Why it matters
The shortest familiar line—“2% offered”—now leaves the most important questions unanswered. Who is making the offer? Has the seller approved it? Who can earn it? When is it paid? Is there a separate writing? Off-MLS communication remains available, but the email has to carry more of the transaction logic than the old compensation field did.
Write the offer as a transaction term authorized by the seller, not as a commission promise invented by the listing agent.
Put it to work
- Replace “we offer” with “Seller has authorized an offer.”
- State either an exact dollar amount or an objectively calculable percentage.
- Name the eligible licensed buyer brokerage and the closing event that earns payment.
- Give the receiving brokerage a written acceptance or negotiation path before relying on the email.
The five-line test
1. Who offers it
Identify the seller as the source of the offer. REBNY’s decoupled structure places the buyer-broker compensation offer with the seller or owner, not the listing brokerage.
2. What the amount is
Use “2% of the purchase price” or “$10,000,” not “competitive compensation” or “commission available.” Another brokerage should be able to calculate the term from the email.
3. Who may earn it
Name the licensed brokerage representing the successful buyer. Do not promise a commission directly to an individual salesperson.
4. What earns payment
For a sale, the clean trigger is usually a completed closing, subject to the written agreement. Registration rules, procuring-cause language or new-development requirements should be stated or linked.
5. How it is accepted
Give the buyer’s brokerage a direct reply path to request, accept or negotiate the written terms. The campaign creates notice; the parties still need a reliable agreement.
Turn the five lines into an email agents will use
Correct language is the floor. The campaign still has to earn attention and make the next action obvious.
Subject: property first, offer second
Lead with the address, price and meaningful update, then add the authorized offer: “[Address] · New to market · Seller offers 2% to buyer’s broker.” The property creates relevance; the compensation makes the term visible.
First screen: enough to qualify
Show the hero image, price, bed and bath count, monthly charges, property type and one decisive feature before the reader has to scroll. Compensation cannot rescue a listing email that withholds the facts.
Terms block: visually separate, legally connected
Give compensation its own labeled block, but keep the seller, amount, eligible brokerage and payment trigger together. Splitting those elements across the email is how a clear offer turns ambiguous.
Reply: ask for a useful signal
“Reply for the written compensation agreement and a private appointment” is stronger than “learn more.” The receiving agent can identify the client, request terms and schedule the property in one thread.
Why the platform matters after the wording is approved
Reach is part of the offer
An authorized 2% offer that lives in one agent’s inbox is not a distribution strategy. CoBroker Mail sends the complete single-property campaign to 15,000 NYC real estate addresses without requiring the listing team to assemble its own list.
The test protects the launch
The agent and supervising broker can inspect the exact email before release. That catches a stale price, wrong responsible party, broken link or compensation line copied from an earlier listing.
Replies stay with the listing agent
The platform distributes the campaign; it does not insert itself into the brokerage conversation. Questions and buyer matches route back to the sender, where the written agreement and showing discussion belong.
Reporting completes the seller story
The campaign record documents the send and the market response. That gives the listing agent concrete work to report even before the first showing or offer appears.
Use this language
Percentage offer
Seller has authorized an offer of compensation equal to 2% of the purchase price to the licensed brokerage representing the buyer who closes on [address]. Payment will be made by Seller at closing under a separate written compensation agreement. Compensation is fully negotiable and is not set by law. Reply to request or discuss the agreement.
Flat-fee offer
Seller has authorized a $10,000 offer of compensation to the licensed brokerage representing the buyer who closes on [address], payable by Seller at closing under a separate written compensation agreement. Compensation is fully negotiable and is not set by law.
What to watch
Do not claim REBNY, an MLS or the law set the amount.
Do not imply the offer permits a buyer brokerage to collect more than its own representation agreement allows.
Do not hide an expiration, registration rule or material condition in a later attachment.
Do not use the compensation amount to decide which suitable listings the client is allowed to see.
Primary guidance
- REBNY: Decoupling commissions FAQ
- NAR: Offers of compensation
- New York Department of State: Broker compensation FAQ
Operational guidance only; confirm each transaction with your supervising broker or counsel.
From field note to send
Make the offer legible—and put it in front of the market
CoBroker Mail keeps the property, authorized amount, eligible brokerage and closing trigger together in one branded email, then gives the listing agent the reach, replies and reporting to work it.