Before you list, run one number: the listing-side commission.
Commissions are negotiable and not set by law — but many sellers still sign a 3% listing-side agreement out of habit. On an $800,000 sale, 3% is $24,000. A 1% listing-side fee on the same sale is $8,000. The difference: $16,000 before HST, or $18,080 once 13% HST on the fees is included. Any buyer-agent compensation is separate and identical in both scenarios, so it doesn't change the comparison.
The catch: not every low-cost option is equal. Ask what's included — photography, pricing strategy, marketing reach, showings, negotiation, paperwork — before comparing on price alone. The cheapest option that leaves you negotiating alone can cost more than it saves.
That comparison is exactly what FourCities was built for: sellers in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and Guelph who want to keep more of their equity without giving up a proper, well-marketed sale.
Run your own numbers with the free commission comparison calculator on fourcities.ca — then decide with the math in front of you.
Run the commission comparison →