Do Jonesboro Sellers Still Pay the Buyer's Agent?

If you are getting ready to sell in Jonesboro, you have probably heard that "the rules changed" on who pays the buyer's agent. You heard right, and it is one of the first questions we get at the listing table.

The short version: you are no longer expected by default to cover the buyer's agent. It is now a decision you make on purpose, line by line. At NEA Realtor Group, Trenton Hoggard and Tim Ray walk every seller through that decision before anything gets signed, because it affects both your bottom line and how many buyers show up to your door.

Here is what actually changed, what stayed the same, and how to think about it when you are selling your Jonesboro home this year.

What Actually Changed in 2024

In August 2024, new real estate practice changes took effect nationwide as part of the National Association of Realtors settlement. Two changes matter most for sellers:

• Offers of compensation are no longer posted on the MLS. Before the change, a seller's listing typically advertised an amount being offered to the buyer's agent right inside the MLS. That is gone. Any compensation you choose to offer is now handled off the MLS.
• Buyers now sign written agreements with their agent. Before touring homes, a buyer working with an agent generally signs a buyer representation agreement that spells out how that agent gets paid. That moves the conversation about buyer-side fees into the open.

You can read the specifics straight from the source in the NAR settlement FAQs. The key takeaway for you as a seller: nothing forces you to pay the buyer's agent, and nothing stops you from offering to either. It is a choice.

So Do You Still Have to Pay It?

No. In Jonesboro, paying the buyer's agent is optional. You decide whether to offer compensation, how much, and how it shows up in the deal.

You generally have a few paths:

• Offer to cover some or all of the buyer's agent fee. You signal this off the MLS, and it gets written into the contract once you are under agreement.
• Offer nothing toward the buyer's agent. The buyer then pays their own agent directly, based on the agreement they already signed.
• Stay flexible and let it come up in the offer. Many buyers now ask the seller to cover their agent's fee as a term of the offer, similar to asking for help with closing costs.

There is no "standard" amount and no rate set by law or by any board. Commissions have always been, and still are, fully negotiable between you and the agents involved. According to NAR's own guidance for buyers and sellers, compensation is negotiable in every transaction.

Why Many Jonesboro Sellers Still Offer to Cover It

If it is optional, why do so many sellers still offer something? Because it can widen the pool of buyers who can comfortably afford your home.

Here is the practical issue. A buyer's cash is usually tied up in their down payment and closing costs. If that buyer also has to pay their agent out of pocket, their effective budget shrinks. By offering to cover the buyer's agent, you remove a cost that might otherwise push a qualified buyer toward a different listing.

National tracking of closed sales has found that average buyer-agent compensation has not dropped in a meaningful way since the 2024 changes. In other words, the option to pay nothing exists, but a lot of sellers are still choosing to offer something because it keeps their home competitive.

Jonesboro is a steady, mid-priced market where buyers are active but cost conscious. As of spring 2026, the average home value here sits around the mid $220,000s, up modestly year over year, and homes are selling in roughly 77 days on average, faster than a year ago, based on Redfin's Jonesboro market data. In a market like this, anything that makes your listing easier for a buyer to say yes to is worth weighing carefully.

How Much Is It, and What Does the Listing Side Pay For?

Two separate questions get tangled together here, so let's split them.

The buyer's agent fee

This is whatever you and the buyer's side agree to, if anything. It can be a percentage of the price or a flat dollar amount. It is negotiable, and it should be put in writing in the contract so there are no surprises at closing. When buyers ask you to cover it, it often works much like seller concessions, a term negotiated into the offer rather than a fixed line item you owe by default.

Your own listing-side representation

Separate from the buyer's side, you agree to a commission with your own listing agent. That fee covers the work of getting your home sold for the most money the market will support. For us, that includes:

• Pricing your home using recent local comparable sales. In Jonesboro and the surrounding Northeast Arkansas towns, we often pull comps from the last 90 to 180 days because sales volume is lower than in a big metro, so a wider window gives a truer picture.
• Professional marketing, photography, and online syndication so your home reaches buyers everywhere they look.
• A dedicated direct mail campaign for your listing, which we send for every home we represent, to reach local buyers and neighbors who may know someone looking.
• Negotiating offers, managing inspections and appraisal issues, and keeping the deal on track to closing.

All of this is negotiable too, and it is worth understanding before you sign. We cover it in plain language at the listing appointment so you know exactly what you are agreeing to.

How to Decide What to Offer

There is no single right answer. The smart move is to decide on purpose, with your agent, based on your home and your goals. A few things we weigh with Jonesboro sellers:

• Your price point. At entry-level and mid prices, where buyer budgets are tight, offering to cover the buyer's agent can meaningfully widen demand. At higher prices, buyers may have more flexibility.
• How buyers in your range are financing. Buyers using VA, FHA, or USDA loans often have limited cash, so seller help with their agent's fee or closing costs can be the difference between an offer and a pass.
• Your competition. If similar homes nearby are offering to cover the buyer's agent and you are not, your listing can look more expensive to a buyer even at the same price.
• Your timeline. If you need to sell quickly, removing friction for buyers usually helps. If you have time and a home buyers want, you have more room to hold firm.

The point is that this is now a strategy decision, not an automatic cost. Handled well, it can protect your net proceeds while still keeping your home in front of every buyer who might want it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the buyer's agent commission required by law in Arkansas?

No. There is no law in Arkansas, and no rule from any real estate board, that requires a seller to pay the buyer's agent or that sets the amount. Compensation is negotiable in every deal, and you decide whether to offer it at all.

Q: If I don't offer to cover the buyer's agent, will buyers still see my Jonesboro home?

Yes. Your home still appears in the MLS and on the major search sites regardless of what you offer. What can change is affordability for some buyers, since a buyer who must pay their own agent has less cash for everything else. That is why it is worth discussing rather than ignoring.

Q: Can the buyer's agent fee be rolled into seller concessions?

Often, yes. Many buyers now request seller help with their agent's compensation as a negotiated term of the offer, similar to asking for help with closing costs. Your agent can structure it so the numbers work for both sides and stay within any loan limits on seller contributions.