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JERSEY LIPERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION
Flat-Fee Brokerage

Jersey Li vs. a Discount or Flat-Fee Brokerage

One Percent Realty publishes 1% to list and 1% to the buyer's agent. Here is what that saves on a Burnaby sale, and what it does not cover.

Bottom Line

On a $1.5M Burnaby sale the published fee gap is about $12,600, which is 0.84% of the price. If strategy moves the price by more than 0.84%, the cheaper fee is not the cheaper outcome.

Jersey Li

Jersey works under the same rules and the same fee law as every BC brokerage: commission is negotiable, there is no standard rate, and the number goes in the listing contract before anything is signed. What is different is the input before the price is set. On a detached Burnaby lot, the decision that moves the most money is usually not the commission line. It is whether the property is priced as a house for a family or as land for a builder under Bill 44, and whether it goes to both buyer pools at once. That call is worth more or less than the fee gap depending on the property, which is why this page shows the math instead of asserting a winner.

Discount and Flat-Fee Brokerages

Discount and flat-fee brokerages charge less than the commission structure most Greater Vancouver brokerages quote, and they are fully licensed. One Percent Realty has operated in British Columbia for over 20 years and its BC site publishes the fee openly: a maximum of 1% to list and 1% offered to the buyer's agent, with a minimum of $9,950 on homes under $500,000. Its listed services include the MLS® listing, showings, open houses, signage and photos, advertising, staging assistance, a market evaluation, and conveyancing. 2 Percent Realty West Coast is a licensed BC brokerage with a Vancouver office at 720-999 West Broadway. Its national site states that all commissions are negotiable and leaves pricing to each office, so there is no single published figure to quote.

In Short

One Percent Realty publishes a fee of a maximum of 1% to list plus 1% offered to the buyer's agent, with a minimum charge of $9,950 on homes under $500,000 in British Columbia. On a $1,500,000 Burnaby sale that is about $31,500 including 5% GST, against about $44,100 using the commonly quoted Greater Vancouver structure of 7% on the first $100,000 and 2.5% on the balance. The gap is roughly $12,600, or about 0.84% of the sale price. Commission in British Columbia is negotiable with every brokerage, including full-service ones, so the real question for a Burnaby seller is whether pricing and negotiation change the final sale price by more than that 0.84%.

Feature Comparison
FactorJersey LiDiscount and Flat-Fee Brokerages
Published listing feeNegotiable and set in the listing contract. Many Greater Vancouver listings use 7% on the first $100,000 and 2.5% on the balance, split with the buyer's brokerage.One Percent Realty BC publishes a maximum of 1% to list, with a $9,950 minimum on homes under $500,000. 2 Percent Realty states all commissions are negotiable and sets pricing per office.
Amount offered to the buyer's agentSet by the seller in the listing contract. Commonly about half of the total commission in Greater Vancouver.One Percent Realty BC publishes 1% offered to the cooperating brokerage. On a $1.5M sale that is $15,000.
Does a lower co-op fee change buyer-agent behaviour?Unknown. BC agents owe their buyer clients a duty to act in the buyer's interest regardless of the co-op amount.Also unknown. This is argued both ways in the industry and there is no Burnaby-specific data either way. Treat it as a question to ask, not a settled fact.
Who does the pricing workJersey builds the comparable-sale analysis, including block-level differences within the same Burnaby neighbourhood, before a number is proposed.One Percent Realty lists a market evaluation among its included services. Depth depends on the individual agent, as it does everywhere.
Land and multiplex positioningCore focus. Frames the lot against Bill 44 small-scale multi-unit rules and markets to builders and end-users at the same time where the lot supports it.Not published as a service offering. Discount brokerages market on price of service, not on land strategy.
MLS® and REALTOR.ca exposureFull MLS® listing through Sutton Group - 1st West Realty.Full MLS® listing. One Percent Realty's BC site lists MLS®, internet exposure, signage, showings, open houses, and advertising as included.
Showings and open housesHandled directly by Jersey.Listed as included by One Percent Realty. Confirm with the individual agent how showings are covered on your listing.
Negotiation of the offerJersey negotiates every offer personally, with no handoff.Included in the service. The agent you sign with is the agent who negotiates.
Fee certainty before listingWritten into the listing contract. Ask for the exact number and the co-op split before signing, with any brokerage.One Percent Realty publishes its structure openly, which makes it easy to compare. 2 Percent Realty pricing must be requested from the local office.
Regulation and consumer protectionLicensed under the Real Estate Services Act, regulated by BCFSA, insured through the standard brokerage errors and omissions coverage.Identical. Both One Percent Realty and 2 Percent Realty West Coast are BCFSA-licensed brokerages with the same legal duties.
Bilingual service, English and MandarinYes, both languages, including contract and strata document walkthroughs.Varies entirely by the individual agent assigned.
Who carries the risk if the price is wrongThe seller does, in both models. A listing that sits and then reduces usually costs more than the whole fee gap.The seller does. This is the reason to compare on pricing method, not only on fee.
Pricing & Value
FactorJersey LiDiscount and Flat-Fee Brokerages
Listing side feeNegotiable, set in the listing contractOne Percent Realty BC: maximum 1% to list (published)
Buyer's agent feeNegotiable, set by the seller in the listing contractOne Percent Realty BC: 1% offered to cooperating brokerages (published)
Minimum chargeNone published; negotiated per listingOne Percent Realty BC: $9,950 minimum on homes under $500,000 (published)
GST on commission5%, applies to the commission on every BC resale5%, identical treatment
2 Percent Realty pricingNot applicableNot published nationally. Their site states all commissions are negotiable and each office sets its own.
Worked Example

