When the National Association of Realtors reached its settlement in 2024, many buyers expected buyer-agent fees to become more competitive.

A new April 2026 report from the Consumer Federation of America and National Urban League suggests that has not happened much. The report surveyed 223 housing counselors across 37 states who work directly with first-time and lower-income buyers. Only 7% said commissions had decreased compared with a year ago. Another 66% said their clients never, rarely, or only sometimes negotiate their agent’s fee.

Key takeaways

• Only 7% of housing counselors said buyer-agent fees had decreased compared with a year ago.

• 66% said their clients never, rarely, or only sometimes negotiate their agent’s fee.

• EZ helps give buyers better ways to negotiate, with more visibility into competing offers and flexibility in fee structure.

What the NAR Settlement Was Supposed to Change for Buyers

Before the settlement, sellers usually paid both sides of the commission.

After the rules changed, buyers were supposed to have a clearer view of who was paying which side and more room to negotiate directly with their own agent. If that happened, buyer-agent fees should have become more competitive.

According to this survey, buyers still are not negotiating much.

The report also says sellers are covering the buyer’s agent commission less often than before. It also says purchases are not commonly falling apart just because buyers cannot afford that fee at closing.

So the settlement changed who is more often expected to deal with this cost, but it has not created much real fee competition for buyers.

Why Buyer-Agent Fees Still Haven’t Dropped Much

Most buyers still aren’t negotiating on fees.

The report also notes that some agents may still be communicating about commissions outside the MLS. If that is happening, it helps explain why the rules changed on paper, but many transactions are still being done as they were before the settlement.

Why First-Time Buyers Still Feel More Cost Pressure Than Relief

Buyer-agent fees aren’t the only problem first-time buyers are facing.

Housing counselors still pointed to the same day-to-day hurdles: saving for a down payment (88%), finding a house that meets a buyer’s needs (73%), paying out-of-pocket costs, and building up credit.

So even if buyer-agent fees became more competitive tomorrow, first-time buyers would still be dealing with expensive homes, limited inventory, and strong (and often hidden) competition.

How EZ Helps Buyers Negotiate and Structure a More Affordable Offer

The report points to two related problems: buyers still are not negotiating much, and buyers are still under real cost pressure.

EZ helps with both.

On an EZ listing, you can see what offer(s) you’re competing against before you decide whether to improve your offer, hold where you are, or walk away.

You can get also get in the running by submitting a simple addendum and offer amount instead of writing a fully drafter offer, only to find out later you were never close.

If a new buyer steps in, or another buyer stops competing, you can see that and make your next move accordingly.

In a blind multiple-offer situation, buyers are often filling in the gaps yourself. They may offer more than they needed to because they cannot see what they are actually up against. Other buyers lose a house over a small difference because nobody showed them what it would have taken to make a winning offer.

It’s difficult to negotiate in the dark.

Even worse, it’s difficult to negotiate when fee and payment structures are limited.

EZ gives buyers and sellers more ways to negotiate and come together and make a deal work. This is because EZ offers a buyer premium feature. Buyers can increase affordability and make stronger offers using the EZ premium.

Buyers, sellers, and agents have more room to work through fees, commissions, concessions, closing costs, cash to close, monthly payment affordability, or buying down the interest rate. Best of all? The EZ Buyer Premium can be financed as part of the purchase sale agreement price.

That flexibility can make a deal possible when a buyer likes the house but the payment is the issue, when cash to close would otherwise be lost to paying a buyer agent through a traditional commission structure, or when the gap between what the buyer can do and what the seller needs just needs a little creativity.

Instead of relying only on a higher offer number, buyers have a creative negotiation tool when use EZ. And that means, with EZ, home affordability can be made a reality for more buyers (and buyers don’t have to give up their agent!)

See Also: Looking for Concessions? Here’s how a Buyer Premium can help.

Why a Transparent Offer Process Helps Buyers Negotiate Terms

Buyers should be able to see what they are responding to before deciding whether to keep pushing.

They should be able to find the listing publicly, understand how the offer is structured, see when a new buyer steps in or another buyer stops competing, and decide whether to make another offer, hold where they are, or step away.

That gives buyers more room to negotiate on purpose instead of playing highest-and-best guessing games.

It does not solve the affordability crisis. It does remove some of the blind guessing buyers are usually left with in the offer process.

See How a Transparent Offer Process Works

Search Homes on EZ → Listings

Learn How Buying Works → Buy on EZ

Explore EZ Real Estate Platform Reviews → Reviews

Related reading: Private Listings 2026: How hidden homes are making it harder for first-time buyers

Note: The opinions, suggestions, and recommendations in this article are for informational purposes only and do not constitute agency or legal advice.