Commission: how to state it and how to defend it

When to state it

Early. At the first meeting, before you have praised the property.

Brokers delay the question meaning to demonstrate value first. The effect is the reverse: the client waits for the number through the whole conversation, does not listen to anything being said, and finally hears it with the sense that it was being hidden.

Said at the start, calmly and with a one-line explanation, the number passes as part of the terms. Said at the end, it passes as a demand.

Percentage or sum

"Three percent" sounds small. "Five thousand four hundred euro" sounds large. They are the same thing.

Which one to say depends on what comes next. If a list of work follows immediately, the sum is stronger — it gets compared against specific things. If there is no such list, the percentage is safer, but then the problem is not the number.

Whichever you choose, also say what it does not cover. Notary fees, tax, mortgage valuation. A client who learns about them later reads it as a hidden markup, even when you never owed them.

How to defend it

Not by explaining why so much, but by listing what happens in return.

Photos, publication to named portals, a reply to every enquiry, accompanying every viewing, checking the documents, coordinating with the notary, the negotiation. Written out, that is fifteen items, and the client sees why it is not "putting up an advert".

That list is not invented before the meeting if every viewing, call and document sent stays in the property history — then it comes out ready.

The strongest argument, though, is a different one: what the owner loses without you. A property sold 5% below market costs more than the commission. That is not a threat, it is arithmetic — and it is done with the numbers of their own property.

When they ask for a discount

"Others charge two percent." The answer is not to drop to two.

What works is asking what those two percent include, and saying what yours include. If it really is the same, then you are expensive. Usually it is not the same.

And one calculation worth doing before you concede: discounts travel. The broker market in one town is small and clients talk. Given once, it comes back at the next ten conversations as an expectation.

Better to give something else — professional photos, a digital magazine, a report — than the percentage. The first costs less and shows more.

Frequently asked questions

What commission is normal in Bulgaria?

Typically between 2 and 3 percent of the sale price, with some agencies splitting it between the two sides and others charging one side only. There is no statutory rate — there is market practice, and it differs by city.

Is commission charged to the buyer too?

It depends on the agency’s practice and on the contract. What matters is that both sides know in advance who pays what — misunderstandings here break deals at the last moment.

When does the commission fall due?

Usually on signing the preliminary contract or at completion, according to the agreement. Put it in writing explicitly, because it is the single most common dispute between agency and client.