# Discount Realtor vs Full-Service in Coquitlam: What the Fee Buys > Commission is negotiable in B.C. How flat-fee and full-service listings compare, the buyer-agent fee you still pay, and 10 questions to ask before you sign. **Source:** https://soldbycraig.ca/blog/discount-realtor-vs-full-service-coquitlam/ **Author:** Craig Johnston, REALTOR® (BC Licence V99960) · Royal LePage Elite West **Site:** https://soldbycraig.ca --- ## Full-service REALTOR® or discount brokerage? What the fee actually buys when you sell in Coquitlam. Commission is negotiable in B.C., and there are real alternatives to a traditional full-service listing. Some of them make sense for some sellers. Here’s how the models actually work under B.C.’s rules, the part of the commission most sellers don’t realize they still pay, and the questions to ask any brokerage before you sign. Quick answer ## The real question isn’t the rate. It’s what’s included. The rules BCFSA: “In real estate there is no standard remuneration.” Every fee is negotiable. The options Flat-fee MLS® listings, reduced-rate full service, and pay-per-service models The catch MLS® rules still require you to offer the buyer’s agent a fee, so the saving is mostly on your side of the commission The test Read which services, and which legal duties, the agreement leaves out **Where I land:** a lower fee makes sense when the services you give up are ones you can genuinely do yourself. It costs you when they’re the ones that set the price: pricing, preparation, exposure and negotiation. Rules from BCFSA — [Remuneration Guidelines →](https://www.bcfsa.ca/industry-resources/real-estate-professional-resources/knowledge-base/guidelines/remuneration-guidelines) ### Nothing is standard There’s no set commission in B.C. Brokerages set their own, and you can negotiate. ### The buyer side stays On MLS®, the listing side must offer the buyer’s brokerage compensation. Cutting the listing fee doesn’t remove that part. ### Services and duties B.C. rules require the agreement to describe the services and the fee, and any reduced duties must be spelled out. ### 1% of price is big On a $1.4M sale, 1% of the price is $14,000. That’s the scale to weigh any fee saving against. ## First, a straight answer: commission is negotiable. People sometimes assume there’s a set commission in Coquitlam. There isn’t. B.C.’s regulator, the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA), says plainly that “in real estate there is no standard remuneration,” and that any commission amount can be negotiated between you, your REALTOR® and their brokerage. Some brokerages set one rate for all their agents. Others leave it to the agent. You’ll often hear one structure quoted locally: 7% on the first $100,000 of the sale price and 3% on the balance, plus 5% GST. I’ve broken down how that works, and how the money moves on completion day, on my [Coquitlam commission rates](/coquitlam-realtor-commission-rates/) page. It’s a common reference point, not a rule. Because fees are negotiable, a range of business models exists. Some brokerages compete on price. Others, like me, compete on what’s included. Neither is wrong. What matters is that you know what you’re buying, because the agreement you sign decides it. I’m a full-service REALTOR®, so read this knowing that. I’ve tried to set out how each model works fairly, including when a lower-cost option makes sense. ## What “discount” actually means in B.C. “Discount brokerage” covers several quite different arrangements. Every one of them still goes through a licensed brokerage: in B.C., you need a licence to provide real estate services to someone else for pay, and only a licensed brokerage can put a home on the MLS® system. You don’t need a licence to sell your own home privately. Flat-fee MLS® listings were protected by a 2010 consent agreement between the Competition Bureau and the Canadian Real Estate Association, under which CREA agreed not to block agents from offering them. The Bureau’s stated aim was to protect consumers’ ability to choose which services they want from an agent. ## The part of the commission that doesn’t go away. This is the point most sellers miss when they compare quotes. A typical commission has two halves: the listing side, and the cooperating commission paid to the brokerage that brings the buyer. When your home is on MLS®, the commission rules require the listing side to offer compensation to the buyer’s agent. That’s how the Competition Bureau describes CREA’s rules in its ongoing investigation, which it expanded to Greater Vancouver