Is there a minimum commission?

Yes. EZ Agents holds a $7,500 commission minimum on both the buy and sell side. Above roughly $545,000 purchase price the minimum does not apply and the rebate is a straight 50% of what the builder pays. Below that, the minimum is taken first and the rebate is the remainder.

Realtor for New Construction in Colorado

Q: Should I tell the builder I have an agent?

Yes, immediately, and before giving them any information about yourself. Most builders require the agent to be named at the very first interaction. Telling them later is usually too late, and at some builders it cannot be corrected at all.

Q: Does the builder lower the price if I don't use an agent?

Generally not. Builders hold base prices to protect appraisals and comparable sales across the community, and negotiate through incentives rather than price cuts. Arriving unrepresented does not refund the commission to the buyer; it leaves the buyer's side uncollected.

Q: Can I just use the builder's sales agent instead?

You can, but they are paid by the builder and represent the builder. Every term of the contract, every upgrade price and every delay clause is written by the builder's counsel. Buyer representation costs the buyer nothing on new construction because the builder pays it either way.

Q: How is the rebate applied?

As a credit on the settlement statement at closing, disclosed to and coordinated with the lender early. Most lenders apply it to closing costs and prepaids rather than the down payment.

Q: Can I use the builder's in-house lender and still get the rebate?

Yes. The builder's lender incentive and the commission rebate come from different budgets, so using one does not reduce the other. Buyers who use both often secure a lower rate and have closing costs covered.

Do You Need a Realtor for New Construction in Colorado?

Yes — and in most cases, it costs you nothing.

Builders Don’t Discount Without an Agent

Builders already include agent commissions in their pricing. If you don’t use a Realtor, they typically don’t reduce the price — they keep the full commission.

The smarter move is to work with an experienced new construction Realtor and get part of that commission back as a rebate. With EZ Agents, you receive 50% back at closing — often covering thousands in closing costs.

Why Builders Price Homes This Way

Builders protect their pricing by maintaining strong comparable sales (comps). Selling identical homes at lower prices just because a buyer didn’t use an agent would reduce nearby home values and limit their ability to raise prices over time.

Keeping pricing consistent protects both future pricing and the value of homes they’ve already sold.

The bottom line: Skipping an agent doesn’t lower the price — but choosing the right one can save you thousands.

Stack the rebate with the builder's lender incentive

PRO TIP: Builders often have in house mortgage lenders that can offer great benefits such as low interest rates or cash towards closing costs. By working with an in house lender and receiving a commission rebate from your agent, you can get a lower interest rate and have all of your closing costs paid for you — all at no cost to you. This can save you thousands in up front costs AND lower your monthly payments.

The two work together because they come from different budgets. The lender incentive comes out of the builder's financing arm; the rebate comes out of the commission the builder was already paying a buyer's agent. Using one does not reduce the other, and most buyers never find out they could have had both.

Call us before you visit a community and we'll register you with the builder ourselves. That one phone call is what protects the rebate — see the registration rules below for why the timing matters more than people expect.

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About Steve Novak

Top 1% Realtor and top 0.1% buyer's agent in the Greater Denver Metro

I’m Steve Novak, founder of EZ Agents — Colorado’s #1 Rated Discount Realtor.

I’ve closed over $200 million in real estate and returned more than $1.5 million in commission rebates to buyers, with a significant number of those deals in new construction communities across Colorado.

I started EZ Agents to simplify the buying process, reduce costs, and bring transparency to an industry that’s long overdue for change. When it comes to new builds, I’ve worked with nearly every major builder in the Denver metro area. I help clients navigate contracts, negotiate incentives, and claim thousands back at closing — all while providing expert guidance from start to finish.

If you're considering a new construction home, I’ll help you make a smarter move and keep more of your money where it belongs — with you.

Who pays the Realtor commission on new construction?

