How It Works

How Commission Rebates Work in Texas

The commission rebate process is simple, transparent, and 100% legal in Texas. Whether you're buying new construction or a pre-owned home, here's exactly what happens from sign-up to cash back at closing.

100% legal under TREC Rule 535.147(d)
Commission Cash Back is A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau Zero complaints with TREC Licensed TX Brokerage #9006792-BB · Agent #699039

What is a commission rebate?

A commission rebate is money your buyer's agent gives back to you at closing out of the commission they earn on your purchase. On most new construction the builder pays a buyer-agent commission of around 3%. Instead of keeping all of it, a rebate broker like Commission Cash Back hands most of it back to you. Nothing is added to your price and nothing is taken from the builder or seller. The commission was already budgeted into the deal.

New construction
up to 2.5%of the price
On a $400,000 home, that is $10,000 back at closing.
Pre-owned
up to 2%of the price
On a $300,000 home, that is $6,000 back at closing.
Is it legal? Yes. Texas explicitly allows it under TREC Rule 535.147(d).
Is it taxable? No. In a 2020 ruling the IRS treated a buyer's rebate as a price reduction, not income.
Who pays it? It comes out of the buyer-agent commission the builder or seller already set aside.

You can take your rebate as a credit toward closing costs, a rate buy-down, or a direct wire from the title company after closing. Buyer's choice. Below is exactly how the process runs, step by step, for both new construction and pre-owned homes.

See your rebate amount →

The Big Picture: 3 Simple Steps

No matter what type of home you're buying, the core process is the same.

01

Sign Up & Get Paired

Register with Commission Cash Back. It's free, takes 30 seconds, and there's no obligation. We'll pair you with a licensed Texas agent who specializes in commission rebates.

02

Shop, Tour & Make an Offer

Search for homes on any platform you like: Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, or drive neighborhoods. When you're ready to see a home, we arrange on-demand showings. When you're ready to offer, your agent handles everything: contracts, negotiations, inspections, and closing coordination.

03

Close & Collect Your Cash Back

At closing, your rebate is credited directly to you on the closing disclosure: 2.5% of the purchase price on new construction, 2% on resale. Use it to reduce closing costs, buy down your interest rate, or receive cash back after close. It's that simple.

The Complete Process, Step by Step

Here's exactly what happens from the moment you sign up to the moment you collect your rebate.

Day 1

Register Online

Complete our quick registration form with your name, contact info, and the area you're looking in. No fees, no credit card, no commitment. We'll confirm your registration within 24 hours.

Day 1-2

Get Matched With Your Agent

We pair you with a licensed Texas real estate agent experienced in your target market. Your agent is available for questions, strategy, and guidance throughout the process, but you stay in the driver's seat.

Ongoing

Search for Your Home

Browse listings on any platform: Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, HAR, or builder websites. Save favorites, drive neighborhoods, attend open houses. When you find a home you want to see, we arrange a showing on your schedule through our on-demand showing network. Find the home on Zillow yourself and you still get the full rebate. Where you search never changes the numbers.

When You're Ready

Make an Offer

Your agent prepares and submits a competitive offer, handles all contract paperwork, negotiates on your behalf, and coordinates the option period, inspections, appraisal, and any amendments. Full-service representation at every step.

Under Contract

Navigate to Closing

Your Commission Cash Back agent monitors deadlines, coordinates with the title company and lender, reviews the closing disclosure, and ensures everything is on track. Your commission rebate will appear as a line item credit on your closing disclosure.

Closing Day

Close & Collect Your Cash Back

Sign your documents, get your keys, and collect your rebate: 2.5% of the purchase price on new construction, 2% on resale. The rebate is applied as a credit at closing, reducing your cash to close. In some cases, you may receive cash back after closing, subject to lender approval.

What would your rebate be?

On a $400,000 Texas new build the rebate is $10,000. On a $300,000 resale it's $6,000. Run your own number, it takes about ten seconds.

Calculate your rebate →
New Construction

Buying New Construction? Here's Your Process.

New builds are where you'll see the biggest rebate. The builder handles showings and contracts, which means less agent time and more money back to you.

Visit the Builder

Tour model homes and communities on your own or with the builder's sales team. You can visit as many builders and communities as you want. Just make sure Commission Cash Back is registered as your agent BEFORE you sign any builder contracts or make your first visit. Most builders require agent registration on the first visit.

We Register With the Builder

We register as your buyer's agent with the builder. This ensures the builder pays the buyer's agent commission, which is where your rebate comes from. This costs you nothing. The commission is already built into the builder's pricing.

We Protect Your Interests

While the builder handles showings and their own contracts, your Commission Cash Back agent reviews all contracts, negotiates upgrades and concessions, monitors construction progress, and coordinates your closing. You get professional representation without paying for it.