REALTORS® in early 2026. The Bureau has said there is no conclusion of wrongdoing, and as of October 2026 the rule still applies. So a flat-fee or low-rate listing usually reduces *your* side of the commission. The amount you offer to buyers’ agents is still part of the cost, and buyers typically come with an agent. One more thing that surprises people: the listing agent can’t simply “represent both sides” to save money. B.C. has prohibited dual agency since June 15, 2018 (now section 63 of the Real Estate Services Rules), outside a narrow exemption for remote, under-served areas. If a buyer comes in without an agent, they’re an unrepresented party, and the listing agent continues to act for you. Compare quotes on the listing side and the cooperating side separately. That’s the only way to see what you’re really saving. ## What a full-service fee is supposed to cover. “Full service” is only worth paying for if the service is real. Here is what you should expect, and what you should ask any full-service agent to show you, not just tell you: - **Pricing from accurate comparables.** Not the highest number that wins the listing. I price from home sales that are accurate comparables and run paired-sale analyses to separate what a feature is actually worth. - **Preparation advice.** What to fix, what to leave, and how to stage, so you spend money only where buyers will pay for it. See [how to stage a Coquitlam home](/how-to-stage-coquitlam-home/). - **Exposure.** Professional photography, video where the home warrants it, the MLS® listing, and a marketing plan written for the buyers most likely to buy your home. Mine is laid out in [the Coquitlam listing plan](/coquitlam-listing-marketing-plan/). - **Showings and follow-up.** Booking, access, feedback from buyer agents, and acting on that feedback. - **Negotiation.** Reading offers, protecting your terms, handling multiple offers, and keeping a deal together through subjects. - **Getting it to completion.** Subject removal, deposits, strata or title issues, and working with your lawyer or notary until the keys change hands. - **Responsiveness.** Same-day replies when a buyer agent calls. In a slower market, a missed call can be a missed buyer. If a full-service agent can’t explain what they’ll do in each of those areas for your home, you’re paying full price for a partial service. That’s worse than a discount listing that’s honest about what it leaves out. ## The math worth doing before you decide. Here’s the commonly quoted 7% / 3% structure at three price points, next to what 1% of the sale price is worth. These are arithmetic examples, not a quote, and commission is negotiable. That total includes the cooperating commission paid to the buyer’s brokerage, so a lower-fee listing doesn’t remove all of it. The useful question is: **could the services I’d give up change my sale price, my terms or my risk by more than the amount I’d save?** I won’t give you a statistic that says full-service listings sell for X% more. I haven’t found credible Canadian research that measures it, and the studies that exist are American and point in different directions. What I can tell you is where the money is usually won or lost: the starting price, the first two weeks on the market, and the negotiation. Those are the services to protect. To see your own numbers, the [seller net proceeds calculator](/coquitlam-seller-net-proceeds-calculator/) lets you test different commission amounts against your likely sale price, and [what it costs to sell in Coquitlam](/what-it-costs-to-sell-coquitlam/) covers the other costs (legal fees, mortgage penalties, moving) that sit alongside commission. ## When a lower-cost model can make sense. Being fair about it, there are sellers for whom a flat-fee or reduced-service listing is a reasonable choice: - **You already have a buyer.** A family member or tenant wants to buy and you mainly need the paperwork done properly. A limited service, or a lawyer, may be enough. - **Your home is easy to compare.** A typical unit in a large condo building with plenty of recent sales is easier to price than a one-of-a-kind detached home. - **You’ve done this before and have the time.** You’re comfortable pricing, hosting showings, fielding calls from buyer agents and negotiating directly. - **You’re not under time pressure.