Real estate commissions revealed

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How to negotiate the best rate and sell your home for more

Oct 31, 2011

Jennifer Aniston in front of her Beverly Hills home from Architectural Digest magazine

Photo credit: Architectural Digest

Jennifer Aniston has no doubt put several real estate agents’ kids through private school this year. The former Friend sold her Beverly Hills estate this summer for around $38 million. She bought it in 2006 for $13.5 million. Meanwhile, she plunked down some $7 million for two apartments in a Manhattan West Village building. (Can you imagine…? “I’ll take two!”) Never mind lucky starlet, how about lucky agents who must have earned some sweet commissions! But for us real-estate mortals, how can we work with an agent to negotiate the best deal and sell our house for top dollar? Enter Andrew Brest and Lee Redwood of agent-matching website Sundaybell.com; they’re here to give us the low-down on how real estate commissions really work.

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