Listing agreement

Definition

A contract between a homeowner and a real estate agent that gives the agent the right to sell your house and keep a commission if anyone buys it.

Example Usage

The listing agreement was exclusive right to sell, meaning the agent got paid even if my own nephew purchased it.

Origin

Standard real estate contract establishing agent representation

Fun Fact

Listing agreements typically run 90-120 days, but agents will negotiate extensions if the property isn't moving quickly.

Source: Real Estate Representation Contracts

Related Terms

Beginner

Walkthrough

The final tour of a home before closing where you discover all the things that broke between the inspection and now. It's supposed to be a formality but often turns into a horror movie.

🏠 Real Estate

Advanced

sub2

Short for 'subject to'—acquiring a property while leaving the existing mortgage in place and making payments on behalf of the seller. It's a creative financing technique that makes attorneys nervous and investors wealthy.

🏠 Real Estate

Beginner

appliances

The expensive metal boxes that come with your home and inevitably break one week after the warranty expires. In real estate listings, 'stainless steel appliances' is code for 'we did the bare minimum to make this place sellable,' while 'appliances included' means they're too old to bother moving. These kitchen and laundry machines represent the intersection of necessity, status symbol, and planned obsolescence.

🏠 Real Estate

Intermediate

earnest

In real estate, it's the money you throw at a seller to prove you're serious about buying their overpriced house and not just window shopping. This deposit gets held in escrow as collateral for your commitment, because apparently your word means nothing without cash backing it up. Lose it if you back out, keep it applied to the purchase if you follow through—it's basically a financial pinky promise.

🏠 Real Estate

Intermediate

exclusive right to sell

A listing agreement guaranteeing the agent gets paid commission regardless of who finds the buyer—even if it's you. It's the real estate equivalent of a no-compete clause, except you're competing against yourself.

🏠 Real Estate

Intermediate

debt-to-income ratio

The percentage of your gross monthly income that goes toward debt payments, used by lenders to determine if you can afford a mortgage. It's basically a mathematical judgment of your life choices.

🏠 Real Estate

Translate This Term

See “Listing agreement” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Beginner

Costube

Costube is a community of YouTubers interested in costuming and historical fashions. These YouTubers post videos of them...