The short answer
Buyer's agent compensation is negotiated, not fixed, and it is agreed in writing before you ever tour a home. Depending on the deal, it can be covered by the seller through a concession, paid by you, or a combination of the two. There is no standard rate, and since 2024 it is no longer advertised through the MLS. I discuss my compensation openly with you up front, so you always know the terms before you commit to anything.
What a real estate agent actually is
A real estate agent is a state-licensed professional who can represent a buyer or a seller in a property transaction. The license does not automatically make them your agent. In South Carolina, the person who answers the phone, opens the lockbox, or writes the offer is working for whoever they have a written agency agreement with. Until that is you, they are not in your corner.
A few distinctions that get blurred in everyday talk:
- Agent (salesperson). Licensed, and required to work under a Broker-in-Charge at a brokerage. I am a licensed REALTOR® with eXp Realty LLC.
- Broker. A higher license. The Broker-in-Charge is legally responsible for the office and the associated licensees in it.
- REALTOR®. Not a synonym for agent. It is a membership mark. REALTORS® subscribe to the National Association of REALTORS® Code of Ethics. Not every licensed agent is a REALTOR®.
- Client vs. customer. A client has a written agency agreement and is owed fiduciary duties: loyalty, obedience, disclosure, confidentiality, reasonable care, diligence, and accounting. A customer is owed honesty, fairness, and disclosure of material adverse facts. They do not get advocacy. If you have not signed, you are usually a customer.
An agent is also not your attorney, inspector, appraiser, or lender. South Carolina requires a real estate attorney at closing. I coordinate those people. I do not replace them.
The types of agency you will see in South Carolina
South Carolina law (S.C. Code § 40-57-350) allows five brokerage relationships. You will see them named on the Disclosure of Real Estate Brokerage Relationships form you should receive at the first practical opportunity. Read it. The initials are not decoration.
| Relationship | Who they work for | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Seller agency | The seller | Loyalty to the seller. The listing agent on the MLS, and the person hosting most open houses, is this. If you tour without your own agent, you are talking to the seller's side. |
| Buyer agency | You | Loyalty to you. A written buyer agency agreement creates this. That is the relationship I have with buyers: negotiate in your interest, and tell you when a house is a bad idea. |
| Disclosed dual agency | Both sides, limited | The same brokerage, and sometimes the same agent, represents buyer and seller. They cannot advocate for one of you over the other, and they cannot share the confidential negotiating facts that would actually help you. Requires written consent. You can decline. Nothing bad happens when you do. |
| Designated agency | You get your own agent, same firm | The Broker-in-Charge assigns one licensee to you and a different licensee to the other party. Your designated agent can still negotiate for you. The BIC remains a dual agent. Common at large brokerages, including eXp. |
| Transaction brokerage | Neither, as a client | Not agency. The firm facilitates the paperwork as a customer relationship, without representing either side. Honesty and forms, not someone in your corner. |
How I work: if you are buying, I am your buyer's agent. If you are selling, I am your listing agent. I do not slide into dual agency by default. If a conflict is even possible, we talk about it in plain English before anyone signs. For the incentive side of dual agency, I wrote that up in what agents get paid not to say.
What changed in 2024
After a national legal settlement involving the National Association of REALTORS, two rules changed for buyers everywhere, including here in Charleston:
| What | Before 2024 | After 2024 NOW |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer-agent agreement | Optional, often informal | Required in writing before touring homes |
| Commission in MLS | Advertised to buyer agents | Removed from MLS; negotiated per deal |
| Who pays the buyer's agent | Usually seller, built into price | Seller, buyer, or split, agreed upfront |
| Fee transparency | Often invisible to buyers | Disclosed and agreed before any tours |
The net effect is more transparency, not less: fees are discussed and agreed on up front instead of sitting quietly in the background of a deal.
Who actually pays the buyer's agent?
It varies by transaction, and all of these remain common in our market:
The seller, via concession
Sellers can still offer to cover some or all of the buyer's agent fee. When that is on the table, I structure your offer to pursue it.
The buyer
In some cases the buyer pays their agent directly, in part or in full.
A combination
Often it is a mix, negotiated as part of the overall offer alongside price, repairs, and terms.
Because it is negotiable, who pays and how much is something we plan for strategically, not something you discover at the closing table.
One update worth knowing if you use a VA loan: for years, VA rules blocked veterans from paying their own buyer's agent, which quietly put VA offers at a disadvantage once the 2024 settlement decoupled commissions. That restriction was lifted in April 2026, so VA buyers can now pay their own agent like everyone else. I walk through it in the 2026 VA handbook update.
The buyer agency agreement
This is the written agreement that turns you from a customer into a client. You sign it before touring homes. It spells out the services I provide, how long we are working together, the type of agency, and exactly how I am compensated. It protects you by putting expectations and fees in writing from the start, no vague handshake, no surprises later. We go through it together and you understand every line before you sign.
How I handle compensation
I do not publish a one-size-fits-all number, because no honest one exists; every transaction is different. What I do promise is a clear, no-obligation conversation up front where we talk through my compensation in plain terms, agree on it in writing, and build a strategy to pursue seller-paid compensation wherever it is available. You will know exactly where you stand before you commit to anything.
What that fee actually covers
Finding the house is less than 20% of the work. Your agent's compensation pays for everything that protects your money and your peace of mind: reading a listing beyond the photos, running real comps so you do not overpay, structuring an offer that wins on terms, spotting red flags before inspection, negotiating repairs and credits, and managing every deadline and contingency so a missed detail never costs you thousands. That is the part you never see, and it is the part worth paying for.
Questions to ask any buyer's agent
- Who do you represent on this transaction, and what happens if your brokerage also represents the seller?
- How are you compensated, and will you put it in writing before we tour?
- What happens if the seller does not cover your fee?
- What exactly do you do for that compensation?
- Will I owe anything if we do not find a home?
You should expect straight answers to all five, from any agent. I will give them to you in our first conversation. Call or text 480-888-6895.
This page is general information, not legal advice. The specific terms of your representation and compensation are governed by the written agreement you sign with your agent.