** No purchase to coordinate, no carrying costs that force a deadline. ## When full service usually earns its fee. And the situations where I’d be cautious about cutting services to save on commission: #### Days on market, detached Coquitlam’s average for detached homes in September 2026. In a slower market, pricing and presentation matter more, not less. #### Selling and buying at once Timing two transactions, bridge financing and subject dates is where mistakes get expensive. #### Hard-to-compare homes Acreage, view homes, large lots, luxury: fewer comparables means pricing takes real work. #### Tenants, estates, strata issues Tenanted sales, estate sales and buildings with levies need careful handling to keep a deal together. ## Ten questions to ask any brokerage before you sign. Whatever model you’re considering, these questions show you what you’re really paying for. B.C. rules require every service agreement to describe the services and the fee, and any duties the brokerage won’t perform must be set out in writing. Use that. 1. **Which services are included, and which aren’t?** Get the list in writing. 2. **Are any of your duties to me modified or excluded?** Under the Real Estate Services Rules, a brokerage and client can agree in writing to modify some duties. Ask which ones, in plain words. 3. **Who prices the home, and from what evidence?** Ask to see the comparables. 4. **Who books and attends showings?** 5. **Who receives offers and negotiates them?** Offers must be communicated to you, but negotiating them is a separate service. 6. **What cooperating commission are you recommending I offer buyers’ agents, and why?** 7. **What’s the total cost, including GST, if it sells? And if it doesn’t?** 8. **Who pays for photography, video, staging advice and marketing?** 9. **How long is the agreement, and how can I end it?** Ask about any holdover period after it expires. 10. **How quickly will you respond to buyer agents?** Ask for a specific answer. More questions, for choosing any REALTOR®, are in [questions to ask a Coquitlam REALTOR®](/questions-to-ask-a-coquitlam-realtor/). ## Discount vs full-service brokerage: FAQ ## Sources & methodology Commission and service-agreement rules are from BCFSA’s [Remuneration Guidelines](https://www.bcfsa.ca/industry-resources/real-estate-professional-resources/knowledge-base/guidelines/remuneration-guidelines) and [consumer guide to remuneration](https://www.bcfsa.ca/public-resources/real-estate/consumer-resources/consumer-guide-remuneration), and the Real Estate Services Rules (B.C. Reg. 209/2021: s.30 duties to clients, s.31 modification of duties, s.43 service agreements, s.63–64 dual agency). Licensing exemptions are from BCFSA’s [licensing exemptions information](https://www.bcfsa.ca/industry-resources/real-estate-professional-resources/knowledge-base/information/licensing-exemptions-information). The cooperating-commission rule and the investigation are from the Competition Bureau’s releases of [October 2024](https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2024/10/competition-bureau-advances-investigation-into-the-canadian-real-estate-associations-policies.html) and [early 2026](https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2026/01/competition-bureau-expands-its-investigation-of-real-estate-commission-rules-to-include-greater-vancouver-realtors.html); the 2010 CREA consent agreement is described in the Bureau’s [2018 submission](https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/how-we-foster-competition/promotion-and-advocacy/regulatory-adviceinterventions-competition-bureau/submission-ftc-and-doj-residential-real-estate-brokerage). Days on market are from the Greater Vancouver REALTORS® Coquitlam REALTOR® Report for September 2026. All sources read October 19, 2026. The commission table is arithmetic on a commonly quoted structure, not a fee quote. This page is general information, not legal advice. ## Keep planning your sale. The pages below go deeper on costs, pricing and choosing who to list with. #### Coquitlam commission rates How commission is structured, calculated and paid on completion day. #### What it costs to sell in Coquitlam Commission, legal fees, mortgage penalties and the rest, in one place. #### What sellers actually hire a REALTOR® for The parts of a sale that move the price, and the parts that don’t. #### The Coquitlam listing plan How a home gets prepared, marketed and shown, step by step. #### Questions to ask a REALTOR® What to ask, and what good answers sound like, before you sign. #### Selling in Coquitlam The full seller’s guide, from pricing to completion. ## Compare options with real numbers for your home. Start with what your home is likely to sell for. I’ll send you an Equity Map within 24 hours, and if you’d like, we can talk for