Is a 1% Commission Realtor Worth It in Ontario?

A 1% commission realtor is worth it for most Ontario home sellers who want full-service marketing and negotiation at a lower listing cost, because the 1% figure covers the listing side of the sale only, not the whole transaction. In Ontario, commissions are negotiable and are not set by law, so a 1% listing commission is simply what one brokerage charges instead of a higher rate. It says nothing about the separate commission offered to the buyer's brokerage, which the seller sets independently and can adjust. Parker Coulter Realty, the original 1% listing brokerage, charges 1% with no upfront fees and no cancellation fees, paid only once the home sells. On a $700,000 home that is $7,000 before HST, versus $17,500 when comparing to a 2.5% listing commission. The real question isn't whether "1%" is a gimmick. It's whether the marketing, the negotiation and the track record behind that number hold up, and whether the seller still controls what goes to the buyer's side.

What "1%" Actually Means

"1% commission" almost never means the whole cost of selling adds up to one percent. It means the listing commission, what your own brokerage charges to market and sell your home, is 1%. That is a different number from the commission offered to the co-operating brokerage (the buyer's agent), which is a separate line, determined at the time of listing, and is entirely the seller's decision. A brokerage that quotes "1%" and lets a seller assume that covers everything is doing that seller a disservice.

At Parker Coulter Realty, the 1% listing commission is paid only if and when the home sells. There are no upfront fees and no cancellation fees. If the home doesn't sell, nothing is owed. That structure hasn't changed since we started offering it as one of Ontario's original 1% listing brokerages, roughly a decade ago.

Real estate commission in Ontario is also subject to 13% HST, on the listing commission and on whatever is offered to the co-operating brokerage. HST is a tax, not a brokerage fee, and it applies the same way regardless of which brokerage a seller lists with.

What Percent Does a Real Estate Agent Actually Make in Ontario?

What percent does a real estate agent make? There's no single answer, and any brokerage that hands you an "average real estate commission" figure is guessing. Ontario real estate commission, or real estate commission Ontario however it's searched, is negotiable, not set by any board, association, or law, so the real estate commission a seller pays in Ontario varies brokerage to brokerage and listing to listing. What an individual agent personally takes home from that is a further step removed. It depends on their own split with their brokerage, which we don't set for anyone but ourselves and can't quote on anyone's behalf.

What we can tell you is our own number, because it's the only one we control: 1% is our listing commission, on every listing, at every price point, full stop. Run a specific sale price through our real estate commission calculator to see exactly what that means in dollars, HST included, rather than a guess nobody can actually verify.

The Real Math: What a 1% Listing Commission Saves in Ontario

Here's the arithmetic on a $700,000 home. Our 1% listing commission is $7,000, or $7,910 including 13% HST. When comparing to a 2.5% listing commission (a comparison point, not a claim about what any specific brokerage charges), the listing side alone is $17,500 before HST, or $19,775 with HST. That gap, on the listing side only, is roughly $11,865 before the seller has decided anything about the buyer's side commission.

If a seller also chooses to offer 2.5% to the co-operating brokerage, our full listing-side plus co-op number on a $700,000 home comes to $27,685, HST included. Set against a comparison built on 2.5% and 2.5% (5% combined, HST included, working out to $39,550 on that same $700,000 home), the difference works out to roughly $11,865 kept by the seller, before accounting for how the co-op rate is set.

Across the towns we track in our own market data (754 homes sold in the trailing 30 days as of this writing, with a weighted median sale price of $756,507), the same math scales with the sale price: the higher the price, the larger the dollar gap between a 1% listing commission and a comparison built on 2.5%. Run your own number on our real estate agent commission calculator, which shows the HST line separately in both columns so nothing is hidden in the total.

Commissions in Ontario are negotiable and not set by law. Any 2.5% or 5% figure here is a comparison point we've chosen because it's a round number sellers recognize, not a claim about what any other brokerage actually charges.

What You Get for 1%: Is the Service Actually Full Service?

A lower listing commission is only worth discussing if the service behind it holds up. At Parker Coulter Realty, the 1% listing includes professional photography, drone photos, staging assistance, a 3D tour, floor plans, and support from our team from listing to close. It's the same list regardless of the sale price. Full service, at 1%.

