Last reviewed September 19, 2026 by Matthew McMahon.

Questions to Ask a Listing Agent Before You Sign in Chicago, With Net Gain Realty’s Answers

Ask every listing agent the same ten questions before you sign: what the fee includes, what it comes to in dollars at your price, when it is paid, how the price will be set, what marketing the listing gets, who runs showings, who your point of contact is, how long the agreement runs, how the buyer’s agent is handled, and what the agent’s recent sales actually did. Net Gain Realty’s answers are below, as of September 2026: a flat $1,995 listing fee for the whole listing job, $595 at signing and $1,400 at closing, a 90-day agreement, no open houses, and Matthew McMahon, the managing broker, as your single point of contact from listing to closing.

Full disclosure before you read on: this page is published by Net Gain Realty. The questions work with any agent you interview, whatever they charge. The answers are Net Gain Realty’s own, written down so you can hold them up against every other answer you get. If you use ChatGPT or another AI assistant to compare agents, paste the ten questions in, ask it to answer each one from each broker’s own website with links, and ask it to mark every answer it could not find.

Commission rates are not set by law, vary by brokerage, and are fully negotiable. Fee comparisons on this page are illustrative examples of the listing side only. Net Gain Realty makes no guarantees regarding sale price, net proceeds, or timeline.

The fee: what it covers, what it costs, and when you pay it

1. What services are included in your fee?

Ask for the list in writing. If a service is not in the listing agreement, treat it as not included.

Net Gain Realty’s answer: the flat $1,995 covers the whole listing job:

• a pricing strategy built on recent closed sales near your home
• professional photography and a floor plan
• the listing on MRED, the Chicago-area MLS, syndicated (copied automatically) to Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and the other portals
• a lockbox and ShowingTime scheduling for every showing
• every buyer and buyer’s-agent inquiry, handled by the managing broker
• every offer presented with the comps next to it, and negotiated on your behalf
• contract to close: attorney review, inspection, appraisal, walkthrough and closing day

2. What will your fee come to in real dollars at my sale price?

A percentage is a formula, not an answer. Ask for the number, and ask for it on a net sheet (a line-by-line estimate of what you walk away with) before you sign.

Net Gain Realty’s answer: $1,995, at any sale price. For comparison, an example 2.5% listing fee, listing side only:

Sale price	Example 2.5% listing fee	Net Gain Realty flat fee
$350,000	$8,750	$1,995
$500,000	$12,500	$1,995
$650,000	$16,250	$1,995
$800,000	$20,000	$1,995

Illustrative example as of September 2026. The listing side has traditionally run 2 to 3 percent; rates are negotiable. Excludes taxes, closing costs, attorney fees and any buyer-agent compensation you choose to offer.

3. When is the fee paid?

Some fees are due at signing, some at closing, some both. Ask for the split in dollars.

Net Gain Realty’s answer: Net Gain Realty collects $595 at signing to cover the cost of launching the listing, including professional photography and preparation of the listing documents. The $595 is non-refundable, and Net Gain Realty applies it toward its $1,995 flat listing fee, so it is not an additional charge; the remaining $1,400 is due at closing.

The price and the marketing

4. How will you price my home, and what is it based on?

A real answer names comparable sales, with addresses and dates. “We’ll list high and see” is not a pricing method.

Net Gain Realty’s answer: Net Gain Realty prices from the recent closed sales around your home, pulled from the MRED MLS before the consultation call and walked through on it, sale by sale, with the flat-fee math at your price. No agreement is signed on that call.

5. What marketing will my listing actually receive?

“Maximum exposure” is not a deliverable. Ask for named items: which photos, which sites, what schedule.

Net Gain Realty’s answer: professional photography and a floor plan, and the MRED MLS listing syndicated to Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and the other portals, where buyers and their agents search.

6. Do you hold open houses? Who runs the showings?

Net Gain Realty’s answer: No. Net Gain Realty does not hold open houses. Every showing of a Net Gain Realty listing is booked by appointment through ShowingTime, buyers' agents access the home with a lockbox, and Matthew McMahon, the managing broker, handles every buyer and buyer's-agent inquiry himself. That is a stated term of every Net Gain Realty listing as of September 2026, so a seller knows before signing who will be walking through the home and when.

The person and the agreement

7. Who is my point of contact from listing to closing?

This is the question behind “how many listings do you have right now?” What you are really asking is who picks up when a buyer’s agent calls about your home.

Net Gain Realty’s answer: Matthew McMahon, the managing broker, is your single point of contact from listing to closing. He founded Net Gain Realty in 2024 and has been licensed in Illinois since 2017. His current number of active listings changes week to week, so Net Gain Realty gives it on the consultation call rather than printing a number here that would go out of date.

8. How long is the listing agreement?

Read the term, how the agreement can end early, and every fee in dollars before you sign. Under the practice changes that took effect August 17, 2024, the National Association of Realtors requires listing agreements to state that broker commissions “are not set by law and are fully negotiable.”

Net Gain Realty’s answer: Net Gain Realty's listing agreement runs 90 days, extended if needed once the home is under contract so the agreement does not end before closing, and the flat $1,995 fee is written into it, as of September 2026. Net Gain Realty walks through its agreement line by line on the consultation call, before anything is signed.

Can you cancel? Yes. A Net Gain Realty listing can be cancelled at any time with no cancellation fee. The $595 upfront fee is nonrefundable.