Collect Your Maximum Rebate

Because the builder's sales team handles most of the legwork, our agent involvement is minimal, which means you get the maximum rebate. 2.5% of the purchase price is credited back to you at closing.

Important: Register Before Your First Visit

Most Texas builders require that your agent be registered on your FIRST visit to the model home or sales office. If you visit without an agent on file, the builder may not honor the agent commission, which means no rebate. Register with Commission Cash Back before you start visiting builders.

Pre-Owned Homes

Buying a Pre-Owned Home? Here's Your Process.

Resale homes require more hands-on agent involvement (showings, negotiations, inspections), but you still get a competitive rebate and full-service representation.

1

Find Homes You Love

Search on any platform: Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, HAR, or just drive around. When you find a home you want to tour, let us know. No pressure, no timeline.

2

Tour on Your Schedule

We arrange on-demand showings through our professional showing agent network. Tour homes when it works for you: evenings, weekends, whenever. No waiting for one agent's availability.

3

We Write & Negotiate Your Offer

Your Commission Cash Back agent prepares your offer using the Texas Real Estate Commission's standard contract forms. We negotiate price, repairs, closing costs, and terms on your behalf, the same service a traditional agent provides.

4

We Manage the Transaction

From accepted offer to closing, your agent handles the option period, home inspection coordination, appraisal, title work, lender communication, and all contract deadlines. You stay informed without doing the heavy lifting.

5

Close & Get Your Rebate

At closing, your commission rebate is credited on the closing disclosure, reducing your out-of-pocket costs. On resale homes, you receive 2% of the purchase price back at closing.

Commission rebate questions, answered

How do I get a commission rebate?
Sign up in about 30 seconds and Commission Cash Back pairs you with a licensed Texas agent. You sign a buyer's representation agreement and a separate rebate agreement up front, both spelling out your rebate, then you shop, tour, and buy like normal. The rebate comes back to you at closing. The full step by step is above.
How much is a commission rebate?
On new construction we rebate up to 2.5% of the purchase price, and on a pre-owned home up to 2%. On a $400,000 new build, that is $10,000 back at closing. Run your own number in the rebate calculator.
When do I get my rebate?
At closing. You can take it as a credit toward your closing costs, use it to buy down your interest rate, or have the title company wire it to you right after closing funds and settles. Buyer's choice.
Do I have to use the rebate for closing costs?
No. That is one option, but you can also apply it as a rate buy-down or take it as a direct wire after closing. If a builder or lender says it cannot go toward closing costs, Commission Cash Back simply sends it to you separately, and it stays non-taxable.
Is a commission rebate the same as a cash-back realtor or a commission credit?
Yes. Cash-back realtor, commission credit, buyer rebate, and commission rebate all describe the same thing: a licensed Texas agent giving part of their commission back to you. The name changes, the mechanics do not.
Does a rebate change my price or the builder's deal?
No. The buyer-agent commission is already budgeted into the transaction whether you bring an agent or not. If you show up without one, the builder just keeps that money. A rebate simply returns most of it to you.
Is there a catch?
Honestly, no. The rebate is possible because the model is lean. On a resale purchase, a licensed agent meets you at showings through a showing app instead of one agent driving to every house. On new construction, the builder's rep handles the tours and we handle the contract side. Everything you get is spelled out in two signed agreements before you ever tour a home.
A past agent promised me cash back and never paid. How is this different?
That happens when the promise never makes it into the contract. At Commission Cash Back the rebate is written into your buyer's representation agreement and a separate rebate agreement, both signed up front. The exact amount and the process are on paper from day one.
What if the builder or lender says I can't have a rebate?
The builder doesn't control what we do with our commission. TREC explicitly allows a licensed Texas agent to rebate commission to the buyer. If a builder or lender blocks the rebate inside the transaction, we instruct the title company to wire it to you right after closing funds and settles. Same result, still non-taxable.
If you're giving most of the commission back, what do you actually do for me?
A fair question. On new construction we're upfront that there's honestly not a lot for a realtor to do, and we tell you the real ways we help: pointing you to the right inspector, reviewing the inspection report with you, checking the plat and the lot, and catching the amendments builders gloss over, like a drainage easement. On a resale purchase we write and negotiate your offer and manage the transaction to closing. The rebate is the main benefit, and we'd rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise.

Ready to Keep More Money in Your Pocket?

Register with Commission Cash Back today. It's free, takes 30 seconds, and there's zero obligation. Start your home search knowing you'll get 2.5% back on new construction or 2% back on resale at closing.

Free. No obligation. No catch.

Estimate your rebate first →  |  Compare Texas rebate brokers →

New construction buyer saves $10,000 on a $400,000 home

The Big Picture: 3 Simple Steps

No matter what type of home you're buying, the core process is the same.