The builder does. On almost every new construction purchase in Colorado, the builder's marketing budget already includes a commission for a buyer's agent. It is not added to your price when you bring one, and it is not removed from your price when you don't.

That last part is where most buyers lose money, so it is worth being blunt about it.

The common assumption is that walking in without an agent means the builder passes the savings along. Builders themselves have written the rebuttal. Here is a homebuilder, on its own website, arguing against using an agent:

Builders typically incorporate realtor commissions into the home's price, which means you could end up paying more.Kindred Homes, "Pros and Cons of Using a Realtor for New Construction"

Follow that sentence to its conclusion. If the commission is built into the price whether or not you bring representation, then arriving alone doesn't refund you anything. It simply means nobody collects the buyer's side — and the builder keeps it.

A rebate is the only mechanism that turns that money back into yours.

Do builders pay buyer's agent commission in Colorado?

Most do, but the amount is no longer a flat number and you should be suspicious of any page that quotes you one. Following the 2024 industry changes, builder policies increasingly read like Lennar's, which offers "competitive broker co-op commissions on select homes where offered" and notes that terms vary by community.

So the honest answer is: it varies by builder, by community, and sometimes by the specific home. What matters is that you find out the number before you write an offer, because it determines what comes back to you.

The question almost nobody asks. Some builders pay commission on the base price only — not on the lot premium, and not on design-center upgrades. On a home with $80,000 of upgrades and a premium lot, that is a materially different cheque. Ask the sales office, in writing, what the commission is calculated on. We ask on every deal.

When do you have to register your agent with a builder?

Before your first visit — and at some builders, before your first contact of any kind. If you tour a model home alone, take a self-guided tour, or fill in a form without naming an agent, you may have already given up your right to bring one. Several builders enforce this retroactively.

This is the single most expensive mistake buyers make on new construction, it costs nothing to avoid, and it is the part builders explain last. The rules are published. Here is what two of the biggest builders in Colorado actually say.

Lennar: your agent has to be with you on the first visit — including a self-guided one

Cooperating Broker, or its affiliated sales associate, must also accompany the Prospect during Prospect's initial visit … whether in person, self-guided, or virtual.Lennar, Broker Participation Policy

Read that twice. A self-guided tour counts as the initial visit. Lennar communities increasingly offer app or lockbox access so you can walk a model on your own schedule, and buyers reasonably assume that a walk-through with no salesperson present doesn't count as anything official. Under the policy as written, it does.

Lennar also requires the buyer to identify and register the broker on the buyer's first interaction with a Lennar employee — which includes a phone call, a chat window, or a question at a community event, not just a signature on a visitor card.

Richmond American: a 30-day look-back that works in reverse

Richmond American is headquartered in Denver, which makes its policy the one Colorado buyers meet most often. It does not require your agent to be physically present on the first visit. It requires a valid registration through one of three specific channels, confirmed by the purchaser within four calendar days. Then comes the clause that catches people:

Registrations shall not be effective for any Purchaser who registered at a Richmond American community or Home Gallery location (i) during the 30 days prior to being validly registered by the Broker/Agent.Richmond American Homes, Co-Op Broker Policy

That is retroactive. If you put your name on a sheet at a community or a Home Gallery three weeks ago — before you had any intention of hiring anyone — an agent registered today may not be recognized at all. Nothing at the sales desk will warn you, and the builder resolves disputes at its own discretion.

The six ways buyers accidentally register themselves

What it feels like	What it can count as
Filling in a visitor card at the sales office	A registration, with you as an unrepresented buyer
Submitting a "request info" or "schedule a tour" form	A first interaction, logged to you alone
Scanning a QR code at a model home or community sign	A logged lead in the builder's system
Signing in at a grand opening or community event	A written registration
Emailing to ask for a price sheet or lot map	A first interaction with a builder employee
Taking a self-guided or app-based tour on your own	The initial visit, at builders whose policy names self-guided tours

The one-sentence rule. Name your agent before you type your name into anything — a form, a card, a sign-in sheet, a chat window — and have them with you the first time you walk a community. Everything else in this process is recoverable. This is not.

