How do I compare listing proposals from different agents?
Compare estimated net proceeds, not commission rates. Take each agent’s projected sale price, subtract their fee, any buyer-agent contribution, and any costs they would bill separately — then judge the number you would actually keep. A 2.5% agent projecting a stronger price with better marketing can net you more than a 1.5% agent projecting less. Check whether each projection is supported by comparable sales.
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Rates are easy to compare and nearly meaningless in isolation, which is why they dominate the conversation. Net proceeds are harder to compare and are the only figure that determines what the sale is worth to you. Build a simple four-column table — projected price, listing fee, buyer-agent contribution, separately billed costs — and the ranking usually changes.
Then interrogate the projected prices, because they are the largest number and the softest. Ask which comparable sales support each one, and how recent and genuinely similar they are. A price with three strong recent comps behind it is a forecast; the same price with nothing behind it is a bid for your signature.
Weigh marketing by what it plausibly changes about the outcome, not by volume. Professional photography and accurate floor plans measurably affect how many buyers click through; a fifth social channel usually does not. Staging matters more in some price bands and property types than others. Ask each agent what they think will actually move your specific home, and compare the reasoning.
Watch for a fee that is low because scope was removed. If one proposal is materially cheaper, find the difference — it is usually photography, staging, or paid promotion moved onto you. That is a legitimate structure if you want it, but it is not a discount.