Real estate commissions in Highland Village, TX: what sellers pay in 2026

by Jay Marks

Selling a house in Highland Village means facing a settlement statement, and the real estate commission is almost always the largest line on it. Texas sets no commission rate by law, so every seller negotiates what they pay directly with their brokerage.

The nationwide industry settlement changed how these fees are structured and disclosed. Sellers now look at the listing agent's fee and the buyer's agent's fee as two separate decisions, weighing each against the services it buys.

Key takeaway

Commissions in Highland Village are negotiable, and on a median-priced home each percentage point is worth about $5,747. Compare agents on what you'll likely net and what the fee includes, not on the rate alone. If your home is move-in ready and you can handle showings and contract deadlines, a reduced-fee or flat-fee listing is the alternative that keeps more of that money in your pocket.

Who this guide is for

You're getting ready to sell a home in Highland Village and deciding what commission to agree to, whether to offer a buyer's agent fee, and which path leaves you the most money for the work you're willing to do.

What real estate commissions cost in Highland Village

The median home in Highland Village sold for $574,726 (all homes, 90 days ending 2026-09-30), at 98.6% of list price, after 41 days on market, with values down year over year. One point of commission at that price costs about $5,747.

That's less than the roughly $8,000 a typical seller already gives up between list and final sale price. The commission rate and the price outcome are the same order of money, so comparing fee offers on expected net proceeds, and on what each fee includes, matters more than chasing the lowest percentage.

Texas law sets no commission rate. The fee is whatever you and the brokerage agree to in the listing agreement. The Texas Real Estate Commission confirms that broker compensation is not set by law and is fully negotiable. National averages are just that, averages, not rules. A half-point difference in negotiation is about $2,874 at closing.

How the current Highland Village market affects your commission

That year-over-year price decline means pricing mistakes cost more than they would in a rising market. A 41-day median on market and a sale-to-list ratio just under the list price mean a typical seller gives up roughly $8,000 between list and sale on a median-priced home. That gap is larger than one point of commission.

Only 22.6% of recent sales closed above list price. Homes drawing multiple offers are a minority. Ready, well-priced homes are where a lower fee is easiest to justify.

Months of supply sits at 2.6, so supply is still tight. You have real room to negotiate the fee and aren't forced into concessions before you even start. Ask each agent for a written net sheet at their specific fee, ask what's included, and consider a shorter listing term or a fee tied to the final sale price. Local housing market trends also show how days on market should shape your pricing strategy.

Who pays the commission after the 2024 rule changes

The total commission splits into two parts: the listing agent's fee and the buyer's agent's fee. The NAR settlement, effective August 17, 2024, changed how the buyer's side is handled, separating the two more clearly. Texas law also requires agents to obtain a written agreement with a prospective buyer before showing them residential property.

The listing agent's fee

The seller agrees to this fee in the listing agreement, and it's paid from sale proceeds at closing. The agreement, not custom, sets the rate, the length of the listing, and when the fee is owed.

The listing broker and the individual agent split this fee based on their own internal arrangement. Texas law doesn't set a commission rate; it's whatever you and the brokerage put in writing.

Read the listing agreement carefully before you sign. Terms like how long it runs, whether you can cancel, and the protection period matter as much as the rate itself. You may still owe the fee if a buyer who toured the home under the listing comes back and buys it later.

The buyer's agent's fee

Since August 17, 2024, offers to pay a buyer's agent can no longer be advertised in the MLS. Buyers now sign a written agreement with their agent that states the agent's pay before any home tours happen.

Sellers can still agree to pay some or all of this fee as a negotiated term or concession in the contract. It's now a negotiation lever rather than a default, and how long your home has been sitting often influences that conversation.

Declining to pay a buyer's agent doesn't make the cost disappear. A buyer who owes their agent may simply lower their offer or ask for a concession to cover it, so the saving can come back out of the price without appearing on any separate line.

Selling with a listing agent: full fee or reduced fee

A listing agent handles the process professionally, but the level of service and the cost vary widely between brokerages. You can choose a traditional full-service arrangement or a reduced-percentage model.

Full-service listing

The agent handles pricing, prep guidance, marketing, showings, negotiation, and the contract through closing. If your home needs work before it lists, or you want pricing and negotiation managed for you, this is where to start.

Using an illustrative listing-side rate of one percent per side as a baseline, the fee scales directly with the sale price. With prices falling locally, pricing and negotiation are where the money moves. Ask for a written list of what's included, specifically photography, staging, and pre-listing repairs coordination. A documented selling process shows what to expect at each stage.

The catch: you pay the full fee even when the home sells in a week with minimal effort. Services also vary widely between brokerages, so "full service" only means what the agreement lists.

Reduced-percentage listing

These are often advertised as 1% to 1.5% listing programs, with trimmed services such as open houses, staging, or agent attendance at showings. If your home is move-in ready and priced off clear recent sales, this is a reasonable starting point.

A rate that's 1.5 percentage points lower on the median home keeps about $8,621 in your pocket. It works best for homes that are ready to list and priced accurately, the kind that land in the share selling at or above list price.

The low rate usually covers the listing side only. If you also offer a buyer's agent fee, your total cost may land closer to a traditional listing than the headline suggests. Ask for the all-in number before you compare.

Selling with little or no agent help

Sellers willing to take on more work, or willing to trade top price for certainty, have real alternatives to traditional listings. These options reduce the listing fee, but they require you to manage the transaction yourself or accept a lower sale price.

Flat-fee MLS listing

A flat-fee listing puts your home in the same MLS buyers' agents search, for a fixed price instead of a percentage. You pay that fee upfront and handle showings, offers, and negotiation yourself.

If you're comfortable negotiating offers and repair requests on your own, this is the lowest fixed-cost path. Offering buyer-agent compensation remains a separate decision you'll manage during negotiations.

