What Is the Commission Split for the Agents at The Oppenheim Group?

Netflix's Selling Sunset and Selling the OC follow California-based real estate agents who sell high-end properties for The Oppenheim Group brokerage.

Though the agents market, list, and tour the properties themselves, they are representing their listings through The Oppenheim Group (which means that they get exposure from the brokerage's name, and they can, sometimes, get access to certain marketing and staging materials).

As a result, when the agents do sell their listings, they give some of their commission back to The Oppenheim Group.

Many of the agents on both of the Netflix programs live lavishly, leading some viewers to wonder what the commission split is at The Oppenheim Group.

Throughout the debut season of Selling the OC, a few of the agents discussed the commission split at the brokerage. When Kayla Cardona wanted to co-list a Laguna Beach property with fellow agent, Alex Hall, the two discussed the brokerage's "standard agreement."

When Kayla actually called the potential client, Doug, she mentioned that the commission would be "5.5" percent, and that the brokerage's "concierge service" would be included (The O Group covers the cost of staging up front, and that money is recuperated when the property is sold).

Alex then got on the phone and noted that 5.5 percent is a "starting point" for the sales commission at the brokerage, and that the perks of working with The O Group justify why the commission is on the "higher" end.

After the agents negotiate their commission, if the property sells, then the brokerage gets a cut of the money as well. This is because the brokerage assumes liability in case anything goes wrong, and it's one of the reasons why the brokers can shoot down listings, sales prices, and negotiation tactics.

Though Alex and Kayla didn't discuss how much of their potential shared commission would go to the brokerage, Selling Sunset alum Maya Vander discussed the break-down of a purchase commission in a 2020 interview with Metro.

The percentage she offered was a bit lower than what Alex mentioned was the "starting point," which could be because the brokerage wasn't as well-known in 2020 (the third season of Selling Sunset had just dropped, and the Newport Beach office hadn't opened yet).

"Typically the commission on a purchase is 5 percent..." Maya said. "If I bring the buyer, I get 2.5 percent of the purchase price, but then Jason will take his cut because he's the broker and he has the liability."

She then discussed what the normal split was on the listings at that time.

"Typically for a brokerage, it's about 70/30 split. I would keep 70 percent out of the 2.5 percent and he would take 30 percent," she added. "And then we have to pay taxes."

Jason Oppenheim, who appears on both Selling Sunset and Selling the OC (and who dated Selling Sunset agent Chrishell Stause) is the founder and current president of The Oppeneheim Group brokerage.

The broker often works alongside his twin brother, Brett Oppenheim, who now operates a different brokerage, Oppenheim Real Estate. Brett is the president and broker of the latter brokerage, and he left The Oppenheim Group in 2020 (though he still appears on both shows).

The first season of Selling the OC is available to stream on Netflix now, as are the first five seasons of Selling Sunset.