What you need to know
Don offers 2% combined commission plus GST, with 1% allocated to each brokerage. You receive full listing service, professional marketing and negotiation from a Calgary Realtor with 650+ homes sold.
What does Don’s 2% commission include?
Don’s fee is 2% combined commission: 1% for the listing brokerage and 1% for the buyer’s brokerage, plus GST. That includes pricing advice, professional photography, MLS® exposure, showing coordination and negotiation through the sale.
Don has sold more than 650 Calgary-area homes using this business model and has worked in Calgary real estate since 2013. His experience helps you put the price, preparation and negotiation decisions together.
The combined fee matters when you compare quotes. Ask for the total commission, how it is shared between brokerages, and the GST amount. That gives you one complete number to use in your selling budget.
How much are Realtor fees on a $700,000 Calgary home?
At a $700,000 sale price, 2% is $14,000. GST on that commission is $700, making the commission payment $14,700. The 7%/3% comparison works out to $7,000 on the first $100,000 plus $18,000 on the remaining $600,000: $25,000 before GST.
That is $11,000 less commission before GST, or $11,550 less including GST. The calculation uses the same sale price for both fee models. Your mortgage payout, legal bill and moving costs are separate.
| Sale price | 7%/3% example | Don’s 2% | You keep more |
|---|---|---|---|
| $400,000 | $16,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 |
| $500,000 | $19,000 | $10,000 | $9,000 |
| $700,000 | $25,000 | $14,000 | $11,000 |
| $900,000 | $31,000 | $18,000 | $13,000 |
| $1,200,000 | $40,000 | $24,000 | $16,000 |
The 7%/3% figure is a comparison structure, not a compulsory Calgary rate. Real estate commissions are negotiable. If a different buyer-brokerage amount is agreed, Don explains the effect on the total before you commit.RECA: Home Seller’s Guide, service agreements
The service behind the fee.
- Price: compare relevant sold homes, competing listings and your property’s condition.
- Prepare: prioritize the changes buyers will notice and plan professional photography.
- Launch: publish accurate MLS® details and present the home clearly online.
- Respond: coordinate showings, discuss feedback and adjust the plan when needed.
- Negotiate: review price, deposit, conditions, inclusions and possession together.
- Close: keep track of condition deadlines and coordinate next steps with your lawyer.
Before signing, discuss your property’s preparation needs and the marketing assets that suit it. A vacant condo, an occupied family home and a larger luxury property need different presentation choices. The responsibility for pricing, communication and negotiation stays clear throughout.
Compare proposals on the same terms.
Use the same expected sale price when asking agents for an estimate. Then record the combined commission, GST, included marketing, optional expenses, agreement length and cancellation terms. A low headline fee is only useful when you understand the full cost and work.
Ask who handles showings, how feedback is shared and what happens when an offer arrives. You should know who will discuss a low offer, inspection request or possession-date conflict with you.
Don’s process connects the asking price with the homes buyers can choose today. Recent sales explain what people have paid; active listings show what your home must compete against now. Those two views inform the launch price and the negotiation plan.
Put your savings into the moving budget.
Lower commission leaves more room for the next down payment, debt repayment, moving costs or cash reserves. Start with the likely sale price, subtract the full selling costs and lender payout, then work out what is available for your next move.
For example, a seller comparing two otherwise identical budgets can carry the $11,550 commission-and-GST difference directly into the amount left after the sale. A change in selling price or other expenses changes that outcome, so use your own property numbers in the Calgary commission calculator.
Your questions, answered.
Is 2% only the listing agent’s fee?
No. Don’s advertised 2% is the combined commission: 1% listing brokerage and 1% buyer brokerage, plus GST.
Does lower commission mean less MLS® exposure?
Your home is listed on MLS® with professional presentation. Don also handles pricing, showing coordination, offer negotiation and guidance through conditions and closing.
When is the commission paid?
The sale agreement and brokerage agreement set the payment terms. In a completed sale, the lawyer normally accounts for the commission through the closing process. Don explains the agreement before you list.
Sources and further reading
Research checked September 26, 2026. Market figures below use the periods identified in the article.