The Best Discount Real Estate Brokers  (2024)

Table of content

Discount Real Estate Services

Richr

Clever Real Estate

Redfin

Houwzer

SimpleShowing

Are Discount Brokerages Worth It?

How Much Time Do You Need to Sell Your Home

How To Get The Best Price For Your Home

FAQ

What are discount real estate brokers?

How do discount brokers work?

What companies offer the lowest real estate fees?

Will discount brokers advertise open houses for me?

Are discount realtors worth it?

How much can I save with a discount realtor?

How can I find discount real estate brokers near me?

What are the different types of discount brokers for home sellers?

How much do discount real estate brokers charge to sell a house?

How can discount real estate brokers charge lower fees?

Who are the best discount real estate Brokers? Forbes recently reported in August of 2021 that home prices in Florida cities jumped 32%, labeled the biggest U.S. gain. Take Tampa, for example – in June 2020, the median sale price was $174,385 compared to now – $230,781. With prices soaring, people are beginning to consider low-fee real estate brokers.

Discount Real Estate Services

Looking at the 32% jump in prices since last year, homeowners question where that extra commission is going and if selling with an agent is worth giving them a piece of the pie.

Looking to Tampa, in 2020, with their median sale price, you would be paying the average 6% commission – a whopping $10,463. Now, you’ll be paying $13,847 plus closing fees. That’s why we’re going to tell you about the pros and cons of discount realtors, so you have the chance to make an informed decision before handing over your hard-earned equity.

Richr

Richr assists buyers with earning cashback when purchasing a home. They allow homeowners to list for free on the MLS and have an additional $499 fee to have title services included. This is nominal compared to other title services companies. Their motto is Happiness Guaranteed and after looking at this list, you’ll see why.

Pros

• When it comes to the lowest discount real estate brokers Florida, you can’t get better than free.
• You can add unlimited photos, whereas other flat fee or discount companies have limitations.
• All of your real estate documents are provided.
• You have unlimited concierge support and can cancel anytime.

Cons

• Like most flat fee real estate brokers, you’ll be in charge of any additional marketing outside of the MLS, as well as the photos and description of the home.
• Unless you pay $499, you’ll need to hire an outside title settlement company.
• You could still be on the hook with offering a buyer commission for 2% – but you certainly don’t have to!

Clever Real Estate

Clever offers property owners a few options when they sell their homes. They can provide you with either a flat fee of $3,000 or the opportunity to work with a full-service discount real estate agent from recognized brands, like Century 21 or Keller Williams, for 1%.

Pros

• If you’re a first-time seller or have a complicated sale, you can opt-in for an agent that will work on your behalf. They don’t provide all the bells and whistles a traditional agent would and typically have more clients to juggle because of the low fees.
• You can interview a few of their recommended low commission real estate agents from your local area or walk away with no obligation.

Cons

• They may not live up to your expectations even with a guaranteed full service from their low commission realtors. Anything they may consider a “premium upgrade” is going to cost you.
• If you’re comparing a 1% fee to their $3,000 flat fee, keep in mind you’ll need to have a sale of at least $300,000 to match their flat fee offering – way above Florida’s median price.

Redfin

While some low-cost real estate brokers, like Clever, have negotiations with locally recognized brokerages, Redfin hires their own in-house team of agents. Redfin allows sellers to benefit when they use their agents to buy, lowering their 1.5% fee to 1%.

Pros

• You’re able to have a full-service experience with agents assisting with the sale at roughly 30% less than a traditional real estate agent.
• When using a discount buyers agent, you get to save on the listing fee commission by 0.5%

Cons

• Redfin agents handle 3X more clients than your average low cost realtors. This means they’re always on the go and won’t be able to give your listing the attention it needs, almost like you’re solo.
• Your home isn’t placed in the hands of one agent – it’s central to the entire team. This means you increase the risk of errors with delayed information or miscommunication.

Houwzer

Houwzer is a low-cost real estate brokerage available along the East Coast that offers a flat fee of $5,000 to list your home with them. This is a perfect solution for profitable properties soaring above 1 million in sale price because of the marketing benefit.

Pros

• Virtual home tours and HD photography is provided with your fees.
• They claim to have social media, neighborhood mailers and email marketing campaigns for your home.
• Like most discount real estate brokers, they put it on MLS.

Cons

• If your home sale is below $500,000, you’re better off going with a 1% brokerage or listing for free on MLS. Savings are more lucrative at the million-plus price point.
• Your options for agents are limited, so if you don’t like who you’re working with, you may need to go another route.
• Like Redfin, they also have a team-based approach that raises eyebrows for broken communication, increasing the risk of mistakes.

