Washington Realtors: What Commission Costs by City
Median prices and real commission costs for eleven Washington cities, from Spokane at $375,556 to Bellevue above $1.5M, plus the flat-fee alternative.
Realtors in Washington: What They Cost, City by City
Washington's average total commission runs about 5.90% of the sale price, split roughly 2.75% to the listing side and the rest to the buyer's agent. That percentage is the same in Spokane as it is in Bellevue. The bill is not.
On a $375,556 home in Spokane, 5.90% is $22,158. On a $1,549,157 home in Bellevue, the identical percentage is $91,400. The listing agent's work does not differ by a factor of four between those two houses, which is the whole argument for paying a fixed fee instead.
What a sale costs in each city
Median sale prices below are from Redfin, three months ending June 2026. The traditional column applies 5.90%. The Wayber column is our $749 Basic listing fee plus a 2.5% buyer's agent commission, which a seller still pays separately in either scenario.
| City | Median sale price | Traditional at 5.9% | Wayber Basic + buyer agent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellevue | $1,549,157 | $91,400 | $39,478 | $51,922 |
| Redmond | $1,324,279 | $78,132 | $33,856 | $44,276 |
| Seattle | $889,516 | $52,481 | $22,987 | $29,494 |
| Renton | $669,636 | $39,509 | $17,490 | $22,019 |
| Kent | $654,644 | $38,624 | $17,115 | $21,509 |
| Bellingham | $629,937 | $37,166 | $16,497 | $20,669 |
| Everett | $594,676 | $35,086 | $15,616 | $19,470 |
| Tacoma | $499,728 | $29,484 | $13,242 | $16,242 |
| Vancouver | $489,728 | $28,894 | $12,992 | $15,902 |
| Spokane Valley | $441,031 | $26,021 | $11,775 | $14,246 |
| Spokane | $375,556 | $22,158 | $10,138 | $12,020 |
Washington is not one market
Two things vary by city in ways that matter before you list.
Which MLS covers you. Most of western Washington runs on the Northwest MLS. Spokane and Spokane Valley do not: they are served by the Spokane Association of REALTORS MLS. Clark County, which includes Vancouver, is primarily served by RMLS, the Portland metro system, with NWMLS also active there. Any brokerage that tells you Washington is one MLS is oversimplifying, and it is a fair question to ask before you sign a listing agreement.
How fast homes move. Tacoma and Everett are running an 8-day median. Vancouver is at 24. That difference changes how much preparation is worth doing before you list and how quickly you need to be ready to respond to an offer.
What the listing side actually buys
Roughly 2.75% of your sale price pays for the listing side: getting the home on the MLS, photography, marketing, showings, offer handling and coordination through closing. Wayber unbundles that.
- Basic, $249 up front plus $500 at closing. Your home on the MLS, syndicated to Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com, and you handle the rest.
- Full Service, $395 up front plus $4,600 at closing. Professional photography, 3D tour, open houses, negotiation and offer management.
- Premium, $2,500 up front plus $9,500 at closing. Everything above plus drone work, staging consultation and a dedicated agent.
In all three cases the buyer's agent commission is separate and still yours to negotiate, which has been explicitly negotiable since the 2024 NAR settlement.
When a full-commission agent is the better call
If your property is unusual, if you are selling an estate or handling a divorce, or if you simply have no capacity to manage showings and paperwork, a traditional agent earning a full percentage may be worth every dollar. The flat-fee argument is strongest on a straightforward sale in a market where homes move quickly, which describes most of the cities above but not every house in them.
Pick your city
Each page below has the local median, the local commission math and the MLS that covers it.
- Everett · Tacoma · Bellingham · Vancouver
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