How One Palm Beach Agent is Changing Real Estate Commissions With a 1% Model

Written by:

Steve Marcinuk

Date:

25 Oct 2025

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Palm Beach County’s real estate market is known for luxury and high price tags, but one agent is challenging established norms with a business model that stands out in the industry. Jason Litt of LoKation, a nine-year real estate veteran who transitioned from ticket brokering, has built his practice around a 1% listing fee, a significant shift from the traditional 2.5% to 3% commission structure.

“I’m pretty much the only guy around that still has the balls enough to advertise 1%,” Litt says. “I get a lot of slack from other agents, but for me, I feel it’s a fair amount. A million-dollar listing at 1% is a $10,000 payday. Average listings take maybe eight to ten hours of labor per listing on average. That’s pretty good income.”

A Shift From Ticket Sales to Real Estate

Litt’s approach is informed by his background in an industry where margins were always under pressure. As a ticket broker selling concert and sporting event tickets in New Jersey and New York, he saw how technology disrupted longstanding sales models.

“When I moved to Florida, I was still doing it, but I saw the end in sight,” he explains. “Tickets became lottery systems, and you can’t make a living off a lottery. I had some friends in real estate and decided to give it a shot, even though I knew eight out of ten fail. For me, failure wasn’t an option.”

That determination carried him through several brokerages, from Exit Realty to eXp, a partnership with Rausch Real Estate Group, a stint at United Realty, and eventually co-founding Orbit Realty. The entrepreneurial path, however, proved more difficult than expected.

“I realized it was way too much work trying to help other agents make money so I can make money,” Litt says. “I was trying to train people, but a lot don’t listen or aren’t motivated enough. In this business, if you’re not highly motivated, you’re just not going to make it.”

The move to Lokation, a 100% commission brokerage with a $99 monthly fee and $99 per transaction, provided the structure he needed to support his low-commission model without the overhead of managing other agents.

Palm Beach County Market Dynamics

Despite economic uncertainties elsewhere, Palm Beach County continues to attract high-net-worth individuals. Litt notes that the average income of new residents is around $250,000 annually, supporting the area’s premium home prices.

“It’s never a tough economy in this area,” he observes. “There’s just a lot of money here. You’ve got 60 to 70 billionaires living from West Palm down to Miami. My motto is follow the money.”

Market conditions differ by property type. Single-family homes remain relatively balanced, with about 5.5 months of inventory, while condos and townhouses face softer conditions and about nine months of inventory.

“I’ve veered away from condos and townhouses,” Litt says. “I’ll take them if referred, but I do zero advertising toward them. Single-family homes are in a good place in Palm Beach County.”

Pricing remains a critical factor. Homes listed at the right price typically sell within one to two weeks, well below the market average of 44-45 days. “If everything is listed at the proper price, stuff moves well under the average time,” he says.

Changing Buyer Behavior and Market Trends

Today’s buyers are navigating increased inventory and higher interest rates, leading to more deliberate decision-making. Litt sees buyers taking longer, often viewing dozens of properties and revisiting favorites before making a commitment.

“I’m seeing buyers want to look at a lot of stuff,” he says. “They’ll view my listings, then months later come back and visit again. People can be selective, and I’m noticing that.”

The financial outlay required for homeownership in Palm Beach County has made buyers more cautious. Many homes require not only the purchase price and closing costs, but also significant investments for renovations or updates.

“By the time you give the down payment, mortgage, closing costs, and then maybe put on a roof or renovate, you need six figures for a lot of these homes,” Litt explains. “I think that’s a deterrent where people say they’d rather rent, but buying is still the better play if you have the money.”

Disrupting the Traditional Commission Model

Litt’s 1% commission model challenges industry norms while maintaining a high level of service. He offers comprehensive marketing, including professional photography, Zillow 3D walkthroughs, and premium placement on platforms such as the Wall Street Journal and Robb Report.

“Other agents always tell their clients, ‘You get what you pay for,’ but what if what you’re paying for is a better deal?” he says. “You can go to Target and Walmart and buy the exact same canned good, one’s cheaper than the other, but it’s no different of a product.”

The model is effective because Litt is selective about clients and properties. He avoids working with sellers who insist on overpricing, recognizing that unrealistic pricing leads to stale listings.

“A lot of people want to list high, and if they want to list too high, I won’t work with them,” Litt says. “The listing is going to go cold after it sits a month or month and a half before it hits the price where it should have started.”

Migration Patterns and Changing Demographics

Palm Beach County continues to see an influx of new residents, though the profile has changed since the height of the pandemic. While COVID initially drove people to relocate to escape restrictions, migration now appears more strategic.

“It’s still a lot of New York, Northeast, and Canadians coming down,” Litt notes. “But I’m also seeing a lot of people moving away from here to North Florida, the Carolinas, or Georgia, maybe they want cooler weather and definitely cheaper pricing.”

Community appeal goes beyond climate and taxes. Cultural familiarity is a significant draw, especially for certain demographic groups seeking similar backgrounds.

“There’s a big Jewish community here, and I think a lot of Jewish people want to live near Boca for comfort level,” Litt says. “There’s also a lot of New Yorkers, New Jersey, Northeast people. You have more in common with certain people who grew up in similar areas.”

Looking Ahead in Palm Beach County

Despite concerns over interest rates, Litt remains positive about the market’s direction. He expects rates to decline gradually, likely reaching the high fives within six to twelve months, but does not foresee a return to the lows of recent years.

“We’re never going to see 2.5% or 3% again in anyone’s lifetime,” he predicts. “But we’re also not going to see 15% either. It’s going to stay somewhere around where it is.”

For sellers who bought during or before the pandemic, the market continues to provide strong returns. “It’s all six-figure profits from pretty much all the homes I’m selling,” Litt reports. “Anyone who bought COVID or earlier is cleaning up.”

The success of Litt’s low-commission approach in one of the nation’s most expensive markets shows that even in luxury segments, value-focused strategies can succeed when paired with quality service and targeted marketing. As the real estate industry evolves, his model highlights how agents can stand out through pricing innovation while maintaining high professional standards.

For Palm Beach County, where home prices keep rising and affluent buyers sustain demand, the market appears ready to weather economic uncertainty, especially with agents like Litt demonstrating that premium markets do not always require premium commission structures.