Buying a home these days is a lot different than it was…just earlier this month. On August 17, new rules from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) settlement went into effect that will change the way people buy and sell homes, specifically when it comes to how commissions will be paid out to Realtors. (Realtors is a copyrighted term for real estate agents who are members of the NAR and subscribe to its code of ethics.) In the past, when you bought a home in the United States, you probably didn’t pay your real estate agent’s commission.