Scott Hodge of Homeport Residential offers a 1.25% buyer's agent commission across all of Ramona, California, zip code 92065. What this means for you: Working with Scott Hodge and Homeport Residential to purchase your Ramona home will save you thousands to tens of thousands of dollars!
The 1.25% structure gives you some serious flexibility: use the lower commission as a competitive advantage in a multiple-offer situation, or use it to ask the seller for closing cost help, or use it to make a lower priced offer that still allows the seller to have the same net proceeds as a higher offer paying a higher commission. Either way, you're in the driver's seat and that lower commission gives you not only flexibility but a competitive advantage over other buyers.
The 1.25% Buyer's Agent Commission
Homeport Residential offers a 1.25% buyer's agent commission across all of Ramona, zip code 92065. The rate is specified in the buyer-broker agreement signed before any property tours.
Scott is exclusively focused on working in his hometown, the place he knows and loves. Ramona is where he lives, where his clients live, and where his expertise runs deepest.
The 1.25% rate is lower than what many other buyers ask their sellers to pay for buyer's agent commission. That difference is where the structural flexibility comes from.
How the math actually works
Buyer's agent compensation is negotiated as part of every offer. At 1.25%, your commission request to the seller is meaningfully lower than what other buyers in the market may ask for. The dollar impact of that difference depends on the home price. Three examples below show how the math works at common SDCE price points.
$500,000 Ramona Home
$750,000 Ramona Home
$1,000,000 Ramona Home
The savings range reflects the difference between the 1.25% rate and what other buyers may ask for. There is no fixed or standard amount that buyers ask for; every offer specifies its own number. The dollar figures shown are illustrative and will scale up or down with purchase price.
Three ways the lower rate can work for the buyer
Because the buyer's agent commission is now negotiated as part of every offer, the 1.25% structure creates real strategic options. Working with Scott, a buyer can use the lower rate in any of three ways depending on the deal:
Option 1: Competitive edge in a multiple-offer situation
In a competitive offer scenario, sellers compare offers based on total cost to them, not just the offer price. An offer at $750,000 that asks the seller to credit $9,375 in buyer's agent commission costs the seller less than an offer at $750,000 that asks for a higher commission. From the seller's perspective, more money lands in their pocket from the lower-commission offer at the same price.
This is not always the deciding factor. Sellers care about offer price, financing strength, contingencies, closing timing, and other deal terms. But in a tight multiple-offer situation, the cost-to-seller difference can be the variable that tips the decision. A buyer who is asking for less in commission has a real, quantifiable advantage in that comparison.
Option 2: Closing cost help structured into the offer
Alternatively, the buyer can offer the same purchase price as a higher-commission buyer would, and ask the seller to credit the difference toward the buyer's closing costs. The seller's net is comparable to what they would have paid the higher-commission buyer's agent anyway. The buyer comes to closing with less out-of-pocket because their closing costs are partially covered by the credit.
This option matters especially for buyers who are stretching to make the down payment and have limited cash for closing costs, lender fees, and inspection-related expenses. Reducing the cash requirement at closing is real, immediate financial relief.
Option 3: Lower offer price, similar net to seller
A third option is to use the lower commission as room to make a lower offer on the home itself. The buyer offers below where a higher-commission buyer would, and the lower price is partially offset by the seller saving on commission. The seller's net proceeds end up comparable, but the buyer is buying the home at a lower price. This means a lower mortgage, lower property taxes over time, and lower out-of-pocket cash at closing.
Whether this option is viable depends entirely on the home, the seller's situation, and the market. In some negotiations it is a non-starter. In others it is the right path. Part of what Scott does as a buyer's agent is help figure out which option fits which deal.
The non-negotiables
Three things about the 1.25% Buyer's Agent Commission option are not flexible. They are stated explicitly so buyers know exactly what they are signing up for.
No dual agency, ever
Scott does not represent both buyer and seller in the same transaction under any circumstances. California law allows dual agency with disclosure. Many agents practice it. Scott does not. The conflict of interest is real, and Scott declines those arrangements regardless of the financial incentive to accept them.
