The Co-op-Off Calculator
Sellers pay the buyer-agent commission out of their proceeds. If no buyer agent shows up, that money can be negotiated into the price instead. Here's the math — and the fine print nobody else shows you.
"Will play" = your honest read on the seller accepting a price/credit reduction in exchange for no buyer-agent payout. Default 60% is a middle guess — adjust to your market.
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A · Unrepresented — negotiate it off the price
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B · Flat-fee pro + rebate
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C · Traditional agent
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You keep $0 in cash — you bought full representation at the market rate.
The fine print that matters ⚖️
- You can't collect the commission yourself. In Ontario (TRESA), brokerage remuneration is paid under the seller's listing agreement — a self-represented buyer cannot receive it. What you can do is negotiate the saving into the price or a seller credit.
- It's a negotiation, not a right. Some sellers (and some listing brokers) won't play — outcomes vary by listing agreement, market heat, and how you frame it. That's why the slider exists.
- Fallback that always works: hire flat-fee licensed representation and take the co-op back as a rebate — contractual, no seller cooperation needed where a co-op was offered.
→ Run the whole play, step by step: The Co-op-Off Playbook — the ask, the words, the paperwork.
Sources & assumptions
- Buyer-agent co-op in Ontario: commonly 2.5% (negotiable; TRESA since 2023).
- Path B assumes the seller's listing offered a co-op and we rebate the balance after our flat fee.
- Estimates only — not an appraisal, not advice, not an offer of brokerage services. Every deal differs; that's the point of the slider.
What next?
- New here? Run the Toll Calculator first — it shows what the co-op is worth in context.
- Before you make the ask: score your position with the Leverage Scorer.
- Want the full Terminal? Join the founding-member list — free tools, success fees only, no spam.
Spotted a wrong number? Tell us — corrections jump the queue.