Do you pay a real estate agent to list your home?

No. A real estate agent earns a commission as a percentage of the selling price of the house only after the successful completion of the sale. The commission (usually around 6% of the selling price) is split between the agency listing the property and the agency selling the property, if they are not one and the same. The individual agent(s) are paid a portion of this commission, the amount depending on the contract each agent has with their indivdual agencies.