Full service vs 1% commission in London, Ontario
On a $600,000 London home, full service with us costs about $15,255 more than a 1% listing brokerage.
You might be worried you would pay that and get nothing back for it. Here is the math, and when the cheaper option is the better one.
The Bottom Line (Quick Answer)
The short answer: on a $600,000 London home, a 1% listing brokerage charges you 1%. What they post to the buyer’s side is their call, not ours — ask before you sign. At 2%, their all-in comes to about $20,340. We cost about $35,595. The gap is about $15,255, or 2.5% of the price. Whether that is worth paying depends entirely on your home. Sometimes it is not, and we will say so.
The math on a $600,000 London home
A 1% listing brokerage
- Listing side, 1% — $6,000
- Buyer’s brokerage — their number, not ours. Ask what they post before you sign.
- If they post 2% — $12,000
- HST on that — $2,340
- Total at 2% — about $20,340
The Ken Small Team
- Launch Retainer, up front — $1,500
- Listing side, 3% — $18,000
- Buyer’s brokerage, 2% — $12,000
- HST — $4,095
- Total — about $35,595
Two things are true of both columns. The buyer-side number is the seller’s call, not the brokerage’s. And every commission in Ontario is negotiable. Discount structures vary, so read what is included before you sign.
Want your own number? Put your price into the Seller Take-Home Calculator.
The only question that matters
The gap is about 2.5% of your sale price. So the question is not the fee. It is whether the marketing brings back more than 2.5%.
If it does, you are ahead. If it does not, you overpaid. Nobody can promise you that outcome in advance, and we will not pretend otherwise.
What we can do is tell you which kind of home yours is.
Where the money goes
“Cheaper” is doing two jobs in that sentence. Cheaper to you, and less money working for you. They are not the same thing, so split them.
On a $600,000 home, before HST:
- A 1% brokerage. $6,000 to the side representing you. $12,000 to the side representing the buyer. Two-thirds of your commission pays the agent whose job is to buy your home for less.
- Us. $18,000 to the side representing you. $12,000 to the buyer side, which is 2% recommended and entirely your call. The larger share sits with the people working for you.
That is arithmetic, not an accusation. There is a fair argument on the other side, too. A higher co-operating fee attracts more agents, more showings and more competition. Paying the buyer side well is not a mistake.
The question is what is left on your side to build demand with. At 1% on a $600,000 home, the listing brokerage has $6,000 gross. That pays for photography, video, paid distribution, staging and everything else. Before the brokerage takes its cut.
Two questions to ask any agent
You do not have to take our word for any of this. Ask whoever you are interviewing, including us.
- How much of my total commission stays on my side of the table? How much goes to the agent representing the buyer?
- What is your marketing budget on my home, as a dollar figure, in writing, before I sign?
Our answers, already published. 3% listing side. 2% recommended to the buyer brokerage, and you set it. A $1,500 Launch Retainer, spent on your home. It pays for a third-party inspection, photography, video, drone and a 1-Year Canadian Home Shield SafeClose™ Warranty. It is not kept as margin. It is all on pricing and fees.
If an agent cannot answer the second question with a number, that is the answer.
When a 1% brokerage is the better choice
Some homes sell themselves. If yours is one of them, paying for demand you already have is waste.
- Your home is in a pocket where buyers are already competing, and it is priced to move.
- You already have a buyer.
- You have the time and the nerve to run showings and negotiate yourself.
- Your equity is tight and the spread matters more to you than the last few thousand.
If that is your situation, hire the discount brokerage. We would rather tell you that than take a listing we cannot improve.
When the gap earns its keep
- Your home has a problem a buyer will fixate on.
- You have a deadline, so a slow listing costs you real money.
- The right price is genuinely uncertain, or the home is unusual.
- Your home needs competition to reach its number.
Those are the homes where marketing changes the result. One extra buyer at the table on a $600,000 home can move the price more than the whole fee gap.
What the gap buys
- 22 platforms and 100+ marketing moves on a single listing, not an MLS entry and a sign. The list is on how we sell.
- Every number in writing before you list — commission, HST, legal, net proceeds. No surprises at the lawyer’s office.
- Your Home Sold Guaranteed, or I’ll Buy It — with every condition published, right below.
- The $1,500 Launch Retainer is not our margin. It funds the launch itself.
The guarantee: the whole deal, in plain English
Your Home Sold Guaranteed, or I’ll Buy It runs on six rules:
- 1You buy your next home from one of our own listings, with Ken working for you. Nothing on our list fits? Tell us. We can look at another home you like.
- 2Your next home is worth the same or more than the one you are selling.
- 3The program runs in London, Ontario, on homes worth up to $500,000. Not rural or country properties. Just outside London, or over that price? Call Ken at (226) 271-1140. We may still be able to do it.
- 4Your guaranteed price is your agreed market value, less 7%, less the standard commission.
- 5Your new home closes 120 days after the guarantee is issued.
- 6A better offer beats the guarantee. If a buyer offers more while your home is listed, that is the one you take.
Nothing is binding until you and the buyer sign an Ontario Form 100, the Agreement of Purchase and Sale. Every guarantee is on our guarantees page.
What London sellers say
★★★★★We sold our home! In the midst of interest increases and market pricing decline, Ken was steadfast in his commitment to sell our home. Ken used multiple outlets, went above and beyond to market our property and counselled us well along the way. In the end, we SOLD, and are beginning our next journey as a family. Thank you Ken!
Kristian W. · Seller · May 2023 · via Google
★★★★★We would 100% recommend Ken Small if you are wanting to sell or purchase a home. After 65 years in the same house, my father and I had a huge task on our hands to clean it out and get it ready to put on the market. We were able to leave most of this with Ken and his team.
We honestly feel we could not have done this without him. He stepped right in and knew what needed to be done. We felt like he was on the same page with us and we had several offers to look at in less than a week. Ken is kind, personable, professional and turned a very stressful situation into a worry-free one for us once he was on the job.
Awesome job Ken, we can’t thank you enough. We second the other reviewer’s opinion that Ken goes above and beyond!
Denise F. · Seller · Aug 2024 · via Google
4.9 average from 14 Google reviews, as shown on our reviews page (October 2026). Read them all on our reviews page.
Common questions about 1% commission in London
Is 1% commission real in London, Ontario?
What does the Ken Small Team charge?
Is real estate commission negotiable in Ontario?
How much more does full service cost on a $600,000 home?
Is a discount brokerage ever the better choice?
Find out which column your home is in
Fifteen minutes with Ken. We will tell you which column your home belongs in — including when the cheaper option is the better one. 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 →