Who Pays Your Buyer's Agent in Cobb County, GA Now?
Who Pays the Buyer's Agent Commission in Georgia Now?
Since January 1, 2025, Georgia buyers have been required to sign a written buyer brokerage agreement before an agent can tour homes with them, and that agreement spells out exactly how the agent gets paid. The seller can still agree to cover some or all of that fee, but it's no longer automatic and it's no longer listed on the MLS. In most Cobb County transactions the seller's side still ends up paying it, but only because the buyer's agent negotiated it into the deal ahead of time, not because it's required.
TL;DR
- Georgia's Form F110 buyer brokerage agreement has been required before touring homes since January 1, 2025, and it must state your agent's exact, dollar-specific compensation.
- Buyer's agent commission is no longer posted on the MLS. Sellers can still offer to cover it, but your agent now has to ask for it in writing before you tour a home.
- If a seller's offer doesn't fully cover your agent's fee, you can usually close the gap with a closing cost credit or a small price adjustment instead of paying cash at closing.
- Relocation buyers moving to Kennesaw, Marietta, or Acworth from California, New York, or Florida are frequently caught off guard, since not every state adopted this the same way.
- On a $364,000 Kennesaw home (the area's recent median), a 2.5 to 3 percent buyer's agent fee runs roughly $9,100 to $10,920, money you want the seller's side covering, not your own funds.
I've been sitting across the table from Cobb County buyers for over 20 years, and this is the first time in my career I've had to explain to someone why they're signing a contract before they've even seen a house. It surprises people every week, especially buyers relocating in from states that haven't handled this the same way. Here's what actually changed, and what it means for your wallet if you're buying in Kennesaw, Marietta, or Acworth right now.
What Changed in Georgia After the NAR Settlement
The National Association of REALTORS settlement that took effect nationally in August 2024 required one specific thing everywhere: a buyer's agent has to have a written agreement with you before showing you a home. Georgia's REALTOR association responded by rolling out a new standard form, the Exclusive Buyer Brokerage Engagement Agreement (Form F110), effective January 1, 2025.
That agreement has to spell out your agent's compensation in a specific, dollar-based way. Open-ended language like "whatever the seller offers" doesn't satisfy the rule anymore. Your agent has to put a real number or percentage in writing, and they can't collect more than that number no matter what the seller ultimately agrees to pay.
The MLS No Longer Shows Buyer Agent Compensation
Before 2024, sellers routinely listed an offer of compensation to buyer's agents right on the MLS listing itself, and it was baked into the process without much conversation. That field is gone. Compensation is now negotiated broker to broker, deal by deal, which means it takes an actual conversation and, usually, paperwork before you ever walk into an open house.
The Paperwork Behind the Scenes: F258 and F259
Georgia agents now lean on two additional forms to make this work smoothly. A Pre-Showing Agreement (Form F258) lets your agent confirm, in writing, that a seller's broker will cover some or all of your agent's compensation before you ever tour that specific home. Once you're under contract, a Buyer Broker Compensation Agreement (Form F259) documents the final, agreed-upon number as an exhibit to your purchase agreement. If you're comparing several homes, don't be surprised if your agent runs this same conversation more than once. Compensation isn't blanket-approved for every listing you might tour, it's confirmed listing by listing.
Who Actually Pays Your Buyer's Agent in Cobb County Right Now
Here's the part that trips people up: the buyer signs the agreement, but the buyer isn't automatically the one paying out of pocket.
In most Cobb County transactions I'm working today, the process looks like this:
- Your agent asks the seller to cover it. Many listing agreements still build in an amount the seller is willing to pay a buyer's agent, because sellers know it helps their home sell. Your agent typically confirms this in writing before you tour, often through a document Georgia agents call a pre-showing agreement.
- If the seller's offer covers your agent's fee, you owe nothing extra. This is still how most Kennesaw, Marietta, and Acworth deals close.
- If the seller's offer falls short, you make up the difference, unless you negotiate it into the purchase price or ask for a closing cost credit that offsets it.
- If there's no seller offer at all, you're responsible for the full fee, which is exactly why nailing down the number in your buyer brokerage agreement before you tour matters.
This is also where a certified appraiser's perspective helps. I've spent two decades putting dollar values on homes, and I tell every buyer the same thing: negotiate your agent's compensation the same way you'd negotiate any other closing cost, as a number that has to make sense against the home's actual value, not as an afterthought at the closing table.
A Real Example in Kennesaw's Market
Say you're buying a $364,000 home in Kennesaw, roughly the area's recent median price. A 2.5 to 3 percent buyer's agent fee runs $9,100 to $10,920. If the seller's offer of compensation covers that in full, it never touches your closing funds. If it covers only 2 percent, you or your agent are negotiating who covers the remaining $1,820 to $3,640, either through a price reduction, a seller-paid closing cost credit, or your own funds. That's a conversation you want to have before you write an offer, not after.
