How the NAR Settlement Is Changing Closing Costs for Ohio Homebuyers

If you have started house hunting in Ohio recently, you may have noticed something new: your agent asked you to sign a written agreement before showing you a single property. That is not a coincidence - it is one of several lasting changes triggered by a landmark national settlement that continues to reshape how real estate commissions work in Ohio and across the country.

What Changed After the NAR Settlement

In March 2024, the National Association of Realtors settled a series of antitrust lawsuits for $418 million, agreeing to two major practice changes that took effect that August. First, offers of compensation from a seller's agent to a buyer's agent can no longer be advertised on the Multiple Listing Service. Second, buyers must sign a written buyer-broker agreement before an agent can tour homes with them, and that agreement must spell out exactly how much the agent is paid and by whom.

Ohio's Own Law Reinforces the Change

Ohio followed up with House Bill 466, which wrote similar requirements directly into state real estate licensing law. Under HB 466, a licensee must enter into a written agency agreement with a buyer before marketing or showing a seller's property, making an offer on the buyer's behalf, or negotiating a long-term lease. Every agreement must include a conspicuous statement that commissions are not set by law, are fully negotiable, and may be paid by the seller, buyer, or a third party.

What This Means for Your Closing Costs

The practical effect is that buyer agent compensation is no longer automatic. Sellers are not required to pay a buyer's agent, which means that cost can shift toward the buyer unless it is negotiated as part of the deal. In practice, Ohio's average total commission has settled around 5.7 to 5.9 percent of the sale price in 2026 - close to pre-settlement levels - but exactly who pays which portion is now a matter of negotiation rather than convention.

• The seller agrees to cover some or all of the buyer's agent fee as a negotiated concession, often built into the purchase offer

• The buyer pays their agent directly, according to the terms spelled out in their signed buyer agency agreement

• Buyer and seller negotiate a split, such as a partial seller concession combined with a smaller buyer-paid amount

Tips for Ohio Homebuyers Preparing to Close

• Read your buyer agency agreement closely before signing, and ask exactly what you owe if the seller does not offer to cover your agent's fee

• Ask your agent to clarify whether the agreement is exclusive or nonexclusive and what the cancellation terms are

• Build a potential buyer agent fee into your overall closing cost budget, alongside title insurance, escrow fees, and transfer taxes

• Loop in your title company early - reviewing your closing disclosure together well before closing day helps avoid last-minute surprises

Commission structures may be changing, but the fundamentals of a smooth closing have not: clear communication, an early start, and a title company that walks you through every line item on your

settlement statement. American Homeland Title is here to help make sure nothing about your closing costs catches you off guard.