Realtor commissions can often be the largest expense when selling a home, so finding one with affordable fees could significantly increase your profit. When searching for low cost real estate agents, make sure that they offer solutions suitable to your situation and shop around to find what best meets it.
Use Clever to connect with pre-negotiated, discount realtors in New York – saving thousands in listing fees alone!
1. Houzeo
Houzeo MLS listing service allows homeowners to save money on real estate commissions by eliminating the need for real estate agents on the selling side. Houzeo offers four MLS packages and add-on services that help manage transactions from start to finish; its pricing structure is competitive while it offers additional features and savings not typically found with flat fee MLS services; however some users have complained about Houzeo’s pricing structure, listing limitations, or coverage.
Houzeo has received widespread praise for its user-friendly interface and exceptional customer support, with customers reporting savings up to $10,000 by choosing Houzeo’s services. Based in New York City and one of the fastest-growing flat fee MLS companies available today, its customer satisfaction scores stand out with a rating of 4.9 out of 5. Trustpilot also gives Houzeo high marks when rating them customer satisfaction levels.
Houzeo’s listing process begins with conducting a comparative market analysis to ascertain the property’s worth, followed by setting an asking price and scheduling showings. Sellers are then invited to upload photos and property descriptions; Houzeo also works with syndication partners to make sure listings appear throughout the internet.
Once a listing is complete, Houzeo reviews it for quality and accuracy before posting it to MLS and local websites. In addition, Houzeo provides access to an offers dashboard where sellers can track offers that come their way; it is user-friendly with numerous benefits for sellers.
The company offers an inclusive listing service, featuring features like virtual broker support and disclosure forms. However, some users have reported issues with MLS coverage and listings not appearing at the top of search results. Furthermore, its pricing structure can be confusing for sellers to comprehend and some have reported not receiving offers due to insufficient MLS exposure or coverage issues.
2. Houwzer
Houwzer Real Estate of Philadelphia is an innovative real estate agency that employs salaried agents to save homebuyers and sellers money on real estate transactions. Houwzer provides full-service brokerage and transaction management services, predominantly within residential markets; their 1% listing fee significantly less than what most real estate agencies charge (typically 2.5-3%)
Although many customers of Yelp praise its user experience, others have voiced dissatisfaction over a perceived lack of personalized service from agents. One Malvern reviewer on Yelp complained about an agent failing to market their property correctly and setting an incorrect list price that resulted in thousands-of-dollar loss; she suspected their conflict of interest forced them to under-value her home value.
Houwzer offers additional services to assist its clients during the sale process, such as mortgage brokers, lenders and financing assistance as well as home staging, photography and closing assistance.
Houwzer has also ventured into the title and insurance industries, offering services that address some of the key obstacles homeowners encounter during a sale, such as inclement weather or complicated loan requirements. When these arise, Houwzer works closely with local companies to provide solutions for its clients.
Houwzer has led East Coast clients through more than 4,000 home transactions over seven years, saving them $40 million in unnecessary commission fees. Their team of salaried agents is focused on client satisfaction and has designed an innovative yet cost-effective model to meet today’s challenging real estate market.
Clever Real Estate offers top-rated real estate agents at reduced fees than Houwzer, pre-negotiating 1.5% listing fees with top agents from trusted brokerages like Keller Williams and RE/MAX. Their customer support and marketing are also highly acclaimed; you’ll gain access to real estate professionals familiar with your neighborhood who can give your market an advantage.
3. Redefy
Redefy is a discount real estate brokerage offering home sellers a flat fee rate and 1% selling commission, operating in 29 markets across nine U.S. states and employing agents who are fully licensed – similar to traditional brokers (minus open houses and print flyers). Redefy can provide lower listing fees than its competitors due to not sharing commissions with buyers’ agents, yet has a non-refundable upfront fee of $500 that could potentially derail its business model.
Redefy’s commission rates to buyers’ agents remain unknown, which may discourage some customers from submitting offers. Furthermore, its model has recently experienced financial issues which could have an adverse impact on service quality and customer outcomes.
When selecting your Redefy agent, ensure to carefully read reviews from local residents and interview multiple agents in order to find the ideal combination of savings and service quality. Bear in mind that even low listing fees could offset by increased sales prices; so it is crucial that you find one who will quickly sell your home at a price suitable to you.
Redefy provides sellers of homes a flat fee plus several extra services, including professional photos, staging your home for sale, customized property websites, virtual tours and lockbox services. Unfortunately, Redefy’s MLS aggregator does not compare well to competing services.
Redefy’s headquarters are in Aurora, Colorado; however, its offices are spread out nationwide and thus there can be variation in services offered by different Redefy agents across the nation. Some users have reported difficulties with customer service while others have indicated delays in receiving responses to questions.
Redefy is a legitimate discount brokerage that can save home sellers significant sums of money on listing fees; however, these potential savings come at the cost of diminished service quality and increased risks. Other low commission brokers such as Clever Real Estate offer comparable savings without as many service tradeoffs or potential service problems.
4. Clever Real Estate
Clever Real Estate offers a free service that connects property buyers and sellers with top-performing local agents. Their agent matching process takes into account a consumer’s goals, needs, and expectations before providing several agent recommendations that they can interview before choosing their ideal agent for their transaction.
When it comes to selling a home, this company offers an extremely cost-effective 1.5% listing fee that’s much lower than the typical 2.5 or 3% rate and could save homeowners thousands of dollars in commission costs. Plus, eligible buyers receive cash back after closing.
Homeowners looking to sell their homes can reach out to Clever either by phone or online form and speak to one of their concierges, who then discuss their home and goals before providing agent recommendations based on these factors. Once they’ve chosen one of these recommendations they hire them as the person responsible for listing and selling their home.
Similar to UpNest and Ideal Agent, Clever Real Estate serves as an intermediary to provide consumers with access to top-rated realtors without incurring their traditional commission rates. Their impartial model claims that this removes conflicts of interest concerns while simultaneously providing homeowners with better service.
However, many of their agents are affiliated with traditional brokerage firms that may reduce the savings for homeowners. Some agents may even receive kickbacks from the company, which violates federal antitrust laws and results in price fixing.
This company claims to partner with “a select group of the best agents in the market”, whom it relies upon for discounted services. Unfortunately, it’s unclear if these agents have been independently assessed to assess their level of knowledge and expertise of local housing market. Furthermore, its low commission fee does not match industry standard and may lead to subpar customer outcomes.
Reputations as a good value provider hinge heavily on their ability to offer home sellers competitive rates; this may be offset by not guaranteeing specific outcomes; nonetheless, low fees don’t always lead to successful sales, so it is best to explore all available agents prior to making a selection decision.