When your buyer has no agent,
your total commission is 2%.
An unrepresented buyer tours your open house or finds your home online — and there's no buyer-broker fee to pay. With the Equitas Homes 2% Direct Sale, your total brokerage commission is 1% listing + 1% direct-buyer coordination = 2% of the gross purchase price, while Equitas represents you — and only you — as your exclusive single agent. Commissions are negotiable and are not set by law.
1% + 1% = 2% total
Your brokerage commission equals 2% of the gross sale price — before mortgage payoffs, closing costs, and transfer taxes. Here's exactly what each percentage point covers.
| Component | Fee | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Base listing fee | 1% | Full-service listing: pricing strategy, prep, professional media, MLS + portal exposure, marketing, negotiation, and seller advocacy. |
| Direct-buyer coordination | 1% | The transaction management an unrepresented buyer lacks: document prep/review, lender-milestone tracking, escrow and title coordination, and contract oversight. |
| Total brokerage commission | 2% | Of the gross purchase price, when the winning buyer is eligible and unrepresented. |
Traditional comparison: an illustrative 5% total (or 3.5% when a seller pays a 2.5% buyer-broker fee on top of a 1% listing fee). All figures illustrative; commissions are negotiable.
Why 2% instead of just 1%?
When there's no buyer's agent, that work doesn't disappear — it shifts to us. The extra 1% funds the protection that keeps your deal together.
Escrow-risk defense
Unrepresented buyers miss deadlines and contingencies. We track every escrow milestone, contingency release, and loan condition to keep your close on schedule and enforceable.
Paperwork handled correctly
Purchase contracts, counteroffers, and California disclosures are prepared and reviewed to standard — reducing the fall-out and liability risk of a DIY buyer.
Lender-milestone tracking
We coordinate with the buyer's lender on appraisal, underwriting, and funding timelines so financing surprises surface early, not at the closing table.
What 2% saves at local price points
| Sale price | Illustrative 5% total | Illustrative 3.5% (1% + 2.5% buyer) | Equitas 2% Direct Sale | Savings vs 5% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,500,000 | $75,000 | $52,500 | $30,000 | $45,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $100,000 | $70,000 | $40,000 | $60,000 |
| $2,500,000 | $125,000 | $87,500 | $50,000 | $75,000 |
| $3,000,000 | $150,000 | $105,000 | $60,000 | $90,000 |
Illustrative commission amounts only — not a quote or guarantee. Commissions are negotiable and are not set by law. Figures exclude mortgage payoffs, closing costs, and transfer taxes.
A lower gross offer can net you more
Compare a $2,000,000 offer carrying a buyer-broker fee against a $1,980,000 offer from an unrepresented buyer at 2% total. The lower sticker price wins where it counts — net cash to you.
| Line item | Represented buyer | Unrepresented (2% Direct Sale) |
|---|---|---|
| Gross offer | $2,000,000 | $1,980,000 |
| Brokerage commission | − $70,000 (3.5%) | − $39,600 (2%) |
| County transfer tax ($1.10/$1,000) | − $2,200 | − $2,178 |
| Net before payoff & other costs | $1,927,800 | $1,938,222 |
Result: the unrepresented offer nets roughly $10,400 more despite a $20,000 lower price — because no buyer-broker commission is owed. Neither home crosses San Jose's $2.3M Measure E threshold, so no city transfer tax applies here.
Illustrative example only — not a guarantee of price, net proceeds, or outcome. Excludes mortgage payoffs, title/escrow fees, and credits. Commissions and buyer-side compensation are negotiable.
Single agency — not dual agency
Equitas 2% Direct Sale — exclusive seller agent
- We represent you only. Full fiduciary loyalty, confidentiality, and negotiation advocacy stay with you.
- The buyer is unrepresented. Under California Civil Code § 2079 we owe them honesty, good faith, and disclosure — but no fiduciary loyalty or negotiation guidance.
- We screen for any signed BRBC to confirm the buyer is truly unrepresented and eliminate procuring-cause disputes.
Dual agency — the pitfall we avoid
- One broker representing both sides must stay neutral — no side gets confidential strategy or hard negotiation.
- Your leverage is diluted exactly when it matters most: price and terms.
- The 2% Direct Sale is never dual agency; we never represent the buyer.
How a 2% Direct Sale works
1 · Preparation & pricing
We complete a broker-reviewed valuation, pre-listing prep plan, and a net-proceeds model so you know your true walk-away number before any offer arrives.
2 · Representation screening
When an offer comes in, we verify whether the buyer has signed a Buyer Representation & Broker Compensation Agreement (BRBC). Only a genuinely unrepresented buyer qualifies for the 2% Direct Sale — this protects you from procuring-cause disputes.
3 · Offer facilitation
We present the offer, advise you (and only you) on price and terms, and coordinate disclosures. The buyer handles their own decisions; we provide statutory honesty and disclosure to all parties without advising the buyer.
4 · Escrow defense
We manage the transaction end-to-end: escrow milestones, contingency and loan tracking, title, and closing — the contract and timeline oversight an unrepresented buyer would otherwise lack.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Equitas Homes 2% Direct Sale?
It is a listing arrangement in which your total brokerage commission is 2% of the gross purchase price — a 1% listing fee plus a 1% direct-buyer transaction coordination fee — when the winning buyer is eligible and unrepresented. Equitas represents you, the seller, exclusively. All commissions are negotiable and are not set by law.
Is the 2% Direct Sale dual agency?
No. This is single agency. Equitas Homes represents the seller only; the buyer remains completely unrepresented. We never represent both sides, so our negotiation strategy and confidential advice belong entirely to you. Under California Civil Code § 2079 we owe all parties statutory duties of honesty, good faith, and disclosure, but we owe no fiduciary loyalty or negotiation guidance to the buyer.
Why is it 2% and not just the 1% listing fee?
When a buyer has no agent, our team absorbs the work that a buyer's broker would normally handle: transaction coordination, document preparation and review, lender-milestone tracking, and escrow oversight. The additional 1% covers that direct-buyer coordination and escrow defense. It is still well below a traditional model that can total 5%.
Will I net more from an unrepresented offer?
Often, yes. Because no buyer-broker commission is owed, a slightly lower gross offer from an unrepresented buyer at 2% total commission can leave more net cash in your pocket than a higher gross offer carrying a 2.5% buyer-broker fee. Figures are illustrative; your actual net depends on your payoff, closing costs, and transfer taxes.
How do you make sure the buyer is really unrepresented?
Before applying the 2% structure we screen for any signed Buyer Representation and Broker Compensation Agreement (BRBC) and document the buyer's unrepresented status. This eliminates procuring-cause liabilities and keeps the arrangement compliant.
Which areas does this cover?
Equitas Homes serves Santa Clara County — San Jose (Willow Glen, Almaden Valley, Cambrian, Rose Garden, Silver Creek, Blossom Valley) plus Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell, and Santa Clara. Local closing costs such as the county documentary transfer tax ($1.10 per $1,000) and San Jose's Measure E (on sales of $2.3M and above) are modeled in your net sheet.
See your net proceeds at 1%, 2%, and traditional fees.
Enter your address to compare commission scenarios and estimate what you'd actually keep — free, instant, no obligation.
Questions? Talk with Louis Fong · Broker · CA DRE #01151598