Buying From a Colorado Home Builder? Keep Half the Realtor Commission
Most production builders pay a buyer’s agent. We give you half of that back at closing. The catch is that nearly all of them require your agent to be registered before you ever walk in, and the rules are different for every builder.
Which Colorado builders pay a buyer’s agent?
Almost all of the large ones do, in most of their communities. None of them publish the percentage. What they do publish is how you qualify, and those rules are where the money is actually won or lost.
| Builder | Must your agent come on your first visit? | Registration good for | Amount published? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond American | No. You can tour on your own once you’re registered | 30 days | No |
| Lennar | Yes, including self-guided and virtual tours | 60 days | No |
| Shea Homes | Yes, separately at every community | 90 days | No |
| Trumark Homes | Yes, in person | 90 days | No |
Based on each builder’s own published broker policy, read on September 30, 2026.
Pro tip: the buydown and the rebate are not an either/or
Buyers assume they have to pick one. They don’t. A builder’s rate buydown is a seller concession paid out of the sale proceeds. Our commission is a cost of sale the builder has already budgeted. They come off different lines, so taking the financing incentive does not reduce what comes back to you, and taking the rebate does not disqualify you from the buydown. Ask about both, in that order, and get the answer in writing before you sign.
Builder guides
Lennar22 Colorado communities from the $330s. Everything’s Included pricing, and a warranty that is shorter in Colorado than elsewhere.
Shea HomesThree south-metro master plans from the $670s. Registration is required separately at each community.
Trumark HomesTen neighborhoods from the $490s to $2.6M. Smaller builder, Daiwa House owned, strongest published rate buydowns right now.
Sources: the table above is built from each builder’s own published broker policy — Richmond American, Lennar, Shea Homes and Trumark Homes. Read September 30, 2026. We re-check these before every client visit rather than relying on what is on this page.
Builder rules change. We’ll confirm before you go.
Registration requirements and commission terms change often, builders don’t always publish the current version, and what’s on these pages may already be out of date. Treat it as a starting point, not a guarantee. Call us before you visit any sales office and we’ll contact the builder directly and confirm their current policy for you. No cost, no commitment.
The one rule that costs buyers the most money
Three of the four builders above void the commission entirely if you visit a community before your agent is registered and present. Not reduce it. Void it.
It is worth being blunt about what that means, because it does not feel like a consequential decision at the time. You are driving past a model home on a Saturday. You stop in to look. You give them your email. Six weeks later you decide to buy there, and the money that would have come back to you is gone, because a sales office logged your name before an agent did.
There is no retroactive fix and no appeal. The builders are consistent about this and they enforce it.
So the rule is simple: call before the first visit, not after.
What the rebate looks like
| Purchase price | Builder pays us (2.5%) | Back to you at closing |
|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | $12,500 | $5,000 |
| $700,000 | $17,500 | $8,750 |
| $900,000 | $22,500 | $11,250 |
| $1,200,000 | $30,000 | $15,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $50,000 | $25,000 |
Examples only, assuming the builder pays a 2.5% co-op. No builder publishes its rate, so the real figure is whatever that community is paying when you write. Our side is subject to a $7,500 minimum commission, which is what reduces the $500,000 example below a straight half.
You’d be working with me, not a team. I’m Steve Novak, founder of EZ Agents. I handle the contract, the negotiation, the inspection and the closing on every file personally.
Top 1% Colorado Realtor, $200M+ closed, 150+ five-star reviews.
Colorado new home builder FAQ
Do builders actually pay buyer’s agents, or is that a myth?
They do, in most communities, and it is budgeted into the sale the same way a listing-side commission is on a resale. What varies is the amount, which none of them publish, and whether a particular community is paying at all that month.
Can a builder refuse to pay if I have an agent?
A builder can decline to offer co-op compensation in a given community, cap it, or change it without notice. What a builder generally cannot do is stop a Colorado broker from rebating part of their own commission, since rebates are permitted here. The question to ask is always whether that community pays, not whether rebates are allowed.
What if I already visited a community on my own?
For most builders that ends the commission for that specific community. It usually does not affect their other communities, and it never affects a different builder. Tell us where you’ve been and we’ll tell you honestly what is still available.
Does using my own agent cost me anything?
No. The builder pays the commission out of the sale, and we hand you half of it back at closing. There is nothing to pay us up front and nothing owed if you don’t buy.
Why would a builder pay an agent at all?
Because agents bring them buyers, and a buyer who is already represented tends to close. It is a marketing cost. The sticker price does not go up because you brought someone.
- Top 1% Colorado Realtor
- $1.5M+ rebates paid
- 150+ five-star reviews
- $10K+ average cash back
Get your new construction rebate estimate
Tell us which builder or community you’re looking at and we’ll confirm what they’re paying, what their current registration rules are, and what would come back to you.
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