about 20 minutes about what I’d do, what it would cost, and whether full service makes sense for your sale. Craig Johnston, REALTOR® V99960 · Royal LePage Elite West · 604-202-6092 Continue your research ## More for Coquitlam sellers. Home value ### What’s my Coquitlam home worth? An Equity Map within 24 hours, built from accurate comparables. Calculator ### Seller net proceeds calculator Test commission and costs against your likely sale price. Pricing ### How to price your Coquitlam home The pricing decisions that decide the first two weeks. Timing ### Sell this fall or wait for spring? What today’s market means for your timing. About the author ### [Craig Johnston, REALTOR®](/coquitlam-realtor-craig-johnston/) 9+ year Burke Mountain resident and 47+ year Tri-Cities native, with Royal LePage Elite West. BC Real Estate License V99960, regulated by the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA). Specializes in Coquitlam, Burke Mountain, Westwood Plateau, Heritage Mountain, Port Moody, Anmore acreage, and Belcarra Indian Arm waterfront. Move-up family representation, first-time buyer guidance, $2M+ luxury. [Full bio + credentials →](/coquitlam-realtor-craig-johnston/) [Book a free strategy call](/book-a-strategy-call-with-craig-johnston/) Tri-Cities monthly ## Local, once a month. September 2026 Coquitlam detached HPI is $1,584,400, -6.6% YoY. What that means for your buy or sell decision — without the salesy fluff. One email per month. Unsubscribe anytime. No spam, no listings flood, no marketing automation games. Genuine monthly update from a 47+ year Tri-Cities resident. ## A specialist for your specific Tri-Cities city or neighbourhood. ## FAQ ### Is real estate commission negotiable in BC? Yes. BCFSA, B.C.’s real estate regulator, states that there is no standard remuneration in real estate and that commission can be negotiated between you, your REALTOR® and their brokerage. Some brokerages set a single rate for all their agents. The agreed amount, and when it’s payable, must be written into your service agreement. ### What is a discount real estate brokerage? It’s a general term for brokerages that charge less than a traditional full-service listing, usually by providing fewer services. Common models include flat-fee MLS® listings, where the brokerage lists the home and the seller handles most of the rest; reduced-rate full service; and pay-per-service arrangements. All of them still operate through a licensed B.C. brokerage. ### If I use a flat-fee listing, do I still pay the buyer’s agent? Usually, yes. For homes listed on MLS®, the commission rules require the listing side to offer compensation to the buyer’s brokerage. A flat-fee or low-rate listing mainly reduces the listing side of the commission. The cooperating commission you offer buyers’ agents remains part of your cost. ### Can I sell my house without a REALTOR® in BC? Yes. You don’t need a licence to sell your own property. You can’t list it on MLS® yourself, though; only a licensed brokerage can do that. Many private sellers still hire a lawyer or notary to review the contract and handle the conveyance. ### Can one agent represent both the buyer and the seller to save on commission? No. B.C. has prohibited dual agency since June 15, 2018, with a narrow exemption for remote, under-served areas. A buyer who deals directly with the listing agent is an unrepresented party: the listing agent continues to act for the seller, must give the buyer a written Disclosure of Risks to Unrepresented Parties, and can’t advise them. ### Do full-service REALTORS® get a higher sale price? There’s no credible Canadian study that measures it, so be wary of anyone quoting a percentage. What can be said is where sale price is usually won or lost: the starting price, presentation and exposure in the first weeks, and negotiation. The question is whether the services you’d give up affect those, by more than the fee you’d save. ### What should be in a listing agreement in BC? B.C.’s Real Estate Services Rules require a service agreement to include, among other things, a general description of the services the brokerage will provide and the remuneration payable, including when it becomes payable. If any of the brokerage’s standard duties to you are modified or excluded, that has to be set out in writing. ### Is GST charged on real estate commission in BC? Yes. GST at 5% is charged on the commission, so on a $46,000 commission the GST would be $2,300. Your listing agreement and the Disclosure to Seller of Expected Remuneration should show the amounts.