Compensation for commodity brokers is generally on a commission basis; this means they receive a percentage of the gross commissions from the trades placed by their customers. More brokers than sales agents work on percent commission, NAR reports. Who makes more: real estate brokers or real estate agents? A residential broker’s income can vary significantly by industry. Browse our blog for tips and tools to help launch your real estate career. How real estate agents get paid Most often real estate agents get paid real estate commissions based upon the sale price of a property. For starters, real estate brokers make more money on average than agents.