Agent compensation is fully negotiable, and the place to negotiate it is the buyer-representation agreement, before you sign. The rules changed with the 2024 NAR settlement. A buyer now signs a written buyer-representation agreement before touring homes, and that document spells out how your agent is paid and how much. A seller may or may not offer to contribute toward your agent's compensation, and that gets negotiated deal by deal, so no one can promise the seller covers your side. The honest path to paying less is a direct conversation with the agent you want to hire, with the agreed number written into the agreement. One caution from experience. Opening the relationship by squeezing your agent's pay sets an odd tone, because that same person is about to negotiate hard on your behalf against a seller. We would rather see you interview a few agents, judge them on skill and communication, and land on compensation you both feel good about. We have adjusted our own structure late in a deal to get a transaction across the line, but leading with a pay cut is usually the wrong opening move. The paperwork and rules here keep evolving, so confirm the current requirements in your state before you sign anything.