What if you've already visited one?

Say so early rather than late. Some situations are still fixable and some are not, and which one you're in depends on the builder, the community and the date. It is knowable in a single phone call, and it is much better to know now than after you've fallen for a floor plan.

Sources. Lennar, Broker Participation Policy and Broker & Real Estate Agent Policy. Richmond American Homes, Co-Op Broker Policy. Both verified September 15, 2026. Builder policies change without notice and vary by division and community — confirm the current policy with the builder before relying on any of it. This page describes two builders' published policies and makes no statement about any other builder's terms.

New construction questions, answered

Who pays the Realtor commission on new construction?

The builder does. The commission for a buyer's agent is already inside the builder's marketing budget. It is not added to your price because you brought an agent, and it is not taken off your price because you didn't.

Do builders pay a buyer's agent commission in Colorado?

Most do, but the amount varies by builder, by community and sometimes by the individual home — builder policies now commonly say co-op commissions are offered on select homes rather than quoting a flat rate. We confirm the number with the sales office before you write an offer, because it determines what comes back to you at closing.

Do you need a Realtor to buy new construction?

You don't need one, but going without costs you rather than saves you. The builder's sales representative is pleasant, knowledgeable and paid by the builder. Declining representation doesn't reduce your price — it just means nobody is on your side of the table, and the commission stays with the builder instead of coming back to you.

Should I tell the builder I have an agent?

Yes, immediately, and before you give them any information about yourself. Most builders require the agent to be named at the very first interaction. Telling them later is usually too late, and at some builders it cannot be corrected at all.

Can I bring a Realtor after I've already visited the builder?

Often no. Lennar's policy requires the broker to accompany the buyer on the initial visit, including a self-guided or virtual tour. Richmond American's policy states that registrations are not effective for a purchaser who registered at one of its communities or Home Gallery locations during the 30 days prior. Whether your situation is still fixable depends on the builder, the community and the date — worth one phone call before you go any further.

Does the builder lower the price if I don't use an agent?

Generally not. Builders hold their base prices to protect appraisals and comparable sales across the community, and they negotiate through incentives rather than price cuts. One builder's own website argues that commissions are incorporated into the home's price — which, if true, means arriving unrepresented doesn't refund you anything. It just leaves your half uncollected.

Can I just use the builder's sales agent instead?

You can, and they will help you — but they are paid by the builder and represent the builder. Every term of the contract, every upgrade price and every delay clause is written by the builder's counsel. Having someone whose obligation runs to you costs you nothing here, because the builder is paying for it either way.

How is the rebate applied?

As a credit on your settlement statement at closing. We disclose it to your lender early and coordinate it with them, because a rebate credited inside the transaction is treated differently from money paid to you outside it. Most lenders will apply it to closing costs and prepaids rather than your down payment, which is a good question to ask your loan officer at the start rather than at the table.

Is there a minimum?

Yes. We hold a $7,500 commission minimum on both the buy and sell side. Above roughly $545,000 it doesn't come into play at all and your rebate is a straight 50% of whatever the builder pays us. Below that, the minimum comes out first and the rebate is what remains. We'd rather tell you the number up front than bury it in the fine print.

Can I use the builder's in-house lender and still get the rebate?

Yes, and it's usually the better move. The builder's lender incentive and your commission rebate come from two different budgets, so taking one doesn't reduce the other. Buyers who use both often end up with a lower rate and their closing costs covered.

What builders and areas do you work with?

We work across Denver, Boulder and the Front Range, with builders including Lennar, Richmond American, Century Communities and Toll Brothers, among others. If you're looking at a community we haven't worked in, ask — the registration process is the same and what matters is getting it done before your first visit.

Realtor for New Construction in Colorado

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Over $1.5 Million in rebates to Colorado home buyers!