What a flat fee saves in Birmingham (October 2026)
By Caroline McMeans · Updated October 22, 2026
In Birmingham, AL, the median home sold for $329,900 over the trailing 90 days — a traditional 3% listing commission would run $9,897, while Homepoint's flat $5,000 fee saves sellers $4,897.
| Metric | Birmingham |
|---|---|
| Median sold price (trailing 90 days) | $329,900 |
| Homes sold | 2,986 |
| Median days on market | 63 |
| Traditional 3% commission | $9,897 |
| Homepoint flat fee | $5,000 |
| Savings | $4,897 |
| Homepoint clients in AL have saved up to | $20,500 |
Method: Based on homes sold in Birmingham in the last 90 days, as of 2026-10-22. Figures use the median, not the average, for sold price and days on market, so a handful of unusually high or low sales can't skew the number.
What this means for sellers
If you list a home near Birmingham's current median of $329,900, a traditional agent charging a 3% listing-side commission would cost about $9,897. Homepoint charges a flat $5,000 at closing regardless of price, for the same full-service support — MLS listing, professional photography, marketing, negotiation, and closing coordination. That's $4,897 that stays with you instead of going to commission.
What this means for buyers
A traditional buyer's-side commission is baked into the price of a home whether or not you negotiate it separately — on a $329,900 home in Birmingham, that's roughly $9,897 at a typical 3% rate. Homepoint's buyer pricing starts at $5,000, and the difference doesn't disappear — it becomes buying power you can put toward your offer, rate buydown, or closing costs. (This is buying power, not a rebate — the exact figure depends on your transaction.)
Birmingham neighborhood guides
Is there more incentive in new construction right now?
New construction was 16% of sales in Birmingham over the trailing 12 months, at a median $369,900 versus $309,000 for resale.
What builders are advertising most
Rate buydown (6.5% of active listings): A builder (or its preferred lender) pays upfront to temporarily lower your mortgage rate, usually for the first one or two years, then it reverts to the normal rate. It lowers your payment early on — it does not lower your price.
General incentive (4.8% of active listings): A catch-all term builders use for any concession bundled into the deal — could be a rate buydown, a closing credit, or something else entirely. Worth asking exactly what it means before treating it as a discount.
Preferred lender incentive (4.7% of active listings): An extra credit or rate discount available only if you finance through the builder's in-house or preferred lender — which can also mean not shopping your loan against other lenders for a better overall deal.
Homepoint's buying power works out to $4,270 on the median resale price and $6,097 on the median new-construction price (when the builder pays a buyer-agent commission, which isn't guaranteed on every community). On new construction, it stacks on top of whatever incentive the builder is separately advertising — it doesn't replace it.
New construction runs about 20% above resale in Birmingham, and incentive mentions aren't common enough here to assume one will close that gap.
See the full Birmingham new construction vs resale comparison