Discount Utah Real Estate Agents - Seller Education

Do Discount Agents Sell Homes for Less? The Data

DiscountAgent.com Blog • Seller Education

By Aaron Peters • Broker / Owner, DiscountAgent.com • August 2026

Updated: August 2026 • 12 min read

“Sure, I’d save $10,000 on commission. But what if the house sells for $20,000 less?”

This is the objection that actually stops Utah sellers — not doubts about service, but the fear that a cheaper listing agent produces a cheaper sale. It is a reasonable worry. If it were true, the savings would be an illusion.

So rather than assert an answer, this article looks at what the research found, where the concern turns out to be legitimate, and three of my own recent Utah closings — including the one that took fifty days and closed under asking.

One finding runs against my…

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Who Actually Pays Realtor Fees in Utah? (2026 Guide)

DiscountAgent.com Blog • Buyer & Seller Education

By Aaron Peters • Broker / Owner, DiscountAgent.com • August 2026

Updated: August 2026 • 12 min read

The Short Answer

In most Utah home sales, the seller still pays both agents — but it is now a choice, not a default.

The money comes out of the seller’s proceeds at closing, split between the two brokerages, and the buyer rarely writes a check for it. What changed in August 2024 is that the seller’s contribution to the buyer’s agent is negotiated case by case instead of published in the MLS. And the buyer now signs an agreement stating what their agent is owed — which means they see the number for the first time.

This is the most confused question…

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Should Sellers Offer a Buyer Agent Commission? (2026)

DiscountAgent.com Blog • Seller Education

By Aaron Peters • Broker / Owner, DiscountAgent.com • August 2026

Updated: August 2026 • 13 min read

This is the single most common question I get from Utah sellers now: “Do I still have to pay the buyer’s agent?”

The short answer is no. You have never been legally required to, and since the 2024 NAR settlement it is explicitly negotiable and can no longer be published in the MLS. Any compensation you offer has to be communicated outside the MLS.

The useful answer is more complicated, and it contains a trap. Sellers who reflexively offer zero often end up paying more than sellers who set a number up front — and some lose qualified buyers entirely without ever knowing it…

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Locked Into a 3% Mortgage? The Real Math on Moving

DiscountAgent.com Blog • Seller Education

By Aaron Peters • Broker / Owner, DiscountAgent.com • August 2026

Updated: August 2026 • 13 min read

You refinanced into a 2.9% mortgage in 2021. Your family has outgrown the house. And every time you run the numbers on moving, the payment increase stops you cold.

You are not imagining it, and you are not alone. Surveys published in 2026 found that more than a third of homeowners with a rate under 6% say they would not give it up under any circumstances, and roughly 47% say they simply could not afford today’s borrowing costs. More than 40% say rates would have to fall below 4% before they would even consider selling.

This article runs the actual math on four Utah…

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Salt Lake County Market Report 2024 | 1.5% Listing & 50% Cash Back

DiscountAgent.com Blog • Market Data

By Aaron Peters • Broker / Owner, DiscountAgent.com • July 2026

Full-year 2024 data • Source: Wasatch Front Regional MLS • 12 min read

About this report: This is a retrospective analysis of the full 2024 calendar year, published in 2026 using complete, finalized Wasatch Front Regional MLS data. Because every month has closed and settled, the figures below are final rather than preliminary — unlike in-progress reports published during an active year. For current market data, see the 2026 report, updated quarterly.

Salt Lake County recorded 11,909 closed residential sales in 2024, generating roughly $7.55…

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Real Estate Junk Fees: What They Are & How to Avoid Them

DiscountAgent.com Blog • Seller Education

By Aaron Peters • Broker / Owner, DiscountAgent.com • July 2026

Updated: July 2026 • 13 min read

You already know real estate commissions are expensive. What most people do not know is that a growing number of brokerages tack on a separate charge on top of the commission — typically $400 to $600, sometimes more than $1,000 — and often disclose it late in the process, when you have the least leverage to refuse.

A report released in July 2026 by the Consumer Policy Center, a Washington, D.C. consumer watchdog group, estimates these charges could cost American home buyers and sellers close to $2 billion a year. The report is titled “Junk Fees Charged to Both Home Sellers…

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Salt Lake County Market Report 2026: Home Prices, Sales & Trends

DiscountAgent.com Blog • Market Data

By Aaron Peters • Broker / Owner, DiscountAgent.com • July 2026

Source: Wasatch Front Regional MLS (WFRMLS) • Updated quarterly • Q2 2026 data added July 2026 • Next update: October 2026

Salt Lake County’s housing market accelerated through the first half of 2026. A combined 5,996 residential properties sold in Q1 and Q2—generating nearly $4 billion in transaction volume. The median single-family home reached $655,000 in June, and homes are selling in under a month. Median days on market dropped sharply from January to March, sale-to-list ratios climbed toward 98%–99%, and the spring selling season arrived right on schedule.

For the full prior-year picture, see our 2025 Salt…

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Salt Lake County 2025 Market Report | Low Commission & 50% Cash Back

DiscountAgent.com Blog · Market Data

Published May 17, 2026 · By Aaron Peters, Broker / Owner · 11 min read

11,810 homes sold in Salt Lake County in 2025 totaling approximately $7.74 billion in volume. The full-year median single-family sold price was about $625,500 and average days on market was 51. Below is the complete 2025 market breakdown by quarter and property type, sourced from the Wasatch Front Regional MLS, with side-by-side low commission savings math for sellers and cash back math for buyers.

Salt Lake County · 2025 Annual

2025 At A Glance

Total Sales

11,810

Total Volume

$7.74B

SF Median

$625,500

SF Avg DOM

51 days

Source: Wasatch Front…

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8 Ways to Save $10K+ Selling Your Utah Home (2026 Guide)

DiscountAgent.com Blog • Seller Education

By Aaron Peters • Broker / Owner, DiscountAgent.com • May 2026

Updated: May 2026 • 11 min read

Selling a home in Utah doesn’t have to cost you $30,000+ in fees. The average total commission in Utah is 5.71%, which means a seller with a $600,000 home pays roughly $34,260 in agent fees alone. Add in closing costs, and you’re looking at $40,000–$50,000 coming off your equity.

But most of that is negotiable, avoidable, or reducible—if you know where to look. In this guide, I’ll walk you through 8 proven ways to save $10,000 or more when selling your Utah home. These aren’t theoretical—they’re strategies I’ve used with clients along the Wasatch Front since 2006. Ranked from…

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Are Open Houses Worth It? Before & After the NAR Settlement (2026 Data)

DiscountAgent.com Blog • Seller Education

By Aaron Peters • Broker / Owner, DiscountAgent.com • May 2026

Updated: May 2026 • 13 min read

Here’s my honest take after 20 years of selling homes in Utah: open houses used to be mostly a waste of time. Now, after the NAR settlement, I hold them on every listing. That’s a complete 180—and I’m going to tell you exactly why.

The old open house model was an agent prospecting tool dressed up as a seller benefit. Only 3%–5% of buyers ever found their home through one. Your agent would sit in your house on a Sunday afternoon, collect names and phone numbers, and use those contacts to build their business—not sell your home. It worked great for agents. Not so much for you.

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