If you sold a house before August 2024, the listing agent’s role was straightforward. You signed a listing agreement, agreed on a commission (usually around 5 to 6 percent total), and your agent split that commission with the buyer’s agent through the MLS. The split was standard, the process was familiar, and most sellers never thought about it twice.
That version of the job changed in August 2024, and most articles about what to expect from a listing agent have not caught up.
What the 2024 settlement actually changed
The NAR settlement made two structural changes to how residential real estate transactions work. First, cooperating buyer-agent compensation can no longer be advertised through the MLS. Second, buyers must now sign a written agreement with their agent before touring homes, specifying what the buyer’s agent will be paid and by whom.
For sellers, the practical effect is this: you and your listing agent now have a conversation about buyer-agent compensation that used to happen automatically in the background. You decide whether to offer anything to the buyer’s agent, how much, and through what mechanism. That decision used to be a default line item in the listing agreement. Now it is a negotiation point in every offer.
This is neither good nor bad. It is different, and the listing agents who have adapted to it are noticeably better to work with than the ones who have not.
What a good listing agent does for you now
Here is what I would expect from a listing agent in 2026, based on four sales across three markets and two sets of rules.
They price the house using real comps, not vibes. A good agent shows you a CMA (comparative market analysis) with specific sold comps, specific adjustments, and a recommended price range. They explain why each comp was included and what they adjusted for. If the CMA is a one-page printout with a circled number, you are looking at a bad CMA.
They have a position on buyer-agent compensation. Post-settlement, a good agent walks you through the options: offer a cooperating commission to attract agents who steer buyers toward listings (see full-service vs discount for the tradeoffs) that include it, offer nothing and let the buyer negotiate their agent’s fee separately, or offer a partial amount and split the difference. Each of these has tradeoffs, and a good agent can articulate them without pushing you toward whichever one is easiest for them.
They handle the listing marketing themselves. Professional photos. A clean, specific MLS description that highlights what matters about your house, not a template with “move-in ready” and “sun-drenched.” Syndication to Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com through the MLS. If your agent is outsourcing the listing description to an assistant who has never seen your house, that is a red flag.
They manage showings and communicate feedback. A good agent tracks who toured, what they said, and whether they are coming back. They relay that information to you within 24 hours of each showing, not in a weekly summary email. After ten days with no offers, they have a plan, not a shrug.
They negotiate from your side. When an offer comes in, a good agent explains what it means, what the buyer is asking for, and where the leverage sits. They do not pressure you to accept because they want the deal to close. They help you evaluate whether the terms are worth it and push back where pushing back makes sense.
They keep their communication channel simple and responsive. One person answers your calls. Not an assistant. Not a rotating team. If the agent you hired is too busy to talk to you during the sale of your house, they took too many listings.
What a listing agent should not do
I have had agents do two of these, and I wish I had known to flag them earlier.
They should not discourage you from interviewing other agents. Any agent who says “you do not need to talk to anyone else” is protecting their close rate, not your outcome.
They should not pressure you on price direction. If you want to list at the top of the comp range, your agent should explain the risk of overpricing honestly and then respect your decision. If they push you to list low so the house sells fast and they can move on to their next listing, they are optimizing their schedule, not your net price.
They should not bundle services you did not ask for. Some agents include staging, photography, and marketing in their commission. Others charge for those separately. Both can be honest arrangements. What is not honest is bundling a $2,200 staging fee into the commission without breaking it out and then telling you the commission is non-negotiable because it includes staging.
They should not wave off the settlement changes. If your agent says “nothing really changed” about the 2024 NAR settlement, they either have not learned the new rules or are hoping you will not ask about them. Either way, it is a bad sign.
The conversation most sellers avoid
The most useful thing a listing agent does is tell you things you do not want to hear. Your price is too high. Your kitchen needs work. Your emotional attachment to the house is going to cost you money. The best agents say this clearly, early, and without apology. The worst agents tell you what you want to hear and then blame the market when the house sits.
Years ago I was the kind of seller who wanted my agent to agree with my price. These days I want my agent to disagree with me early enough that I can adjust before the listing goes live. The version of the relationship where the agent is honest is uncomfortable. The version where they are not is expensive.