What the fee gap is worth on a $1.5M Burnaby sale

Using One Percent Realty's own published BC structure against the commission structure most commonly quoted in Greater Vancouver. Both include 5% GST. Commission is negotiable with every brokerage, so treat the right column as a reference point, not a fixed rate.

LineFull serviceDiscount and Flat-Fee Brokerages
Listing side$7,000 + $35,000 = $42,000 total, split with the buyer's brokerage1% of $1,500,000 = $15,000
Buyer's agent sideIncluded in the $42,000 total above1% of $1,500,000 = $15,000
Commission subtotal$42,000$30,000
GST at 5%$2,100$1,500
Total cost to sell$44,100$31,500
Difference$12,600 more$12,600 less, which is 0.84% of the sale price

0.84% of $1,500,000 is the break-even. If a different pricing and marketing approach lands the sale $12,600 higher, the two paths cost the same. If it lands $40,000 higher, full service is cheaper in net proceeds. If it lands at the same number, the flat fee wins outright. Nobody can promise which happens, so ask both to show their comparable sales and decide on the strength of the argument.

Fit Score

Published fee transparency

/10
Jersey Li
6
Discount and Flat-Fee Brokerages
9

Cost on a simple, easy-to-price sale

/10
Jersey Li
5
Discount and Flat-Fee Brokerages
9

Pricing depth on a hard-to-price property

/10
Jersey Li
9
Discount and Flat-Fee Brokerages
5

Land and multiplex positioning

/10
Jersey Li
9
Discount and Flat-Fee Brokerages
3

MLS® and REALTOR.ca exposure

/10
Jersey Li
8
Discount and Flat-Fee Brokerages
8

Licensing and consumer protection

/10
Jersey Li
8
Discount and Flat-Fee Brokerages
8

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Situation Guide

Which option fits better depends on your specific situation. Use this guide as a starting point, then book a call to apply it to your actual property.

ScenarioJersey LiDiscount and Flat-Fee Brokerages
Condo in a large building with recent comparable sales
Detached Burnaby lot with multiplex or builder interest
Home with no close comparable sale in six months
Seller confident on price who mainly needs MLS® exposure
Property where the right asking price is genuinely arguable
Straightforward townhouse in a known complex

Jersey is a stronger fit when...

