Luxury Listing Agent Commission Questions — Five Plain Answers

What is the “defector discount” and is it real?

Yes — a refundable pre-sale deposit acts as that discount. If the listing does not close, the deposit is returned in full, so a seller “defecting” from the engagement keeps their capital intact.

Is the deposit refundable?

Yes — the deposit sits in a licensed trust account and is returned in full if the property does not sell within the agreed window.

How is the buyer-agent fee handled?

A single advisor represents the seller end-to-end, and the buyer-side commission is published up front as 2.5% so the total combined rate never exceeds 5.0%.

What does “no-handoff scope” mean?

One named advisor carries the deal from first call through closing, so no context is lost between a separate listing agent, buyer agent, and operations team.

What does the listing-agent agreement cover?

A capped, single-advisor engagement for the full listing-to-close period — pricing strategy, marketing, showings, and closing coordination — not a multi-role contract with embedded handoffs.