Last reviewed October 1, 2026 by Matthew McMahon.
Circle One Realty vs Net Gain Realty: What Each Flat Fee Includes
Circle One Realty and Net Gain Realty both charge a flat fee with no percentage at closing for the listing, but they sell different jobs: Circle One sells MLS listing packages for homes from $295 to $495 ($145 for vacant land) where the seller runs the sale with broker support, and Net Gain Realty does the whole listing job for a flat $1,995. Both companies’ terms below come from their own published pages, checked October 1, 2026.
Full disclosure: this page is published by Net Gain Realty, one of the two companies on it. Every Circle One Realty figure and quote comes from circleonerealty.com, checked October 1, 2026, and each source is listed at the bottom of the page. Prices and terms change; verify them with each company before signing anything.
All figures on this page are estimates for informational purposes. Commission rates are not set by law, vary by brokerage, and are fully negotiable. Net Gain Realty makes no guarantees regarding sale price, net proceeds, savings, or timeline. Buyer-agent compensation is separate and decided by the seller offer by offer.
Who does the work
The question that separates these two flat fees is not the price. It is who runs the sale after the listing goes live.
| The job | Circle One Realty (published terms, checked October 1, 2026) | Net Gain Realty |
|---|---|---|
| Fee and when it is paid | $145 to $495 per package, plus any add-ons, paid at order | $1,995 flat: $595 at signing, $1,400 at closing |
| Percentage at closing for the listing | None stated | None |
| MLS listing on MRED | Yes | Yes |
| Buyer leads and inquiries | ”All buyer leads go directly to you!” | Handled by the broker |
| Showings | The seller schedules them, or buys the $85 appointment scheduling and feedback add-on (included in Elite) | ShowingTime scheduling, run by the broker |
| Pricing | ”Circle One Realty can help price your home accurately” | Pricing from recent closed sales in your neighborhood, by the broker |
| Offers | ”We review all offers with you, help you counter, and manage all your real estate paperwork” | The broker negotiates the offers |
| Contract to close | Paperwork support | Attorney review, inspection and closing coordinated by the broker |
| Professional photography | Included in Classic and Elite; $175 add-on otherwise | Included, with a floor plan |
| Listing agreement | Exclusive Agency: “our clients retain the right to sell ‘by owner’”; “Cancel at anytime for any reason. No Fee!“ | 90-day term, cancel anytime |
| Area | Illinois MRED counties | Chicago metro: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties |
Circle One’s Chicago page describes its service as a way to “save money while being in full control of the selling process.” That is the product for a seller who wants that control.
What each one costs
Circle One Realty’s order page, checked October 1, 2026:
| Circle One package | Price | Term | What the order page includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLS Entry | $145 | 3 months | Vacant land, 1 photo |
| MLS Basic | $295 | 6 months | 25 photos, yard sign |
| MLS Classic | $495 | 12 months | 25 photos, yard sign, lockbox, professional photography |
| MLS Elite | $495 | Until sold | Yard sign, lockbox, professional photography, appointment scheduling and feedback |
Circle One’s Chicago page shows a lockbox, a photographer and showing scheduling on its tier cards; its order page, where the package is bought, includes them only in the packages listed above and sells them as add-ons on the others. Read the order page before you buy. A $295 Basic package with the lockbox ($45), photography ($175) and scheduling ($85) add-ons comes to $600.
Net Gain Realty’s fee is one number for the whole job: $1,995 flat, with no add-on menu, no percentage at closing, and no minimum commission.
So on price alone, Circle One costs less: its home packages run $295 to $495, or $600 for Basic with the three add-ons, against $1,995. What the difference buys is the work in the table above: someone else pricing the home, answering the buyer agents, running the showings, and negotiating the offers.
When Circle One Realty is the better choice
I believe the honest answer here is that Circle One fits some sellers better than Net Gain Realty does:
- You have sold a home before, know your local market, and want to run the showings and talk to buyer agents yourself.
- You want to keep the right to sell “by owner,” which an Exclusive Agency listing allows.
- Your home is outside the Chicago metro, where Net Gain Realty does not list.
- You are selling vacant land, which is what Circle One’s $145 package is built for.
When Net Gain Realty is the better choice
- You want a broker to price the home, run the showings, answer every buyer agent, and negotiate the offers, without paying a percentage of your sale price for it.
- You live in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake or Will county.
What this page does not claim: that either company produces a better sale price, a faster sale, or a better result. No honest brokerage can promise an outcome. The checkable difference is narrower: who does the work, and what the work costs.
How to compare any flat fee before you sign
A flat fee tells you the price, not the job. Under the practice changes that took effect August 17, 2024, the National Association of Realtors requires listing agreements to disclose that broker commissions “are not set by law and are fully negotiable.” Then check four things in writing: who sets the list price, who schedules and attends the showings, who receives the buyer inquiries, and who negotiates the offers. If a service is not named in the agreement or the order page, treat it as not included.
