotiated in your offer. 0 if none.

Your agent's compensation

Enter the compensation from your written buyer agreement to see what you might owe at closing and what a seller could cover.

Don’t have an agreement yet? Ask your agent to walk you through it — every term in it is negotiable before you sign.

Effect on cash to close

$29,279 estimated

Down payment (5%)
$17,500
Lender & title fees and prepaids (est.)
$11,779
Cash to close before agent compensation
$29,279
Agent compensation you pay
not entered
Estimated cash to close
$29,279

Fees assume about 2% of the loan, plus first-year insurance, escrow reserves and prepaid interest — the same budgetary math as the Cash to close calculator.

Live listings across our six counties.

Lender limits on seller money

Conventional, more than 90% loan-to-value: typically 3% of the price ($10,500 here). Your seller credit is 0.0% of the price.

Typical figures — confirm with your lender. Limits depend on the program, the occupancy and the loan-to-value, and agency guidance on agent compensation changed in 2024. Whether you can pay your agent from the loan or only with your own cash is also a lender question.

We’re not a lender, and this is a budgetary estimate — not a Loan Estimate, a Closing Disclosure or legal advice. Your written buyer agreement governs what your agent is paid, and your purchase contract governs what a seller pays. Compensation is negotiable and is not set by law or by any association. Your lender confirms the seller-contribution limits and how your loan treats agent compensation — we’ll introduce you below.

Talk to a lender

These are the lenders Allen works with. For any lender you’d like to talk to, tap Make introduction — we’ll make the introduction for you.

Allen Markel is a licensed Texas REALTOR®, not a mortgage lender or loan originator. He does not quote rates or terms and does not decide whether you qualify — only a lender can do that. Introductions are a courtesy; you choose who to work with.

Numbers raising questions? Walk through them with a person.

Schedule time with Allen