  • Detached Burnaby lots where builder demand and family demand set different prices
  • Properties with no clean comparable sale in the last six months
  • Sellers who need the pricing argument built before the listing goes live
  • Multiplex and Bill 44 situations where the buyer pool has to be segmented

Discount and Flat-Fee Brokerages may fit when...

  • A condo in a large building with several recent, closely comparable sales
  • Sellers who are confident on price and mainly need MLS® exposure and paperwork
  • Owners on a tight net-proceeds margin where a few thousand dollars decides the move
  • Anyone who has compared both and finds the published saving worth more than the strategy
Our Verdict

For a straightforward Burnaby condo in a building with recent comparable sales, the pricing question is close to settled by the data and a flat-fee brokerage can be a reasonable, rational choice. The saving is real and it is published. For a detached lot, a duplex-zoned property, or any home where the right price is genuinely arguable, the fee gap of roughly 0.84% is smaller than the range that pricing and negotiation can move. Ask any brokerage you are considering, including this one, to show you the three comparable sales they would price from. If the answer is thin, the fee is not the thing to focus on.

Common Questions

How much does One Percent Realty actually cost in BC?

One Percent Realty's British Columbia site publishes a maximum of 1% to list and 1% offered to the buyer's agent, with a minimum charge of $9,950 on homes under $500,000. On a $1,500,000 sale that works out to $30,000 in commission plus $1,500 GST, so $31,500 in total. Their site also notes that each agent sets their own structure within those caps, so confirm the exact number with the agent before signing.

Is One Percent Realty worth it for a Burnaby home?

It depends on how hard your property is to price. On a $1,500,000 Burnaby sale the published saving against the commonly quoted 7% and 2.5% structure is about $12,600, which is 0.84% of the price. For a condo in a building with several recent comparable sales, that saving is easy money and hard to argue against. For a detached lot where the price could reasonably be argued across a $100,000 range, the fee gap is smaller than the pricing question, so the decision should turn on who makes the stronger pricing argument.

What is the difference between One Percent Realty and 2 Percent Realty?

They are separate, unrelated brokerages. One Percent Realty publishes its BC fee structure openly on its own website: maximum 1% to list, 1% to the buyer's agent, $9,950 minimum under $500,000. 2 Percent Realty West Coast is a BCFSA-licensed brokerage with a Vancouver office at 720-999 West Broadway, and its national website states that all commissions are negotiable, with pricing set by each individual office. Because 2 Percent Realty does not publish a single national figure, ask their local office directly rather than assuming the name is the rate.

Do discount brokerages give you less MLS® exposure?

No. A listing is a listing. Every BCFSA-licensed brokerage submits to the same MLS® System and the listing appears on REALTOR.ca the same way. One Percent Realty's BC site lists MLS®, internet exposure, signage and photos, showings, open houses, and advertising among its included services. If exposure is your only concern, that is not where the models differ.

Does offering a lower commission to the buyer's agent hurt the sale?

There is no Burnaby-specific data that answers this, and it is argued both directions in the industry. What is settled is the legal position: a BC agent representing a buyer owes that buyer a duty to act in the buyer's interest, and that duty does not change with the co-operating commission amount. Treat this as a question to raise with any brokerage you interview rather than a fact either side can prove.

Can I negotiate commission with a full-service agent instead?

Yes. Commission in British Columbia is fully negotiable and there is no standard or legally set rate. Any agent who tells you a rate is standard is misstating the position. If cost is your main concern, the useful first step is to ask a full-service agent what they will do and what they charge, then compare that against the published flat-fee structure with the actual numbers for your price point.

Are flat-fee brokerages regulated the same way?

Yes. One Percent Realty and 2 Percent Realty West Coast are licensed brokerages regulated by the BC Financial Services Authority under the Real Estate Services Act, with the same disclosure duties, the same trust account rules, and the same complaint process as any other brokerage. Choosing a lower fee does not mean giving up consumer protection.

Sources

Every fee, dollar figure, and legal rule on this page comes from the company's own published material or from the regulator. Pricing changes, so check the original before you rely on it.

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