A Medellín real estate agent usually works for the seller and earns about 3% of the sale price, often plus VAT. At Colombia Desk, our concierge works for the buyer, and we run five registry and contract checks on every agent a buyer meets.
Anyone can register as a merchant at a chamber of commerce and start brokering sales. The Código de Comercio governs that work in articles 1340 to 1346, and no certification or governing body sits on top of it, according to Nexo Legal.
Who pays the commission is set in the agent’s contract. In practice the seller usually pays it, but if nobody agrees otherwise, article 1341 of the Código de Comercio splits it between buyer and seller. Put the answer in writing before you view a single apartment.
Who a Medellín Agent Works For
A Medellín agent works for whoever signed the brokerage contract, and in most sales that is the seller. The seller’s agent is paid a percentage of the price, so a higher price means a higher fee. That agent can still answer your questions well, but negotiating your price down is not their job.
A Medellín purchase usually runs through one of three set-ups. They differ in who pays and whom the person represents.
| Set-up | Who pays | Whom they represent | What they check for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seller’s listing agent | Seller, about 3% plus VAT | The seller | Whatever the seller has disclosed |
| Agent you hire to search | Agreed in your contract, or split by default | You, as far as the contract says | What the contract lists |
| Buying direct from the owner | No commission | Nobody | Nothing unless you hire a lawyer |
Choose the listing agent when you have found one specific unit and have your own lawyer. Choose an agent you hire when you want someone to search across agencies, and get a contract saying the seller pays that agent nothing on the same deal.
Go direct to an owner only with a lawyer who runs the title study, because no one else in that set-up checks the property.
Some agents will offer to represent you and the seller at once. Ask directly whether the agent holds a contract with the seller of any unit they show you, and get the answer by email.
What a Medellín Real Estate Agent Earns
A Medellín agent’s commission on an urban sale is about 3% of the final price, sometimes up to 4%, and many firms add 19% VAT. No law sets the figure, according to Bancolombia and Metrocuadrado. For rural property the reported rate is higher, around 4% to 5%, though sources disagree.
On a COP 600 million apartment, 3% is COP 18 million. With VAT it reaches COP 21.42 million, about USD 6,700 at around COP 3,200 per US dollar in mid-October 2026. Agents commonly collect it at the promesa de compraventa signing, or half at the promesa and half at the deed.
The commission matters to you as a buyer even when the seller pays it. A seller who owes COP 21 million to an agent has less room to cut the price.
If you contact an owner directly about a unit you found online, ask whether an agent already holds a contract on it. That question heads off a dispute over who earned the commission.
Five Checks That Replace an Agent License
A Colombian real estate agent needs no license, so your checks replace the license lookup you might run at home. Run all five before you share documents or money.
- Company registration. Search the agency or the agent’s name on RUES, the public register of Colombia’s chambers of commerce. A current, renewed registration shows a real business with a tax number. An agent with none is working informally.
- Trade association membership. The Lonja de Propiedad Raíz de Medellín y Antioquia is the regional real estate trade association. Membership is voluntary and is not a license. It shows the firm has joined the regional trade body, so ask the Lonja to confirm the membership.
- A written contract. Ask for the contrato de corretaje (brokerage contract) or a signed email that names whom the agent represents, the commission, who pays it and when.
- A registered appraiser for any valuation. If the agent hands you an avalúo (appraisal), it should come from an appraiser listed in the Registro Abierto de Avaluadores (RAA). Ley 1673 de 2013 defines an appraiser as a person registered there, and the register is open for anyone to search.
- A rental registration for rental managers. Rental managers in towns of over 15,000 people must hold a matrícula de arrendador with the local government under Ley 820 de 2003. Ask for it if the agent will also manage your apartment.
A broker bill, Proyecto de Ley 242 de 2025, had passed its second debate in the Cámara de Representantes by mid-2026. It would regulate brokers but is not law. Until it is, rely on the five checks above.
Red Flags When a Medellín Agent Shows You Property
Each warning sign below is pressure to skip a step. Walk away, or slow down, when you see one.
- “Sign the promesa now, the title study can come later.” The promesa commits your deposit, commonly 10% to 30% of the price. The title study has to come first.
- The agent supplies the certificado de tradición. Pull it yourself from the Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro, dated within 30 days, so nobody can hand you an old or edited copy.
- “The building allows Airbnb.” Ask for the reglamento (bylaws). Under Ley 2068 de 2020 and Colombia’s condominium rules, the bylaws must authorize stays under 30 days, and the host needs a tourism registration (RNT).
- The agent’s lawyer handles everything. A lawyer chosen by the seller’s agent may also work for the seller. Hire your own.
- A price only in dollars. The deed, the taxes and the notary use pesos. Ask for the peso price and convert it yourself in the house price converter.
- A deposit to a personal account. Pay the deposit only as the signed promesa sets out, after your lawyer has read it.
When we take on a Medellín purchase, the first thing we do is order the title study before anyone signs. Drop any agent who pushes back on that order.
How to Find a Medellín Real Estate Agent
You can find Medellín agents through the portals, the Lonja and the buildings you like.
- Portals. Listings on Espacio Urbano and Fincaraíz show the agency behind each unit. Our Colombia real estate websites guide explains how to search them.
- The Lonja. Ask the association which member firms sell in the neighborhood you want.
- The building itself. Ask the front desk or the administración office which agencies sell units in that building.
Interview two or three agents before you pick one. Ask each one the same five questions:
- Who pays your commission on the units you will show me?
- Do you hold a contract with the seller of any unit on your list?
- Will you show me units listed by other agencies?
- Can I see your RUES registration?
- Will you confirm all of this by email?
If you would rather have someone on your side from the first viewing, our Medellín buyers concierge works for you as the buyer. We vet the agents, pull the registry records, line up your own lawyer and the notary, and keep the steps in the right order while you choose the apartment.
When You Do Not Need a Medellín Agent
An agent adds little in two cases.
- You are buying new construction. Developers sell from their own sales rooms, and the developer’s staff work for the developer. Bring your own lawyer to read the purchase contract instead.
- You already know the building and the owner. A direct sale with your own lawyer and a title study covers the protections an agent would not give you anyway.
An agent can still help you after the purchase if you plan to rent the apartment out. Our Medellín property management guide covers managers and their fees.
Our advice would change if Proyecto de Ley 242 de 2025 becomes law and creates a broker register you can check. It would also change if Colombia set a legal commission split for buyers.
Before you sign anything with a Medellín real estate agent, search the agency on RUES, ask who pays the commission, and get both answers in writing. Then read our buying in Medellín guide for prices by neighborhood.