This matters more in today's market than it did a few years ago. With 30-year mortgage rates sitting around 6.66 percent as of late August 2026, most Cobb County buyers are already stretching their budget to qualify. An unplanned $3,000 to $5,000 gap in agent compensation can be the difference between a deal that pencils out and one that doesn't, which is exactly why this conversation belongs at the start of your search, not the week before closing.
| Scenario | What You Pay |
|---|---|
| Seller's offer covers your agent's full fee | Nothing extra out of pocket |
| Seller's offer covers part of the fee | You negotiate the gap into price, credits, or your own funds |
| No seller offer of compensation | You're responsible for the full fee unless you renegotiate |
What This Means If You're Relocating to Kennesaw, Marietta, or Acworth
I work with a lot of buyers moving in from California, New York, and Florida, and this is one of the most common surprises I walk them through. Some other states adopted buyer brokerage agreements differently, or buyers there are used to compensation working itself out quietly in the background. Georgia's version is more explicit, and it happens earlier in the process than most relocation buyers expect.
If you're moving to Marietta from out of state, plan on signing your buyer brokerage agreement during your very first conversation with an agent, often before your first showing tour, virtual or in person. Read it the same way you'd read any contract: know the compensation number, know how long the agreement runs, and know what happens if you buy a home your agent didn't show you.
A full breakdown of what buyers pay at closing in Cobb County is worth reading alongside this one, since agent compensation questions almost always come up in the same conversation as closing costs, prepaids, and Georgia's intangible recording tax.
I had a buyer relocating from Southern California last spring who assumed her agent's pay was simply "handled" the way it had been on her last purchase. In Georgia, it isn't automatic, and we spent our first meeting going through exactly how compensation would work before we ever toured a home. That upfront conversation is what let her write a confident, well-structured offer once she found the right house in Acworth, instead of scrambling to figure out the numbers under deadline pressure.
How to Protect Yourself Before You Sign a Buyer Agreement
A buyer brokerage agreement isn't something to sign on the spot before your first showing. Treat it the way you'd treat any other document that touches your closing costs: read every line, ask what happens in every likely scenario, and get comfortable with the number in writing before you fall in love with a house.
Before you sign anything, ask your agent these questions directly:
- What is my exact compensation rate, in dollars or percentage, and does it change if the seller's offer is lower than that?
- How long does this agreement run, and can I cancel it if the relationship isn't working?
- Is this agreement exclusive to properties you show me, or does it cover any home I decide to buy during the term?
- What happens to my compensation obligation if I buy a for-sale-by-owner home or a new construction home with its own on-site agent?
Every situation is different, and the only way to know exactly what you're signing is to walk through it line by line with someone who negotiates these agreements every week. This is exactly the kind of conversation I have with every buyer before we tour a single home, especially buyers who are new to Georgia's contract process entirely. If you're also weighing how much flexibility you have once you're under contract, it's worth understanding Georgia's due diligence period too, since that's your other major protection as a buyer here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to sign a buyer brokerage agreement before an agent shows me a house in Georgia?
Yes. Since January 1, 2025, Georgia agents are required to have a written buyer brokerage agreement in place before touring homes with you, using GAR's Form F110 or an equivalent agreement. This is a statewide practice change, not something specific to one brokerage.
Can I still get the seller to pay my buyer's agent's commission?
In many cases, yes. Sellers can still agree to cover some or all of a buyer's agent fee, and it remains common across Kennesaw and Cobb County, but it's negotiated directly rather than posted automatically on the MLS. Your agent typically confirms this before you tour a specific home.
What happens if the seller won't pay my buyer's agent's fee?
You can negotiate the gap into your offer, ask for a seller-paid closing cost credit, or pay the difference at closing. This is a normal part of offer strategy now, and it's worth running the numbers before you write an offer on a specific home.
Is this different from how other states handle buyer agent compensation?
The core requirement, a written agreement before touring, applies nationwide as part of the 2024 settlement, but each state's REALTOR association implemented its own forms and specifics. Buyers relocating to Acworth from states with different local practices are often surprised by how early in the process Georgia handles this.
Can I cancel a buyer brokerage agreement if I change my mind about my agent?
Most agreements include terms for how and when you can end the relationship, and a good agent will walk you through those terms before you sign rather than after. You can read more on the buyer process on Path2Sold.com.
Understanding who pays your buyer's agent shouldn't be a surprise you run into halfway through your home search. It's a conversation worth having up front, especially if you're new to Georgia's contract process or comparing offers on more than one home in Marietta. Schedule a consultation with me, Robert Masoudpour, Associate Broker in Atlanta, GA, and I'll walk you through exactly what you'll pay, what the seller is likely to cover, and how to negotiate the rest before you write an offer. Schedule a 15-minute consultation
