How Realtors Get Paid In Ottawa

The Breakdown.

Author

Cale Botha
March 20, 2025

Being a realtor is WAY harder than most people think. In fact, about 50% of agents don’t sell a single home each year. As of 2024, there were over 4,000 REALTORS® in Ottawa, so the competition is fierce. But after putting in the work over the years, I’m proud to be in the top 15% of realtors in terms of transactions.

Here’s How I Personally Get Paid for Selling a Property:

1. Listing Presentation:

I start with a custom listing presentation specific to your home, which usually takes 2–3 hours to prepare.

2. Meeting the Homeowners:

Once we meet, I spend at least 1 hour getting to know you, understanding your needs, and sharing my unique approach to selling, which has guaranteed the sale of 100% of the homes I’ve ever listed.

3. Decision to Work Together:

If you decide to hire me, the real work begins: listing your property, negotiating offers, handling paperwork, and communicating with lawyers, lenders, and others.

Commission and Expenses Breakdown:

Let’s say your home sells for $600,000 with a 2% commission. That’s $12,000 in commission. However, I give 30% of that to my brokerage, leaving me with $8,400. On top of that, my expenses for each transaction (photos, videos, staging, marketing, etc.) usually run between $1,000 and $1,500. After covering those expenses, my take-home pay would be about $7,400. If I spent 7 hours working on the sale, that works out to around $1,057 per hour.

Are we overpaid?

Absolutely not. Excellent realtors can charge more for a very good reason. Good realtors work hard to protect you, handle negotiations, and ensure everything runs smoothly. Seriously, what’s the cost to you if your agent doesn’t protect you? Lawsuits, lawyer fees, misrepresentation, and more. A good real estate agent will provide you with comfort and confidence when transitioning from one place to another. 

Want to avoid any risks?

Respond to this email to schedule a no-pressure, zero-hassle home sale consultation—whether you’re buying or selling—to catch and address any potential issues before they become a financial burden.

Thank you!

Thank you for reading this week’s edition of my newsletter. I look forward to consistently bringing you helpful Realestate insights and being your one-stop shop for anything real estate.

Best regards,

Cale

Our Fresh New Listings!

Featured Properties | EXIT Realty Matrix, Brokerage

Buy & Sell Real Estate with EXIT Realty Matrix, Brokerage

Recently SOLD By Cale

<Cale Botha> is committed to protecting your privacy and providing a safe online experience for both you and all of our other visitors alike while offering a high-quality user experience on our website. We know that you care how the information you provide to us is used. We have developed our Privacy Policy to inform you of our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of Information we receive from users of the Website. We own & operate the Website. This Privacy Policy, along with our Terms & Conditions, governs your use of this site. By using our site, or by accepting the Terms of Use (via opt-in, checkbox, pop-up, or clicking an email link confirming the same), you agree to be bound by our terms and this Privacy Policy. If you have provided personal, billing or other voluntarily provided information, you may access, review, and make changes to it via instructions found on the Website or by emailing us at <[email protected]>. To manage your receipt of marketing and non-transactional communications, you may unsubscribe by clicking the "unsubscribe" link located at the bottom of any related email from us. Emails related to the purchase or delivery of orders are provided automatically – Customers are not able to opt out of transactional emails. We will try to accommodate any requests related to the management of Personal Information in a timely manner. However, it is not always possible to completely remove or modify information in our databases (for example, if we have an obligation to keep it for certain timeframes, for example). The type of information we collect: The personal information that we collect is limited to the information that you provide when you enter your information/fill out a questionnaire on a website that is hosted by us. This information may consist of your name, email address, phone number(s), and questions you answered. If you contact us by telephone using a phone number that we have provided, we may collect the phone number, time/length of the call, and any voicemail messages you may leave for them. Your phone call(s) may also be recorded for quality assurance or training purposes, in the event that your call is recorded, you may be notified prior to the phone conversation. Your consent to the terms of this privacy policy: If you do not agree to these Terms of Use or the Privacy Policy posted on the website, please do not use this site or any services offered by this site. We reserve the right to make changes to this privacy policy. Please check back from time to time to ensure you are aware of any updates or changes in this policy. Your use of our site indicates acceptance of our privacy policy.