Here's the honest part, because a seller comparing 1% against a higher rate should ask about it directly with anyone they're talking to:

• The co-op commission is a real trade-off. Offering less to the buyer's brokerage can mean fewer buyer's agents actively showing the home. It's genuinely the seller's call, and it's worth thinking through for the specific home and price point rather than treating it as a box to tick.
• 1% doesn't guarantee a sale price. A lower commission means the seller keeps more of whatever the home sells for. It doesn't mean the home sells for more, and no honest brokerage will tell a seller otherwise.
• Commission isn't the only cost of selling. Legal fees, closing adjustments, and mortgage discharge costs are separate and are a lawyer's numbers to give, not a brokerage's.

1% vs. Flat Fee vs. a Percentage Comparison

Sellers weighing "1%" against other options in Ontario are usually looking at one of three structures:

• A 1% full-service listing commission (what we offer): scales with the sale price, includes photography, marketing, negotiation and support, and is paid only if the home sells.
• A flat-fee MLS listing: a fixed dollar amount instead of a percentage, usually covering the MLS listing itself, with showings, negotiation and marketing left to the seller. See our full breakdown of flat-fee MLS listings in Ontario and when each approach tends to make more sense.
• A comparison at 5% (2.5% listing plus 2.5% to the co-operating brokerage, a comparison point we've chosen, not a claim about what any specific brokerage charges): the reference point our commission calculator uses to show the dollar gap.

Which one is worth it depends on how much of the process a seller wants handled for them versus done themselves.

Where 1% Listing Commissions Are Available in Ontario

Parker Coulter Realty lists homes for 1% across Barrie, Simcoe County, Muskoka, Newmarket, and the surrounding GTA-adjacent markets. In our own tracked towns, the market has stayed active: 754 homes sold in the trailing 30 days, an average 96.1% of asking price achieved, and an average 41.8 days on market. Conditions vary town by town, and the current monthly market report breaks that down by community rather than blending it into one province-wide average.

If a home for sale is outside that footprint, the honest answer is that our full 1% suite may not be available there, but the underlying question, is 1% worth it, still applies anywhere in Ontario. Ask any brokerage for their commission structure in writing, including what they'd suggest offering the co-operating brokerage, and run the same HST-inclusive math against whatever a specific home is likely to sell for. We also work with sellers outside our full-service area on a flat-fee basis; ask us and we'll let you know how we can help, no obligation.

Our own track record backs the number: a 4.9-star average across 345 Google reviews, from clients who went through this exact process.

Questions to Ask a 1% Commission Realtor Before You List

1. What exactly does the listing commission include? A useful answer names specific deliverables, photography, marketing, negotiation, not a vague "full service."
2. What happens if I want out of the agreement? Cancellation terms vary by brokerage. Ours has none.
3. Who actually attends showings and negotiates the offer? Confirm whether it's the person you're speaking with or someone else on the team.
4. How was the listing price arrived at? Look for an answer grounded in recent comparable sales, not a number pulled to win the listing.
5. What do you recommend for the co-operating brokerage commission, and why? This is the seller's decision, but a good agent should walk through the trade-off, not dodge the question.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a 1% commission realtor the same as a discount brokerage that cuts service? Not necessarily, and it's worth checking directly. At Parker Coulter Realty, the 1% listing includes the same photography, marketing, and support regardless of price point. Ask any 1% brokerage exactly what's included before assuming less commission means less service.

Do I have to offer a commission to the buyer's brokerage in Ontario? No. What, if anything, to offer the co-operating brokerage is entirely the seller's decision, made at the time of listing. It is separate from the listing commission and is not required at any set amount.

Does a 1% listing commission mean fewer buyers see my home? Not on its own. What's offered to the co-operating brokerage is a separate variable a seller controls independently of the listing commission, and it's worth discussing with whoever is listing the home.

Is 13% HST included in the "1%" figure? No. HST applies on top of the commission, on both the listing side and the co-operating side. The commission calculator shows HST as its own line so the numbers are easy to check.

Is a flat-fee MLS listing a better deal than a 1% commission realtor? It depends what a seller wants handled for them. A flat-fee listing is usually a fixed cost covering the MLS listing only, with showings and negotiation left to the seller; a 1% listing commission includes full service at a cost that scales with the sale price. See how flat-fee MLS listings work in Ontario for the full comparison.

Want a straight answer for a specific home? Call 705-722-9111 or use the contact form on the site, and we'll walk through what a 1% listing commission would actually mean for that address. For the full breakdown of how the commission works, see how our 1% listing commission works, and for the exact cost on a specific sale price, see what it costs to sell your home with us.

Parker Coulter is the broker of record at Parker Coulter Realty, based in Barrie, Ontario, and has been listing homes at a 1% commission for about a decade.