This matters because some scenarios in real estate naturally trend toward dual agency. A buyer might fall in love with a home that Scott already lists for a seller. In that situation, Scott does not switch into a dual agency arrangement. Scott helps the buyer find separate representation, or steps back from one side of the transaction.
Walk-away clause if the seller refuses to credit any commission
If a seller refuses to credit any amount toward the buyer's agent commission, Scott walks away from the transaction. The buyer is then free to work directly with the listing agent or pursue other options. When this happens, Scott is honest with the buyer about what working with the listing agent means: the listing agent's primary fiduciary duty is to the seller, and the buyer should understand that going in.
Most agents would not walk away from a transaction this far along, because they would lose the commission entirely. The walk-away clause exists because the alternative, asking the buyer to pay 1.25% out of pocket, is exactly the impossible choice this offer was designed to avoid. If the seller will not participate in the structure, the offer cannot work as designed, and the honest move is to step back rather than push the buyer into a bad situation.
Geographic limit: zip code 92065 only
The 1.25% rate applies only to homes located in Ramona, zip code 92065. Scott is exclusively focused on working in his hometown.
How to evaluate any buyer's agent commission arrangement
The 1.25% Buyer's Agent Commission option is one path. It is not the only path, and it is not right for every buyer. When considering buyer's agent commission arrangements in Ramona or anywhere else, four questions are worth asking any agent before signing a buyer-broker agreement:
- What is the actual rate or fee, in writing? Get the number specified in the agreement before signing. Know exactly what you are committing to.
- What happens if the seller refuses to credit the commission? Some agents will walk. Others will expect the buyer to pay out of pocket. Understand the answer before it becomes a real situation.
- Does the agent practice dual agency? If yes, understand the implications. If no, ask what happens if the buyer falls in love with one of the agent's listings.
- How geographically focused is the agent's expertise? An agent who works the entire San Diego County may have less depth in any one area than an agent who specializes locally. For a complex market like Ramona, with HOA structures, sub-associations, well water, septic systems, and wildfire considerations, local depth matters more than buyers usually realize until something comes up.
The honest broker answer to all four questions should be specific, unambiguous, and consistent. Vague answers on any of them are a signal worth taking seriously.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a buyer's agent commission arrangement where Scott Hodge of Homeport Residential charges 1.25% of the purchase price as the buyer's agent commission, payable through the seller as part of the offer negotiation. The buyer signs a written buyer-broker agreement specifying this rate before viewing properties.
The offer applies to all of Ramona, California, zip code 92065. This includes San Diego Country Estates, the town of Ramona, San Vicente, and surrounding 92065 areas. Scott is exclusively focused on working in his hometown.
Scott walks away from the transaction and the buyer is free to work directly with the listing agent. In that scenario, Scott discloses honestly that the listing agent's primary duty is to the seller, and that the buyer should understand the implications before proceeding without independent representation. Scott does not practice dual agency under any circumstances.
Flat-fee services typically charge a fixed dollar amount and require buyers to do their own property searches. The 1.25% Buyer's Agent Commission option includes full local representation: property tours, market analysis, offer strategy, negotiation, inspection coordination, and closing management. The 1.25% rate is lower than what many other buyers ask for, but the work is full-service local representation, not transaction-only support.
No. Scott does not represent both buyer and seller in the same transaction under any circumstances. California allows dual agency with disclosure, but the conflict of interest is real and Scott declines those arrangements. If a buyer ends up unable to retain independent representation, Scott discloses what that means before stepping back from the transaction.
Scott is exclusively focused on working in his hometown, the place he knows and loves.
Talk to Scott about your buyer's agent options
Every buyer's situation is different. Whether the 1.25% Buyer's Agent Commission option fits your circumstances depends on the home, the seller, and what you are trying to accomplish. The fastest way to find out is a call.
Posted May 9, 2026. Compiled and written by Scott Hodge, Broker/Owner, Homeport Residential, DRE #01977659.