How the 1% Technology Fee Actually Works

The shortest version: whether you're buying or selling, VroomBrick charges a 1% technology fee for the platform, paid by the seller at closing. You don't pay an agent commission on the side VroomBrick works with.

If you're a buyer, the seller pays VroomBrick's fee at closing, and you don't pay a buyer's agent commission.

If you're a seller, you pay VroomBrick's fee at closing, from the sale proceeds, and you don't pay a listing agent commission. On a $400,000 home, a 1% technology fee is $4,000. If a seller's agent charged 3%, that would be $12,000, a difference of $8,000. Commissions are negotiable, so your number depends on what you'd have paid.

Technology does the heavy lifting, and you're never on your own. A licensed closing attorney handles your contracts and closing, showing agents schedule your tours, and our team is with you from your first question to closing day.

The rest of this post walks through how that works, why the post-NAR-settlement rules make buyer-side costs more visible than they used to be, and what the fee does and doesn't include.

We're a technology platform, not a brokerage.

For first-time buyers: no buyer's agent commission on your side

Since August 2024, buyers who work with an agent sign a written agreement that sets out what that agent will be paid, and the buyer can be responsible for it unless the seller agrees to cover some or all of it. If a buyer's agent charged 3% on a $400,000 home, that would be $12,000. Commissions are negotiable, so your number depends on what you'd have paid.

With VroomBrick, you don't need a buyer's agent. We connect you with a licensed closing attorney, showing agents, and lender partners directly. VroomBrick charges a 1% technology fee for the platform, paid by the seller at closing. You don't pay a buyer's agent commission.

What you get as a buyer:

• No VroomBrick fee from you. The seller pays VroomBrick's 1% technology fee at closing, from the sale proceeds.
• A licensed closing attorney who handles your contracts and closing.
• Showing agents who schedule your tours.
• Lender connections and a transaction dashboard that tracks every step.

Who pays what

	Traditional transaction	VroomBrick transaction
Agent commission on the side VroomBrick works with	Negotiated rate (for example, 3%)	None. VroomBrick charges a 1% technology fee for the platform, paid by the seller at closing
Who pays VroomBrick's fee	N/A	The seller, at closing, from the sale proceeds
Buyer pays VroomBrick	N/A	Nothing; the seller pays the fee

On a $400,000 home, a 1% technology fee is $4,000. If an agent on your side charged 3%, that would be $12,000, a difference of $8,000. Commissions are negotiable, so your number depends on what you'd have paid.

Why this matters more now: the NAR settlement

Before August 2024, buyer's agent compensation was usually offered by the seller through the listing and paid from the seller's proceeds at closing, so many buyers rarely saw it as a line item.

Under the post-settlement practice changes, buyers sign a written agreement with an agent before touring a home. That agreement spells out what the agent will be paid and whether the buyer is responsible for it if the seller doesn't agree to cover it.

No buyer's agent commission with VroomBrick. VroomBrick charges a 1% technology fee for the platform, paid by the seller at closing. You don't pay a buyer's agent commission. There's no buyer's agent commission agreement to sign with VroomBrick.

What you get with VroomBrick

• A licensed closing attorney who handles your contracts and closing, including title work and settlement. Your closing attorney's fee is part of your closing costs, itemized in your closing documents.
• Showing agents who schedule your tours of homes on the market
• Lender partner connections, or bring your own lender
• The offer simulator to see how price, contingencies, earnest money, and timeline fit together before you talk terms with your closing attorney
• A real-time transaction dashboard that tracks every step from pre-approval to keys
• Document management, every disclosure, counter-offer, and addendum in one place
• Our team, with you from your first question to closing day

What the 1% does not include

The 1% is VroomBrick's technology fee. A few things stay separate, as they would in any real estate transaction:

For buyers:

• Your down payment, loan costs, and mortgage insurance
• Your home inspection, paid to an independent inspector
• Your appraisal (usually ordered through your lender)
• Your closing costs, which your lender itemizes; your closing attorney's fee is part of your closing costs, itemized in your closing documents
• Moving costs

For sellers:

• Any commission for an agent on the other side of the transaction, if you agree to pay one
• Standard third-party closing costs (title charges, transfer taxes, recording fees, prorated property taxes, HOA transfer fees)
• Any buyer concessions you agree to in the contract
• Pre-listing improvements (staging, photos, repairs)

None of those are VroomBrick fees. They're standard costs in a real estate transaction, billed by the vendors providing the work.

How the math plays out

Buyer side

• With a buyer's agent: whatever your written agreement sets out, depending on whether the seller covers it. If a buyer's agent charged 3% on a $400,000 home, that would be $12,000.
• With VroomBrick: VroomBrick charges a 1% technology fee ($4,000 on a $400,000 home) for the platform, paid by the seller at closing. You don't pay a buyer's agent commission.

Commissions are negotiable, so your number depends on what you'd have paid.

Seller side

On a $400,000 home, a 1% technology fee is $4,000. If a seller's agent charged 3%, that would be $12,000, a difference of $8,000. Commissions are negotiable, so your number depends on what you'd have paid.

Why this model works

The traditional commission structure bundled many jobs into one agent: finding homes, scheduling tours, paperwork, and getting to settlement.

VroomBrick splits that work up. Software handles workflow and document management. A licensed closing attorney handles your contracts and closing. Showing agents schedule your tours. Lenders handle financing. And our team is with you from your first question to closing day.

It's not a cheaper version of a traditional agent. We're a technology platform, not a brokerage, and it's a different way to route the same transaction work.

When the 1% model may not be the right fit

A few cases where a traditional agent may serve you better:

• You want one specific agent walking every step with you in person, from first showing through negotiation. That's what agents have traditionally delivered, and if that experience is worth a negotiated commission to you, it's a fair call.
• You're shopping for a complex transaction, such as unusual financing, historic properties with deed restrictions, large estates, or off-market deals that need custom legwork
• You're outside our markets. VroomBrick currently operates in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina.

Run the numbers on your specific deal

The agent commission cost calculator compares an example commission with VroomBrick's 1% technology fee at any home value. Buyers can use the buyer savings simulator.

If you're buying, the buy page walks through the full process. If you're selling, the sell page does the same.

Run Your Numbers. We'll Handle the Rest.

Calculate Your Savings →

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About VroomBrick: VroomBrick is a real estate technology platform, not a licensed real estate brokerage. VroomBrick does not provide brokerage services, represent buyers or sellers, negotiate contracts, or hold real estate licenses. Contracts and settlement are handled by independent licensed closing attorneys connected through the platform. Real estate commissions and fees are not set by law and are fully negotiable. Savings examples are illustrative; your number depends on what you'd have paid.