Last reviewed September 30, 2026 by Matthew McMahon.
1% Listing Broker vs Flat Fee in Chicago: What Each Costs
Net Gain Realty is a licensed Illinois brokerage that does the whole listing job for Chicago-metro sellers for a flat $1,995, which costs less than a 1% listing fee on any home that sells above $199,500. The flat fee is hands-off for the seller: Net Gain Realty handles the pricing, photos, MLS listing, showings, negotiation and closing. What a 1% broker’s fee includes is in its agreement. A percentage grows with your sale price. A flat fee does not.
Three terms in plain words. A listing fee is what you pay the broker who lists and sells your home; it is traditionally 2 to 3 percent of the sale price. A 1% listing broker charges a smaller percentage. The MLS is the database agents use to list and find homes; in the Chicago area it is MRED.
Full disclosure before you read on: this page is published by Net Gain Realty, which is one of the options on it. Every competitor figure below comes from that company’s own website, checked September 30, 2026, and each source is listed at the bottom of the page. Prices change; verify current pricing 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.
Is a 1% listing broker or a flat fee cheaper in Chicago?
The sale price decides it. A 1% listing fee equals Net Gain Realty’s flat $1,995 at a sale price of $199,500. Above that price the flat fee costs less, and the gap grows with every dollar of price. Below it, a 1% broker with no minimum costs less.
The listing side on four example Chicago sale prices, at each company’s published rate checked September 30, 2026. The example 2.5% is a traditional listing fee, never a total of both sides.
| Example sale price | 1% listing fee | 1.5% listing fee | 2% listing fee | Example 2.5% listing fee | Net Gain Realty flat fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $400,000 | $4,000 | $6,000 | $8,000 | $10,000 | $1,995 |
| $500,000 | $5,000 | $7,500 | $10,000 | $12,500 | $1,995 |
| $750,000 | $7,500 | $11,250 | $15,000 | $18,750 | $1,995 |
| $1,000,000 | $10,000 | $15,000 | $20,000 | $25,000 | $1,995 |
From a $400,000 home to a $1,000,000 home, a 1% fee grows by $6,000, a 1.5% fee by $9,000, and a 2% fee by $12,000. The flat fee grows by nothing. Every percentage in the table is quoted on the sale price but paid out of your equity at closing; the fee-to-equity ratio shows why the percentage understates what a fee takes from your money.
Who charges what: the Chicago 1% and reduced-percentage options
| Brokerage | Published listing fee, checked September 30, 2026 | Minimum | Fits a seller who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois Discount Realty | 1% | None published; no upfront fee | Is selling below $199,500, or wants a percentage agent at 1% |
| Redfin | 1% if you also buy your next home with Redfin within 365 days of closing; 2% if you only sell | Minimums apply; 1% is not offered in every market | Will buy the next home with Redfin in the same year |
| Enterprise Realty Brokers | 1.5% | Not published on its home page | Wants a Chicago agent at a rate lower than 2 to 3 percent |
| Clever Real Estate | 1.5% (checked September 29, 2026) | $3,000 | Wants a reduced-percentage agent and sells above its $3,000 minimum |
| Net Gain Realty | $1,995 flat | The fee is the fee | Lives in the Chicago metro, sells above $199,500, and wants a broker to do the whole job |
Redfin charges 2% at closing on a listing and then sends a check for the 1% difference after the seller buys the next home with Redfin, per its page checked September 30, 2026. A seller who does not buy with Redfin pays 2%.
When a 1% broker is the right choice
A 1% broker is the right choice in three cases. When your home will sell below $199,500, a 1% fee with no minimum is the lower number. When you plan to buy your next home with Redfin within a year, Redfin’s 1% applies to your sale. And when you are selling outside Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties, Net Gain Realty is not an option and a reduced-percentage agent may be.
What the flat fee includes
For a flat $1,995, Net Gain Realty’s work includes professional photography, a floor plan, pricing from recent closed sales in your neighborhood, the MLS listing on MRED, ShowingTime showing scheduling, offer negotiation, and contract-to-close support through attorney review, inspection, and closing day, handled by the managing broker. There is no percentage at closing and no minimum commission. The seller does not host showings or negotiate with buyers.