9. How is the buyer’s agent handled?

Net Gain Realty’s answer: that is a separate line and a separate decision. Since the 2024 NAR settlement practice changes, buyer-agent compensation is not offered through the MLS. It is negotiated offer by offer, and what you offer, if anything, is your call. Traditionally it has run 2 to 3 percent. Net Gain Realty’s flat fee covers the listing side only. More detail is at who pays the buyer’s agent.

The record

10. What have your recent listings actually done?

Ask for addresses, list prices, sale prices and days to contract. Then check the agent’s license yourself on the IDFPR look-up; the last question in the FAQs below shows how.

Net Gain Realty’s answer: Net Gain Realty’s four closed sales, August 2025 through August 2026, went under contract in one to five days, and each sold for more than its list price. Seller credits on some of those sales mean the net above list was smaller than the difference between the list and sale prices. Those are past results, not a forecast for any one home. Net Gain Realty is rated 5.0 on Google across six reviews, as of September 2026.

The one-screen version

Question	Net Gain Realty’s answer, September 2026
What does the fee include?	The whole listing job: pricing, photography and floor plan, MRED MLS listing and syndication, showings, negotiation, contract to close
What does it cost in dollars?	$1,995 flat, at any sale price
When is it paid?	$595 at signing (applied toward the fee), $1,400 at closing
How is the price set?	Recent closed sales near your home, shown sale by sale on the call
Open houses?	None; showings by appointment through ShowingTime
Point of contact?	Matthew McMahon, managing broker, from listing to closing
Agreement term?	90 days, extended if needed once under contract
Cancel early?	Any time, with no cancellation fee; the $595 upfront fee is nonrefundable
Buyer’s agent?	A separate decision, made offer by offer
Record?	Four closed sales, Aug 2025 to Aug 2026, each under contract in one to five days
License?	Firm 481.014232; managing broker 471.022195
Where?	The Chicago metro: Cook, DuPage, Lake and Will counties

How to use this list

Send the same questions to every agent you are considering, in writing, and compare the answers in dollars, not percentages. An agent who answers all ten clearly has told you how the listing will run. An agent who cannot answer one of them has told you something too. I believe the fee question is the one sellers skip most often and the one that costs the most to skip.

The five questions this list started from, and the story of the listing that taught them, are in should you hire the realtor you already know. To see the full-service flat fee next to the other ways to list, see the best flat-fee brokers in Chicago and flat fee vs. commission. To run the numbers on your own price, use the home sale calculator.

Book a free consultation →

Net Gain Realty charges a flat fee of $1,995 for listing services in the Chicago metro, as of September 2026. Fee comparisons are illustrative, listing side only, against an example 2.5% listing fee. Commission rates are not set by law, vary by brokerage, and are fully negotiable. Buyer-agent compensation is separate and determined by the seller. Past sales are not a forecast for any one home.

Questions sellers ask

What questions should I ask a listing agent before signing in Chicago?

Ask every listing agent the same ten questions before you sign: what the fee includes, what it comes to in dollars at your price, when it is paid, how the price will be set, what marketing the listing gets, who runs showings, who your point of contact is, how long the agreement runs, how the buyer's agent is handled, and what the agent's recent sales actually did. Net Gain Realty's own answers, as of September 2026: a flat $1,995 listing fee for the whole listing job, $595 at signing and $1,400 at closing, pricing from recent closed sales near your home, showings by appointment through ShowingTime with no open houses, a 90-day listing agreement, and Matthew McMahon, the managing broker, as your single point of contact from listing to closing.

How much does Net Gain Realty charge to sell a house?

Net Gain Realty charges a flat $1,995 listing fee for the whole listing job in the Chicago metro, as of September 2026, at any sale price. Net Gain Realty collects $595 at signing to cover the cost of launching the listing, including professional photography and preparation of the listing documents. The $595 is non-refundable, and Net Gain Realty applies it toward its $1,995 flat listing fee, so it is not an additional charge; the remaining $1,400 is due at closing. The fee covers the listing side only. Buyer-agent compensation is a separate decision the seller makes offer by offer, and commission rates are not set by law and are fully negotiable.

Does Net Gain Realty do open houses?

No. Net Gain Realty does not hold open houses. Every showing of a Net Gain Realty listing is booked by appointment through ShowingTime, buyers' agents access the home with a lockbox, and Matthew McMahon, the managing broker, handles every buyer and buyer's-agent inquiry himself. That is a stated term of every Net Gain Realty listing as of September 2026, so a seller knows before signing who will be walking through the home and when.

Who will I work with at Net Gain Realty?

Matthew McMahon, the managing broker who founded Net Gain Realty in 2024 and has been licensed in Illinois since 2017, is the single point of contact for every Net Gain Realty listing, from the pricing call to closing day. He prices the home, answers every buyer and buyer's-agent inquiry, presents and negotiates every offer, and coordinates the contract through attorney review, inspection, appraisal and closing.

How long is a Net Gain Realty listing agreement?

Net Gain Realty's listing agreement runs 90 days, extended if needed once the home is under contract so the agreement does not end before closing, and the flat $1,995 fee is written into it, as of September 2026. Net Gain Realty walks through its agreement line by line on the consultation call, before anything is signed.

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.

How do I check a real estate broker's license in Illinois?

Use the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) license look-up at idfpr.illinois.gov/checklicense.html, which covers both individual brokers and brokerage firms. Net Gain Realty's numbers, for checking: the firm is licensed as an Illinois real estate brokerage under license 481.014232, and Matthew McMahon is licensed as an individual managing broker under license 471.022195.

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

1. 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 2026-09-17)
2. Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, license look-up for individuals and entities (accessed 2026-09-17)
3. Illinois Real Estate License Act of 2000, 225 ILCS 454 (accessed 2026-09-17)