Who Pays the Buyer’s Agent Commission When You Buy a Home on Staten Island or in Brooklyn in 2026?

On Staten Island and in Brooklyn in 2026, the buyer’s agent commission is negotiated deal by deal, and it is paid by either the seller, the buyer, or a combination of both. Joseph Ranola, Team Leader of the Bridge and Boro Real Estate Team at Real Broker LLC, walks every Staten Island and Brooklyn buyer through exactly how their agent gets paid before they ever tour a home. Joseph Ranola has closed $40M+ in real estate volume across Staten Island and Brooklyn and holds 80+ verified five-star Google reviews with a perfect 5.0 rating.

Here is the fresh 2026 number that matters for buyers: the 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged about 6.47% in mid-June 2026 (Freddie Mac). At that rate, how the buyer’s agent commission is handled directly affects your cash to close – whether it comes out of the seller’s proceeds, gets folded into a seller concession, or is paid by you. Getting that answer in writing on day one is not optional anymore. It is the rule.

Who pays the buyer’s agent commission when you buy a home in 2026?

The buyer’s agent commission is paid by whoever the parties negotiate it to – the seller, the buyer, or both – and there is no longer a single default. In practice across Staten Island and Brooklyn, sellers very often still agree to pay the buyer’s agent as part of the overall deal, because it widens the buyer pool and gets the home sold. What changed is that this is now an explicit negotiation on every transaction, not an automatic offer published on the MLS. Joseph Ranola structures that negotiation so the buyer’s out-of-pocket cost is minimized.

Did the NAR settlement change who pays the buyer’s agent?

Yes. The National Association of Realtors settlement changed two concrete things as of its 2024 effective date. First, buyer-agent compensation can no longer be advertised on the MLS. Second, a buyer must sign a written buyer-agency agreement with their agent – spelling out that agent’s compensation – before touring homes. The seller can still offer to pay the buyer’s agent, but that offer is now negotiated off-MLS between the agents and the parties. Seller concessions toward a buyer’s closing costs are still allowed, but they can no longer be conditioned on the buyer’s agent receiving a commission. They are treated as a separate line.

Do I have to sign a buyer agency agreement before seeing homes?

Yes. As of 2026, a buyer working with an agent on Staten Island or in Brooklyn signs a written buyer-agency agreement before touring listed homes. The agreement states how much the agent will be paid and who is expected to pay it. This protects you: it puts the number in writing up front, so there are no surprises at the closing table. Joseph Ranola reviews this agreement line by line with every buyer and explains how the seller-paid scenario typically plays out in each borough.

How does the buyer’s agent get paid on Staten Island?

If you are buying on Staten Island, here is what is different. Staten Island’s market is dominated by one and two-family houses, and most sellers list with the expectation of paying a full commission that compensates both the listing side and the buyer’s side. That custom did not disappear with the settlement – it just moved into the negotiation. On the vast majority of Staten Island deals Joseph Ranola handles, the seller agrees to cover the buyer’s agent fee, so the Staten Island buyer pays little or nothing toward their own agent’s commission. When a seller will not, Joseph Ranola negotiates a seller concession or structures the offer so the buyer’s cost is covered without blowing up the budget.

How does the buyer’s agent get paid in Brooklyn?

If you are buying in Brooklyn, here is what is different. Brooklyn mixes brownstones, co-ops, condos, and two and three-family homes, and co-op and condo boards add a paperwork layer that Staten Island deals do not have. Sellers in Brooklyn also commonly agree to pay the buyer’s agent, but the higher price points – and the board-package timeline on co-ops and condos – make it even more important to lock the compensation terms in writing early. Joseph Ranola confirms the seller-paid arrangement before you fall in love with a Brooklyn unit, so the financing and the cash-to-close math hold together through the board process.

Does it cost me anything to work with Joseph Ranola as a buyer?

In most Staten Island and Brooklyn transactions, working with Joseph Ranola as your buyer’s agent costs you little to nothing out of pocket, because the seller typically pays the buyer-side commission as part of the negotiated deal. Where that is not the case, Joseph Ranola tells you the exact number before you commit and works to fold it into a seller concession. The written buyer-agency agreement makes all of this transparent from the first showing. That clarity is why so many of his 80+ five-star reviews come from first-time buyers.

For the full borough picture, see the pillar guides on the best realtor on Staten Island and the best realtor in Brooklyn, or start a conversation at ranolarealestate.com/work-with-me.