What it costs to buy a home with us.
You pay us $495 to start, and no commission out of your pocket. Our 3% is paid from the seller’s side of the deal. If a seller offers our brokerage less than 3%, you do not pay the difference.
You might be worried about a fee you did not see coming at closing. So here is every dollar, before you sign anything.
The Bottom Line (Quick Answer)
- Buying with the Ken Small Real Estate Team in London, Ontario costs a $495 retainer to start.
- Our commission is 3%, paid from the seller’s side of the deal, not by you.
- If a seller offers less than 3%, you do not pay the difference. Your other closing costs are listed below.
The short version
- You pay $495 to start. It stays with us if you walk away, and you keep everything it produced.
- Our fee is paid from the seller’s proceeds at closing. Those proceeds come from the price you paid.
- Beyond our fee, you pay a few closing costs, like land transfer tax, a lawyer and title insurance.
What does it cost to buy with us?
Here is exactly what a buyer pays to work with us, in plain numbers.
It is all spelled out in your Buyer Representation Agreement — plain language, before you sign.
In September 2026, the City of London’s average price was $591,927 (LSTAR). On that price, or any other, your commission out of pocket is $0.
Why is there a $495 retainer?
It pays for work that starts before you walk through a single door. The off-market hunt. The price read. The Offer Confidence Brief that tells you what a home is worth and where your walk-away line is. That work gets done whether you buy or not.
So you pay it up front, and it stays with us if you walk away. You keep everything it produced. You are hiring a team to protect your money, not a door-opener who waits for you to send links.
Second, our Love Your New Home Guaranteed or I’ll Sell It For Free. If within 24 months it isn’t right, we list it for free: 0% listing-side commission. That applies when you buy your next home with us, one of equal or greater value. You remain responsible for the buyer’s agency fee. See the guarantees →
Our commission — and who pays it
Our fee is 3% of the purchase price. Here is what that means for you.
Each seller decides what they offer the buyer’s brokerage. Commissions in Ontario are always negotiable. Before you write an offer, we tell you that seller’s number. If it is less than 3%, you do not pay the difference. That promise is written into your Buyer Representation Agreement.
Who pays our fee when you buy?
We will go one step further than “it costs you nothing,” because the step matters.
You do not write us a commission cheque. That is true. Our fee is paid from the seller’s proceeds at closing.
But those proceeds come from the price you paid. The money moves through a deal you funded. Calling it free is not quite honest. Pretending otherwise is how buyers stop caring what their agent does.
So here is the useful version. The fee is real money inside your transaction. You should care what it buys.
Ours buys you four things. A read on what the home is worth, before you offer. The problems caught early. A negotiation run on comparable sales, not hope. And a warranty and a guarantee behind the purchase. All of it is listed here.
It also matters at the table. Commissions are negotiable. What a seller offers the buyer side changes what they net. Knowing that is leverage in a negotiation. We tell you the number on every home before you write.
What other closing costs do buyers pay?
Beyond our fee, every buyer has a few closing costs. Here they are, in plain sight.
Government numbers are fixed. The rest depend on your price and your lender. See every line worked out in what it costs to buy a house in London.
What makes buying costs go up or down?
Our $495 retainer is flat — the same for every buyer, whatever your price range. Everything else on a purchase is a lever. You see what each one does before you sign.
Ready to start the search?
Fifteen minutes with Ken, no obligation.
What do you sign before we work for you?
You sign a Buyer Representation Agreement before we start. It sets our 3%, the $495 retainer and what happens if a seller offers less. You can still fire us any time before you make an offer. Nothing further is owed.
Who this is not for
If you want an agent who opens doors and stays quiet, we’re probably not your team. We push back on a bad house. We run the numbers out loud. And we will talk you out of a home that is wrong for you. If you want a yes-man to the deal, someone else will take that job.
What do London buyers say about working with us?
★★★★★All the way from the start of the house search, Ken was there to help at every step. From setting up search criteria that exactly met our needs, to getting viewings scheduled, to providing honest feedback about the properties (which is often rare for most agents); Ken went above and beyond our expectations. 10/10 experience with Ken.
J H · Buyer · Apr 2023 · via Google
4.9 average from 14 Google reviews, as shown on our reviews page (October 2026). Read every review, word for word.
The honest takeaway
You pay zero commission out of your pocket, and you are never blindsided at closing.
Common questions about buyer costs in London
Do home buyers pay commission in Ontario?
Is the $495 retainer refundable?
Who pays the agent fees in Ontario, the buyer or the seller?
What closing costs do buyers pay in Ontario?
Can I cancel my Buyer Representation Agreement with you?
Can you negotiate a buyer agent’s commission in Ontario?
Ready to see what you can buy?
Start with a 15-minute call. No pressure, no obligation.
About Ken Small
Ken Small, REALTOR®, has been a real estate agent in London since 2003. He leads the Ken Small Real Estate Team at Century 21 First Canadian Corp., Brokerage. The office is at 420 York Street, London, ON N6B 1R1. RECO #4727293. Meet the team →