There’s a quiet collapse happening in Jamaica — not of buildings, but of value. Not of structures, but of standards.
Once, five percent was the golden measure of fairness in real estate — the standard commission that acknowledged professionalism, dedication, and the sheer endurance required to bring complex sales to life. It was the foundation upon which Jamaica’s property market was built.
But that foundation is beginning to crack.
In the pursuit of “winning the deal,” agents are lowering commissions to three, then two, and now — astonishingly — to one percent. It seems harmless at first. A small adjustment. A tactical move. But what’s really happening is far more dangerous.
One agent drops the rate, and suddenly, every developer expects the same. One concession becomes a pattern, a pattern becomes an expectation, and an expectation becomes the new norm.
And just like that, the dominoes begin to fall.
How the Collapse Begins
It starts with good intentions. A developer calls, offering a glittering project — twenty, perhaps thirty high-end units at one hundred million Jamaican dollars apiece. The kind of listing that could define a career.
The agent, eager to secure the deal, agrees to a lower commission: “I’ll take two percent,” they say. “It’s a big development — I’ll make up for it in volume.”
But that one act doesn’t exist in isolation. It sends a signal through the market: this is now acceptable.
The developer tells their colleagues, other developers begin to demand the same, and soon, three percent feels excessive, five percent feels outdated.
It’s the real estate equivalent of removing one structural beam from a building. At first, the ceiling doesn’t fall. But over time, the pressure mounts — and eventually, it does.
When Two Percent Becomes the Ceiling
Two percent sounds manageable when you say it quickly. After all, on a hundred-million-dollar property, that’s two million dollars. Who wouldn’t be pleased with that?
But peel back the layers — co-broke splits, brokerage deductions, franchise fees, marketing, travel, petrol, desk rent, and the most overlooked cost of all: time.
By the time everything is deducted, what remains isn’t a reward; it’s a token.
And when developers get used to paying two percent, they don’t stop there. They begin to ask for one. They expect it. The floor becomes the ceiling, and no one can climb back up.
This is how entire industries slide — not because of greed, but because of small, silent concessions made one deal at a time.
The Domino Effect in Motion
The real danger isn’t in one agent taking less. It’s what happens after.
When one agent agrees to two percent, the next feels pressured to match it.
When two agents agree, developers take note.
When three agree, the market recalibrates.
Soon, brokerages begin adjusting policies. Franchise networks quietly alter expectations. Within months, what was once an exception becomes the rule.
And when that happens, there’s no turning back.
It’s the law of falling dominoes: one act sets off another, until what once stood firm lies flat.
The Trap of “I’ll Make It Up in Volume”
Volume is the most seductive illusion in real estate.
Agents convince themselves that lower commission means faster deals, more units, and a greater total income. But what they forget is that time, energy, and resources are not infinite.
Every showing, every phone call, every follow-up eats into that margin. Every kilometre driven burns more petrol, every ad more money, every delay more patience.
At two percent, even small inefficiencies become expensive. At one percent, they’re catastrophic.
It’s not scaling — it’s stretching. And eventually, something snaps.
How Fear Becomes the Foundation of Failure
The uncomfortable truth is that this entire crisis is driven by fear.
Fear of losing the listing.
Fear of being undercut.
Fear of saying “no.”
But fear doesn’t build careers — it dismantles them.
Every time an agent accepts less, they reinforce the developer’s belief that they can — and should — demand lower commissions. It becomes systemic. And once that happens, the entire profession becomes hostage to its own insecurity.
You can see it happening already: developers openly questioning five percent, brokers rationalizing “competitive rates,” and younger agents entering the industry thinking that two percent is normal.
It’s not normal. It’s unsustainable.
A Culture of Devaluation
The moment an industry begins to normalise undervaluing its professionals, it begins to lose its soul.
We’ve seen it in other sectors — education, design, journalism. People start to accept less not because the work is worth less, but because someone else accepted less first.
That’s the domino effect. It’s not economics; it’s psychology.
And once it takes hold, it doesn’t stop until there’s nothing left to cut.
Imagine a future where one percent is the new standard. Where agents, exhausted and underpaid, can no longer afford to market properly or deliver service that matches the value of Jamaica’s property market.
What happens then? The industry collapses under the weight of its own compromise.
Holding the Line
This is the moment to hold firm.
The moment to say: “I know my worth, and I won’t undermine it.”
Because when one agent holds the line, it inspires others to do the same. And when enough stand together, the dominoes stop.
Developers begin to understand that quality service, professionalism, and reputation come at a cost. The market corrects itself. Standards are restored.
But if no one resists, if everyone bends, then the fall is inevitable.
A Simple Tool for Clarity
Before agreeing to another “special deal,” run the numbers for yourself.
Use the Developer Commission Calculator. Plug in the property price, your commission rate, broker splits, and costs. See what you really earn after expenses, co-brokes, and fees.
It’s not glamorous — but it’s honest. It shows, in black and white, that two percent is not a strategy. It’s a warning sign.
It helps you make decisions based on math, not emotion.
And in a market increasingly driven by pressure, clarity is your greatest defence.
The Future You Choose
The Jamaican real estate industry stands on a knife’s edge.
If agents continue to undercut one another, the dominoes will keep falling — first two percent, then one, then none. Commissions will be replaced by flat fees, respect replaced by resentment, and professionalism replaced by fatigue.
But if agents stand together — if they hold firm, value their work, and educate developers — the chain reaction can be stopped.
The choice is simple, but its consequences will echo for decades.
You can either protect the foundation of your profession — or watch it collapse under the weight of small, silent compromises.
Because that’s how dominoes fall.
And that’s how they’re stopped.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Please note: Jamaica Homes is not authorized to offer financial advice. The information provided is not financial advice and should not be relied upon for financial decisions. Consult a regulated mortgage adviser for guidance.