Exclusive right to sell
The most common type of listing agreement. The agent gets paid a commission if the home sells during the contract period, no matter who found the buyer.
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Where this comes up: getting ready
Part 1 of 4
Why a seller cares
This is the standard listing agreement: the agent is paid if the home sells during the term, whoever found the buyer. If a friend wants to buy, the moment to carve them out is before signing.
Part 2 of 4
A simple example
You sign a six-month exclusive right to sell. In month two a coworker offers to buy the home directly.
| What happens | What you owe |
|---|---|
| The coworker buys during the term | The full commission, even though you found them |
| You named the coworker as an exclusion before signing | Nothing on that one buyer, if the agreement says so |
| The home sells after the term, to a buyer the agent showed | Often still the commission, under a protection clause |
Exclusive right to sell means every sale pays the agent. Exceptions have to be written in first.
Part 3 of 4
What people get wrong
That finding your own buyer saves the commission. Under this agreement it does not, unless that buyer was excluded in writing.
Part 4 of 4 · where to read next
Where it appears in the sale
What a definition is, and what it isn't
Keighbor is a software company, not a law firm, brokerage, or tax adviser. This is general information, not legal, tax, financial, or real estate advice about your sale. Your situation may differ. Before acting on a contract, disclosure, title, tax, or pricing question, ask an appropriately licensed professional in your state.
Written and researched by Keighbor Research · drawn from the reference glossary · how we research and check what we publish
In your Room, this word explains itself where it appears.
Your Room defines exclusive right to sell in the step you meet it in, beside the document or the date it belongs to. Free to set up, with an agent or on your own.
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