The answer is: It depends.
If real estate agents are paid on commission only depends if the real estate agent is self-employed or not. If not, he would get a monthly wage from his employer plus his share in a deal when he sold something.
Being employed
Any real estate agent who does not own a business is usually an employee at a bank or at a real estate office.
This can be lucrative. Although in this case the commission is not particularly large, he receives a fixed salary each month.
The commission varies greatly with the performance of the broker. In most real estate offices the performance-related salary would be between 20 to 50 percent of the commission.
Being self-employed
An alternative to an employment with a monthly salary is being self-employment as a real estate agent.
There is no fixed income, but the commission per sale or rental is higher.
Real estate commissions are based on the price of the property. The commission for a real estate transaction is negotiable. It tends to range anywhere from 1% all the way up to 10%.
But don´t forget, as a freelance real estate agent you also have more expenses, such as costs forrunning your office and possibly paying staff. These costs will lessen your profits. In addition, self-employed need to look after their health insurance and Pay taxes (income tax, trade tax, etc.).
Real estate agents carry a high economic risk, because they are responsible for the accuracy of their statements. Basically, they work for free until they sell something. Some properties may not be sold because of unrealistic price expectations of the seller. Also, some may sell only after many months and countless viewing appointments. In addition, buyers who contact the seller directly to bypass the commission pose a commercial risk to the real estate agent.