For more flat-fee options in the city, see the best flat-fee brokers in Chicago, and for the other kinds of alternative, see Houzeo alternatives in Chicago.
Net Gain Realty charges a flat fee of $1,995 for listing services in the Chicago metro. Circle One Realty figures and quotes are from its published pages as checked October 1, 2026, and are subject to change. All comparisons are estimates; actual costs depend on your transaction and the terms you negotiate. Commission rates are not set by law, vary by brokerage, and are fully negotiable. Buyer-agent compensation is separate and determined by the seller.
Questions sellers ask
Is Circle One Realty or Net Gain Realty better for selling a house in Chicago?
It depends on who you want doing the work. Circle One Realty sells MLS listing packages for homes from $295 to $495 ($145 for vacant land), paid at order, where in its own words the seller is in full control of the selling process: buyer leads go directly to the seller, and the seller schedules showings unless they buy Circle One's $85 scheduling add-on (included in its Elite package), per its published pages checked October 1, 2026. Net Gain Realty, a licensed Illinois brokerage, does the whole listing job for a flat $1,995 in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties: pricing, professional photography, the MLS listing, ShowingTime showing scheduling, offer negotiation, and contract-to-close support. Neither charges a percentage at closing for the listing. If you want to run the sale yourself, Circle One costs less; if you want a broker to run it, the comparison is Net Gain Realty's flat fee against a percentage.
Is Circle One Realty a full-service flat-fee brokerage?
Circle One Realty is a flat-fee brokerage, and its packages put your home on the MLS with broker support: its pages say it reviews offers with you, helps you counter, and manages the paperwork. Its own pages also say the seller is in full control of the selling process, that all buyer leads go directly to the seller, and that the seller schedules showings or buys its $85 appointment scheduling service, which is included only in the Elite package, per circleonerealty.com checked October 1, 2026. Its listings use an Exclusive Agency Agreement, under which the seller keeps the right to sell by owner. Whether that counts as full service is a judgment; the published terms are the facts to compare.
How much does Circle One Realty cost in Chicago?
Circle One Realty's order page, checked October 1, 2026, lists four packages paid at order: MLS Entry at $145 (vacant land, 3 months), MLS Basic at $295 (6 months), MLS Classic at $495 (12 months, with lockbox and professional photography), and MLS Elite at $495 (until sold, with lockbox, photography and appointment scheduling). Add-ons include a $45 lockbox, $175 professional photography, and $85 appointment scheduling and feedback. A $295 Basic package with those three add-ons comes to $600. Circle One states no listing-side percentage at closing. The seller sets any buyer-agent compensation separately, as with any brokerage. Verify current pricing with Circle One before signing.
Does Net Gain Realty work outside the Chicago metro like Circle One Realty?
No. Net Gain Realty lists homes in the city of Chicago and the suburbs in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties, as a licensed Illinois brokerage (license #481.014232). Circle One Realty's site, checked October 1, 2026, says it lists homes across Illinois MRED counties. For a home outside the Chicago metro, Circle One is one of the options; inside it, the comparison is who does the work and what it costs.
Will my home sell for less with a flat fee listing?
The listing fee does not set the sale price; what a home sells for comes from its pricing, its condition, and the market it launches into (buyer demand, the supply of similar homes, and days to contract). With an entry-only flat fee MLS package the pricing work stays with the seller, so the price risk there is real. Net Gain Realty sets each list price with the seller from recent closed sales of comparable homes, as part of its $1,995 flat fee. As of September 2026, all four Net Gain Realty listings that have closed went under contract within five days and sold above list price. Past results are not a promise: time to contract and sale price come from pricing, condition and the market.
Can I cancel a Net Gain Realty listing if I change my mind?
Yes. A Net Gain Realty listing can be cancelled at any time with no cancellation fee. The $595 upfront fee is nonrefundable.
Disclosures
- Commission rates are not set by law and are fully negotiable. Comparisons on this page use an example 2.5 percent listing-side fee for illustration; actual rates vary by brokerage and transaction.
- All dollar figures are estimates or labeled examples from the stated inputs and dated MLS data. Past sales are not a promise about any home.
- Net Gain Realty charges a flat $1,995 listing fee for full-service representation. Buyer-agent compensation is separate and decided offer by offer.
Sources
- Circle One Realty, packages and order form: $145 MLS Entry (vacant land), $295 MLS Basic, $495 MLS Classic, $495 MLS Elite; add-ons including $85 appointment scheduling and feedback, $45 lockbox, $175 professional photography (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Circle One Realty, how it works: seller schedules showings and receives buyer leads; cancel at any time; seller sets the buyer-agent commission (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Circle One Realty, Chicago flat fee MLS page: 'in full control of the selling process'; offers reviewed with the seller (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Circle One Realty, about us: Exclusive Agency Agreement, seller retains the right to sell by owner (accessed 2026-10-01)
- National Association of Realtors, settlement FAQs: practice changes effective August 17, 2024, conspicuous disclosure that compensation is not set by law and is fully negotiable (accessed 2026-10-01)
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