Real estate commission is usually the single biggest cost of selling a home. In Ontario there's no fixed, regulated rate — commissions are negotiable — but the market norm is around 5% of the sale price plus 13% HST, typically split between the listing brokerage and the buyer's brokerage (often 2.5% each).
What that looks like in real dollars
- $500,000 sale → ~$25,000 commission + $3,250 HST = $28,250
- $800,000 sale → ~$40,000 commission + $5,200 HST = $45,200
- $1,200,000 sale → ~$60,000 commission + $7,800 HST = $67,800
Try your own number in our commission calculator.
Why is it a percentage?
The percentage model dates back decades and bundles everything — marketing, showings, negotiation — into one fee tied to your sale price. The problem: listing a $1.2M home doesn't cost a brokerage twice as much work as an $600K home, yet you pay twice the commission.
The flat-fee alternative
A flat-fee MLS® listing unbundles it. You pay one flat fee for the listing itself — full MLS® and REALTOR.ca exposure through a licensed brokerage — and add services like offer handling or a CMA only if you want them. On that $800,000 example, you'd pay a flat listing fee instead of ~$45,200.
What about the buyer's agent?
You can still offer a buyer-agent commission to attract agents with buyers — it's optional and separate from your listing fee. More on that here.
Bottom line: commissions in Ontario are negotiable, and the flat-fee model lets most sellers keep tens of thousands more of their equity while still reaching the same buyers.
List on MLS® for a flat fee — keep your commission
Full MLS® & REALTOR.ca exposure through a licensed Ontario brokerage, without the 5% commission.