Real estate agency commission in Serbia: rates and what it covers

Estate agency commission in Serbia generally ranges from 2% to 3% of the achieved sale price; KADENA Sotheby's International Realty charges 2.5%. It is paid by the party that engaged the agency, falls due when the transaction completes, and must be set out in a brokerage contract signed before the engagement begins. This guide explains what that fee buys and where the terms actually matter.

How much is estate agency commission in Serbia?

KADENA Sotheby's commission is 2.5% of the achieved sale price. The Serbian market generally sits between 2% and 3%, and rates materially below that band usually mean part of the service has been removed rather than discounted.

Commission is calculated on the achieved price, not the asking price. A property listed at EUR 300,000 and sold at EUR 285,000 generates commission on EUR 285,000 — which ties the agency's interest to the outcome of the negotiation rather than to a fast, cheap closing.

VAT applies to the commission under Serbian rules, so the invoiced figure should be read as inclusive.

Who pays the commission, the buyer or the seller?

The commission is paid by the party that engaged the agency. In a sale that is usually the seller; a buyer who engages an agency to search for and secure a property pays a commission as agreed.

There is no statutory rule assigning it to one side — the brokerage contract does. This matters more for international buyers than for domestic ones, because the assumption in many markets is that "the seller always pays". In Serbia, that depends on who signed what.

Why would a foreign buyer engage an agency at all?

A buyer based abroad is engaging representation, not a listing service: someone who verifies the property's legal status before money moves, reads the contract in Serbian and explains it in English, and coordinates the notary, the bank and the cadastre.

The three things that most often go wrong for foreign buyers are a property whose registration is not clean, a contract clause that is standard in Serbia but unexpected abroad, and a payment schedule that does not match how the buyer's own bank releases funds. Each is cheap to catch before signing and expensive afterwards.

Where the buyer's situation involves residency, reciprocity or remote signing, see our guide to buying property in Serbia as a foreigner.

What does the commission cover?

The commission covers the whole engagement from valuation to handover: an indicative valuation, professional presentation, advertising, arranging and accompanying viewings, negotiation, and guidance through the entire legal process.

For a seller, that includes exposure through the global Sotheby's International Realty network, which puts the property in front of buyers outside Serbia — the single largest practical difference for high-value properties.

It does not cover notary fees, taxes or state duties. Those are payable to third parties, not to the agency; see our guide to costs and taxes in a Serbian property transaction.

Does buying a new-build through an agency cost more?

No. Where the agency is the developer's exclusive sales agent, the buyer purchases at the same prices as if they had approached the developer directly, and the developer pays the agency.

The buyer's practical gain is contract review and independent explanation of the payment schedule at no additional cost. What to check before signing with a developer is covered in our guide to buying a new-build apartment.

When is the commission payable?

Commission falls due when the transaction completes — in practice on notarisation of the sale contract, unless the brokerage contract sets a different point. A split (part on the preliminary contract, the balance on completion) is also common and equally acceptable, provided it is written down.

If the transaction fails before completion, commission generally does not fall due. Check whether the contract provides for reimbursement of actual costs in that scenario.

What should the brokerage contract state?

The brokerage contract must state the commission rate, who pays it, when it falls due, the term of the engagement and both parties' obligations. Four points to confirm before signing: the rate and the base it is calculated on, the term and how it is terminated, whether the mandate is exclusive, and whether any cost is charged separately from the commission.

The full sale process, with the commission in its place in the sequence, is set out in our guide to selling a property in Serbia.