Short answer: yes, you can use a buyer commission rebate with an FHA, VA, or conventional loan in Arizona. The rebate shows up as a credit on your closing statement and pays for closing costs, prepaid taxes and insurance, or points to lower your rate. What it cannot do on a financed purchase is pay your down payment, and each loan type caps how much credit you can receive.
Most Arizona sellers and builders still offer the buyer's agent a commission, usually 2.5% to 3.5% of the price. With RebateAZ the math is simple:
So on a $400,000 home where the seller offers 3.5%, your agent is paid $14,000, keeps $6,000, and $8,000 comes back to you. You get the same full service either way: showings, negotiation, contract, inspections, and closing. This is how a rebate differs from a flat-fee agent. Instead of paying a fee out of pocket, you keep most of the commission the seller is already paying.
Lenders treat a credit from your agent as an interested party contribution, the same bucket as credits from the seller or builder. Every loan program caps the total of those credits, and the credits can only pay real costs on your closing statement.
| Loan | Cap on seller + agent credits | Can it pay the down payment? | Where the rebate can go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac) | 3% of the price with less than 10% down; 6% with 10% up to 25% down; 9% with 25% or more down. Investment homes: 2%. | No | Closing costs, prepaids, points. The credit cannot be more than your total closing costs. |
| FHA | 6% of the sales price | No. Your 3.5% minimum down payment must come from you, a gift, or an approved assistance program. | Closing costs and prepaids. Anything over your actual costs, or over 6%, lowers the price used for your loan. |
| VA | Seller concessions are capped at 4% of the home's value. Normal closing costs paid for you do not count toward the 4%. | VA usually needs no down payment | Closing costs, prepaids, the funding fee. VA lenders differ on how they count an agent credit, so we confirm with yours before the offer. |
| Cash | No lender limit | Not applicable | Credited on your settlement statement |
These are the agency rules as of November 2026. Your lender can be stricter, and every credit must be disclosed and appear on your Closing Disclosure.
Text us the address of any home and we'll tell you your rebate in dollars.Licensed Arizona agents with HomeSmart. Read our Google reviews.
Text (602) 975-2727The good news: a rebate of 1.5% to 2% almost always fits under these caps by itself. Problems only start when the rebate is stacked on top of a large seller credit, which is covered below.
Examples are estimates. Your rebate depends on the commission offered on the home you buy and your loan's rules.
Because the rebate can only pay real closing costs, it competes with seller credits for the same space. If you ask the seller to pay all of your closing costs and you have a rebate coming, the total can be more than your costs or more than your loan's cap. The extra does not come back to you as cash. It is cut from the credit or used to lower the price the lender uses.
The fix is to plan the offer around the rebate:
Arizona assistance programs like HOME Plus and Home in Five pay toward your down payment, and a rebate can then cover closing costs. Assistance programs do not allow cash back at closing, so the rebate is applied to allowable costs. See our guide to Arizona first time home buyer programs for current income limits and how much help each program gives.
Wondering whether it is allowed? Read Is a Realtor Rebate Legal in Arizona? and our full Arizona realtor rebate guide.
Yes. FHA allows credits from interested parties, including your agent, up to 6% of the sales price combined. The rebate can pay closing costs and prepaids but not your 3.5% minimum down payment.
Not on a financed purchase. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA all bar credits from interested parties from being used for the down payment. Down payment money has to come from you, a gift, or an approved assistance program.
Usually not when you use a loan, because the credit is limited to your actual closing costs. Cash buyers can receive it as a credit on the settlement statement.
1.5% of the purchase price, with a $4,500 minimum. In most deals the seller or builder pays it as part of the commission they already offer, and anything above that comes back to you.
We offer a rebate, which works out better for most buyers. You get full service, the seller's offered commission pays your agent, and everything above 1.5% (minimum $4,500) is credited back to you, up to 2% of the price.
Then plan the offer so the two credits do not overlap. Asking for a lower price, or using the rebate for points, keeps you from losing part of it to your loan's caps.
Yes, and new builds often pay the largest rebates because builders commonly offer higher agent commissions. You must bring your agent, or register them, on your first visit to the builder. See rebates on new construction in Arizona.
Sources (checked November 2026): Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-4.1-02, Interested Party Contributions; HUD FHA FAQ, What costs can a seller or other interested party pay; VA home loans.
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