The downside is real. When a buyer's agent asks for repairs or a price cut, nobody on your side is paid to push back. In a market where most homes sell below list, that's exactly where money is lost.

Selling without an agent

Selling for sale by owner (FSBO) means you handle pricing from recent sales, photos, showings, disclosures, deadlines, and the title company. Texas uses standard promulgated contract forms for home sales, which an owner can obtain without an agent.

The primary benefit is paying no listing fee at all. That said, per a recent national report covering a 12-month period, FSBOs comprised only six percent of home sales, and these homes sold for a median of $380,000 versus $435,000 for agent-assisted sales.

A buyer who arrives with an agent still expects that agent to be paid, so FSBO sellers negotiating the contract will typically face a request for a buyer's agent fee as part of the deal. You also carry the legal and deadline risk alone.

Selling to a cash buyer

This means selling directly to a company or investor with no listing, no showings, and a fast close on an as-is property. If a guaranteed close date matters more than top price and you'd rather not repair or show the home, a cash offer is worth exploring, but check it against recent sales first.

An independent study by real-estate technology scholar Mike DelPrete found that some large institutional buyers purchased homes for about 1.4% less than market value. Compare any offer against the local median price per square foot before you sign.

There's no commission line item, but the discount is built into the offer price and can exceed what a commission would have cost. Get the offer in writing and run the comparison before you commit.

Other costs of selling besides commission

Commission is usually the largest line, but Texas sellers also commonly pay the owner's title policy, prorated property taxes, and mortgage payoff. The Texas Department of Insurance promulgates title insurance rates, and by custom the seller typically pays for the buyer's policy.

Property taxes in Texas are paid in arrears, so the title company prorates taxes daily, with the seller responsible from January 1 through the day before closing. Ask your HOA for its resale certificate and transfer fees before you list.

Ask the title company for an estimated seller net sheet to see all these expenses together, including any agreed repairs or concessions. Buyers face their own set of closing costs, which are separate from your net sheet.

How to choose a commission structure

The right fee structure depends on your home's condition and how much of the process you're willing to manage. Compare offers on net proceeds and on what's included in writing, not just the percentage.

Does your home need repairs, staging, or careful pricing before it lists? If yes, start with the full-service listing section. If it's move-in ready and priced off clear recent sales, read the reduced-percentage and flat-fee MLS sections first.
Can you handle showings, offer negotiation, and contract deadlines yourself? If yes, the flat-fee MLS and selling-without-an-agent sections show what you'd save and what you'd take on. If not, stay with the listing-agent options.
Is a guaranteed close date worth more to you than top price? If so, read the cash buyer section and compare any offer against recent sales before signing.
Will you offer to pay a buyer's agent? Read the buyer's agent fee section, then the market section, to weigh that cost against how long homes are currently taking to sell.

Jay Marks Real Estate can prepare a net-proceeds estimate for your home at different fee levels to help you compare options. This guide provides information, not legal or tax advice, so consult a professional for specific guidance.

At a glance

Median sale price, all homes: $574,726 (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Change in median sale price, all homes: down 8.6% year over year (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Homes sold: 63 all homes, 62 single family (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Median days on market: 41 all homes, 42 single family (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Median sale-to-list ratio, all homes: 98.6% (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Share sold above list price, all homes: 22.6% (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Months of supply, all homes: 2.6 (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Active inventory, all homes: 54 homes (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Median price per square foot, all homes: $218 (90 days ending 2026-09-30)

Highland Village real estate commission FAQs

What is the standard real estate commission in Highland Village, TX?

There is no standard commission rate set by law. Any national or state average is simply an average of those negotiations, not a rule. See the section above on what real estate commissions cost in Highland Village for how the Texas Real Estate Commission addresses negotiability.

Are realtor commissions still 6%?

A combined rate was never legally required, and the 2024 settlement separated the two sides more clearly. Per the National Association of Realtors, practice changes effective August 17, 2024, prohibit offers of buyer-agent compensation from being published on the MLS. At the median sale price, a full two-sided commission at that traditional rate would total $34,484.

Is 3% normal for a realtor?

A 3% rate is a common request for one side of the sale, not the whole commission, but it's not a rule. Whether that percentage is a good value depends on what the agreement includes, so get the service list in writing. You can see the full-service listing section above for what this rate looks like in dollars.

Will realtors accept 2% commission?

Some brokerages will accept a 2% commission, often with fewer included services. At that rate, the fee on a median-priced Highland Village home is $11,495. Ask the agent what services are cut at that rate and whether it covers the listing side only.

What is the lowest commission a realtor will take?

There is no legal floor for commissions in Texas, as the Texas Real Estate Commission confirms fees are fully negotiable. The practical floor is a flat-fee MLS listing, where you pay a fixed price to get on the local MLS. Buyer-agent compensation remains a separate decision.

Can a real estate agent reduce their commission?

Yes. The fee is negotiated directly in the listing agreement, and the Texas Real Estate Commission requires that the written agreement state the broker's compensation and disclose that it's fully negotiable. You can negotiate a fee that changes with the sale price, a reduction if the agent represents both sides, or a shorter listing term.

How much does a real estate agent make on a $300,000 house?

At an illustrative rate of three percent for one side of the transaction, the commission is $9,000 before the brokerage takes its share. The agent then splits that amount with their broker and pays their own business expenses out of the remainder. That median is shown in the at-a-glance list above.

Is real estate commission tax deductible when you sell your home?

Commissions are generally treated as a selling expense that reduces the amount realized on the sale, rather than an itemized deduction. Per IRS Publication 523, the amount realized is calculated as the selling price minus selling expenses, which explicitly include a real estate agent's sales commission. Confirm this treatment with a tax professional, as this is not tax advice.