Portal economics: what every paid source actually keeps
Side-by-side take-rate math for Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com, and the alternative source-mix.
Last updated May 21, 2026
Every paid source has a take rate. The contracts call it different things—performance fee, connection share, market share program, subscription—but the underlying question is the same: of the gross commission your work produces, how much actually lands in your account at the closing table?
The table below puts the major sources side by side at a single reference sale ($400K). The numbers compound over a year, and the right mix depends on how much of your business comes from sphere and past clients versus paid pipeline. Read the methodology note before drawing conclusions; long-tail effects like exclusivity, allocation opacity, and minimum-spend lock-ins are real but don't fit in a single row.
Zillow Premier Agent (ZPA Flex)[1][2]
- Model
- Performance-based — % of commission
- Cost to agent
- Pay-on-close
- Take rate
- 25–40%
- Net per close (rough)
- ≈$5,500 on a $400K sale at 2.5% buy-side (post-Zillow cut)
- Exclusivity
- Shared with up to 3 agents
- Notes
- Take rate scales with market tier; allocation logic is opaque.
Realtor.com Connection Plus[3]
- Model
- Performance-based — % of commission
- Cost to agent
- Pay-on-close
- Take rate
- 30–40%
- Net per close (rough)
- ≈$5,000 on a $400K sale at 2.5% buy-side
- Exclusivity
- Shared (Connections Plus is a non-exclusive program)
- Notes
- Higher take rate than Zillow on average; lead exclusivity not guaranteed.
Homes.com (CoStar)[4]
- Model
- Subscription
- Cost to agent
- $200–800/mo
- Take rate
- 0% on close
- Net per close (rough)
- Full commission, less the fixed monthly fee
- Exclusivity
- Yours alone (you bought the zip)
- Notes
- Fixed cost regardless of conversion; ROI swings with volume.
Brokerage / portal-free leads (sphere + repeat)
- Model
- Your own pipeline
- Cost to agent
- $0 marginal
- Take rate
- 0% — brokerage split applies
- Net per close (rough)
- Full commission, less brokerage split
- Exclusivity
- 100% yours
- Notes
- Brokerage split still applies; see brokerage-economics for typical ranges.
AgentPik (merit-based match)[5]
- Model
- Per-match fee + commission rebate to buyer
- Cost to agent
- $100 per accepted match
- Take rate
- Effective ≈10% via rebate spread
- Net per close (rough)
- ≈$9,000 on a $400K sale at 2.5% buy-side (post-rebate)
- Exclusivity
- 1:1 once matched
- Notes
- Buyer-facing rebate is funded from the buy-side commission. Match fee is paid on acceptance, not on close.
Opcity / Realtor.com referral[6]
- Model
- Performance-based — referral fee
- Cost to agent
- Pay-on-close
- Take rate
- 30–35%
- Net per close (rough)
- ≈$5,400 on a $400K sale at 2.5% buy-side
- Exclusivity
- Concierge-routed; effectively single-agent per lead
- Notes
- Referral fee deducted at close; concierge dispatch model.
Methodology
Numbers reflect publicly reported take rates as of Q3 2025. Agent net assumes a $400K closed sale at 2.5% buy-side commission. Brokerage split applied per row; portal cut applied after. Where ranges are reported, the midpoint is shown.