What this page does not claim: that a flat fee produces the same sale price, speed, or result as any other option on it. No honest brokerage can promise an outcome. The checkable claim is narrower: the listing work is the full job, and its price is fixed instead of scaling with your home’s value.
How to compare a 1% broker and a flat fee before you sign
The agreement is where the terms live, not the advertisement. Under the practice changes that took effect August 17, 2024, the National Association of Realtors requires listing agreements to disclose in conspicuous language that broker commissions “are not set by law and are fully negotiable.” Then check four things in writing: the fee at your expected sale price in dollars, any minimum, whether the rate depends on buying another home with the same company, and which services are named. If a service is not named in the agreement, treat it as not included.
I believe the question that sorts a 1% broker from a flat fee is the dollar amount at your price, not the percentage on the sign. Multiply 1% by what your home will sell for. If the answer is above $1,995, the flat fee is the smaller number. For the three ways to sell with a realtor without paying 3 percent, see how to sell with a realtor without paying 3% in Chicago.
Net Gain Realty charges a flat fee of $1,995 for listing services in the Chicago metro. Competitor figures are each company’s published pricing as checked September 30, 2026 (Clever Real Estate September 29, 2026), and are subject to change. All comparisons are estimates; actual costs depend on your transaction and the rates 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 a 1% listing broker or a flat-fee broker cheaper in Chicago?
It depends on the sale price. Net Gain Realty, a licensed Illinois brokerage, charges a flat $1,995 for full-service listing in the Chicago metro, so a 1% listing fee costs more on any home that sells above $199,500 and less below it. On an example $500,000 home, a 1% listing fee is $5,000, a 1.5% listing fee is $7,500, and Net Gain Realty's fee is $1,995. The gap grows with the price, because a percentage grows and a flat fee does not. Commission rates are not set by law and are fully negotiable; buyer-agent compensation is separate in every case.
Who offers a 1% listing fee in Chicago?
At each company's published pricing checked September 30, 2026: Illinois Discount Realty advertises a full-service 1% listing commission with no upfront fee and no minimum. Redfin charges 1% only if you also buy your next home with Redfin within 365 days of closing, and 2% if you only sell, with minimums. Enterprise Realty Brokers' website lists a 1.5% listing fee, and Clever Real Estate publishes 1.5% with a $3,000 minimum. A 1% broker with no minimum is the lower number on a home that sells below $199,500. Net Gain Realty is the flat-fee option: $1,995 for the whole listing job, with no percentage at closing.
Is a flat-fee broker full service like a 1% broker?
Yes, when the flat fee covers the whole listing job, and that is the thing to check in writing. Net Gain Realty's $1,995 includes professional photography, a floor plan, pricing from recent closed sales, the MLS listing on MRED (the Chicago-area MLS), ShowingTime showing scheduling, offer negotiation, and contract-to-close support, handled by the managing broker. The seller does not run showings or negotiate. What a 1% broker's fee includes is in its agreement. A flat-fee MLS entry listing, which puts a home in the MLS and leaves the rest to the seller, is a different product.
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
- Illinois Discount Realty, Chicago full-service 1% listings: 1% listing commission, no upfront fee, no minimum fee; buyer-agent commission separate (accessed 2026-09-30)
- Enterprise Realty Brokers, full service Chicago Realtor: 1.5% listing fee (accessed 2026-09-30)
- Redfin, how you save: 1% listing fee only if you also buy with Redfin within 365 days of closing, 2% if you just sell with Redfin; 'We will charge a 2% listing fee, then send you a check for the 1% difference after you buy your next home with us'; minimums apply; 1% not available in all markets (accessed 2026-09-30)
- Clever Real Estate, published listing fee: 1.5% with a $3,000 minimum (accessed 2026-09-29)
- 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 2026-09-29)
Ready to keep more of your equity?
Full service. Flat fee. You do the math.
Same MLS exposure. Same professional photography. Same expert negotiation. The only difference is how much you keep.