01

Sign Up & Get Paired

Register with Commission Cash Back — it's free, takes 30 seconds, and there's no obligation. We'll pair you with a licensed Texas agent who specializes in commission rebates.

02

Shop, Tour & Make an Offer

Search for homes on any platform you like — Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, or drive neighborhoods. When you're ready to see a home, we arrange on-demand showings. When you're ready to offer, your agent handles everything: contracts, negotiations, inspections, and closing coordination.

03

Close & Collect Your Cash Back

At closing, up to 70% of the buyer's agent commission is credited directly to you on the closing disclosure. Use it to reduce closing costs, buy down your interest rate, or receive cash back after close. It's that simple.

The Complete Process, Step by Step

Here's exactly what happens from the moment you sign up to the moment you collect your rebate.

Day 1

Register Online

Complete our quick registration form with your name, contact info, and the area you're looking in. No fees, no credit card, no commitment. We'll confirm your registration within 24 hours.

Day 1-2

Get Matched With Your Agent

We pair you with a licensed Texas real estate agent experienced in your target market. Your agent is available for questions, strategy, and guidance throughout the process — but you stay in the driver's seat.

Ongoing

Search for Your Home

Browse listings on any platform — Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, HAR, or builder websites. Save favorites, drive neighborhoods, attend open houses. When you find a home you want to see, we arrange a showing on your schedule through our on-demand showing network.

When You're Ready

Make an Offer

Your agent prepares and submits a competitive offer, handles all contract paperwork, negotiates on your behalf, and coordinates the option period, inspections, appraisal, and any amendments. Full-service representation at every step.

Under Contract

Navigate to Closing

Your agent monitors deadlines, coordinates with the title company and lender, reviews the closing disclosure, and ensures everything is on track. Your commission rebate will appear as a line item credit on your closing disclosure.

Closing Day

Close & Collect Your Cash Back

Sign your documents, get your keys, and keep up to 70% of the buyer's agent commission. The rebate is applied as a credit at closing, reducing your cash to close. In some cases, you may receive cash back after closing, subject to lender approval.

New Construction

Buying New Construction? Here's Your Process.

New builds are where you'll see the biggest rebate. The builder handles showings and contracts, which means less agent time — and more money back to you.

Visit the Builder

Tour model homes and communities on your own or with the builder's sales team. You can visit as many builders and communities as you want. Just make sure Commission Cash Back is registered as your agent BEFORE you sign any builder contracts or make your first visit — most builders require agent registration on the first visit.

We Register With the Builder

We register as your buyer's agent with the builder. This ensures the builder pays the buyer's agent commission, which is where your rebate comes from. This costs you nothing — the commission is already built into the builder's pricing.

We Protect Your Interests

While the builder handles showings and their own contracts, your Commission Cash Back agent reviews all contracts, negotiates upgrades and concessions, monitors construction progress, and coordinates your closing. You get professional representation without paying for it.

Collect Your Maximum Rebate

Because the builder's sales team handles most of the legwork, our agent involvement is minimal — which means you get the maximum rebate. Up to 70% of the buyer's agent commission is credited back to you at closing.

Important: Register Before Your First Visit

Most Texas builders require that your agent be registered on your FIRST visit to the model home or sales office. If you visit without an agent on file, the builder may not honor the agent commission — which means no rebate. Register with Commission Cash Back before you start visiting builders.

Pre-Owned Homes

Buying a Pre-Owned Home? Here's Your Process.

Resale homes require more hands-on agent involvement — showings, negotiations, inspections — but you still get a competitive rebate and full-service representation.

1

Find Homes You Love

Search on any platform — Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, HAR, or just drive around. When you find a home you want to tour, let us know. No pressure, no timeline.

2

Tour on Your Schedule

We arrange on-demand showings through our professional showing agent network. Tour homes when it works for you — evenings, weekends, whenever. No waiting for one agent's availability.

3

We Write & Negotiate Your Offer

Your Commission Cash Back agent prepares your offer using the Texas Real Estate Commission's standard contract forms. We negotiate price, repairs, closing costs, and terms on your behalf — the same service a traditional agent provides.

4

We Manage the Transaction

From accepted offer to closing, your agent handles the option period, home inspection coordination, appraisal, title work, lender communication, and all contract deadlines. You stay informed without doing the heavy lifting.

5

Close & Get Your Rebate

At closing, your commission rebate is credited on the closing disclosure, reducing your out-of-pocket costs. The rebate amount depends on the commission offered by the seller's agent, but is up to 70% of the buyer's agent commission.

Ready to Keep More Money in Your Pocket?

Register today — it's free, takes 30 seconds, and there's zero obligation. Start your home search knowing you'll get up to 70% of the commission back at closing.

Free. No obligation. No catch.

Average buyer saves $8,400 on a $400,000 home

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