SimpleShowing

SimpleShowing is another popular discount real estate commission service available in Florida, Georgia, and Texas with a 1% full-service listing fee policy. The disadvantages of discount real estate brokers like this one are they have a minimum fee, so lower-priced homes don’t benefit nearly as much, and you have a smaller pool of agents to choose from.

Pros

• You save at least 33% more than if you sold with a traditional agent.
• This company refunds buyers half the commission it collects from any transaction.

Cons

• Unless your home sells for $350,000 or more, you’ll be paying these low fee realtors more than 1%.
• Like most discount brokerages, you’ll be juggled between agents and their time while paying them a fee to do so. If your goal is to save money, a free MLS service may be more suitable.

Are Discount Brokerages Worth It?

Deciding whether or not a discount brokerage will work for your current home selling needs is different for every person. Not everyone wants to make as much money on the sale of their home. Some property owners prefer someone to handle everything A-Z, and that’s okay. Here are a few items to consider when deciding if a discount real estate brokerage is worth it for you:

How Much Time Do You Need to Sell Your Home

Selling your home can literally happen overnight. But there’s often work that goes behind it before putting it up for sale. When you work with a low fee realtor, they’ll take care of coordinating showings and the paperwork, but depending on which company you choose, you may be on the hook for photography or other tasks.

If your goal is to be hands-off when selling your home, you should find the best discount real estate brokerage in your area to assist with the sale. On the flip side, if you’re selling to make as much profit in your pocket as possible, listing on MLS for free is suitable for property owners that can allocate time to selling the home and be available for showings and questions.

How To Get The Best Price For Your Home

If you want to get the best price for your home without paying high commission fees, looking into discount brokerages is a place to start. However, it’s essential to read the fine print as many have a ‘minimum fee,’ like SimpleShowing, hitting above the promised 1% commission price. You don’t necessarily need to use a real estate agent for marketing your home at a discount brokerage to get the best price, either. Here are a few things you can do before listing on the MLS for free, saving on commission and raising that sale price:

• Declutter and clean until it sparkles! When people are examining your home, the little details matter. If there are kids’ toys everywhere or last night’s dishes in the sink, it reminds them the house is occupied by someone else. You want them thinking about their future in the space!
• Hire a professional real estate photographer – they aren’t as expensive as you think! They have the right equipment (yes, better than your iPhone) and editing skills to enhance the best features of your home.
• Do any minor repairs you can. If a buyer can notice it, they’ll try to negotiate it. If spending a Saturday afternoon fixing up the minor dings in the wall or repainting the bathroom is going to increase your sale price, it’s worth it.

FAQ

What are discount real estate brokers?

Discount real estate brokers aim to provide sellers discounted fees with the commission paid to a Realtor to sell their property. To still be profitable, they limit the services they would typically offer if they were a full-service agency. This could include:

• Not assisting with home preparation.
• You’ll need to provide the photography.
• Basically, just put the property on MLS.

How do discount brokers work?

When you decide to list your home with a discount broker, you’ll need to sign a listing agreement for them to put it on MLS. They’ll typically charge a fee for this, but Richr offers this service for free, with an option of $499 title settlement inclusion.

What companies offer the lowest real estate fees?

While some discount brokerages offer you 1% of the sale price, Richr lets you list on MLS absolutely free with unlimited photos, unlimited concierge support and real estate documents provided.

Will discount brokers advertise open houses for me?

Discount brokers will not go above and beyond to advertise your open house for you. But if you ask them to put it on MLS, they certainly will. When you sell your home using Richr’s free service, you can update your listing without any fees for changes.

Are discount realtors worth it?

A discount realtor isn’t necessarily worth the fee they charge. All they do is put the property up on MLS to make a profit on the discounted price, often offering buyers’ agents a discounted commission too. If you’re considering discount realtors, the best way to go is using a free MLS service to list your home online. You can use your savings from the discount realtor to hire a professional photographer to assist with your marketing.

How much can I save with a discount realtor?

If you use a discount realtor, how much you save depends on what company you use. For example, Redfin charges a 1.5% listing fee with a bit more hands-on experience with a team. Richr allows you to do everything yourself, absolutely free – like populating your home on over 750 websites.

How can I find discount real estate brokers near me?

When researching discount real estate brokers near you, you can find reputable sources listed in our article. If none of those brokerages service your area, we recommend listing with Richr for free, so you have all the paperwork you need and access to hundreds of websites to showcase your home.

What are the different types of discount brokers for home sellers?

There are a few different types of real estate brokers that are available for home sellers. The first partners an agent with a seller to provide a few more standard services that a traditional agent would do at a lower fee. However, these agents usually have many clients on the go and can’t dedicate a lot of time or attention. A flat fee discount brokerage has a one-time fee to list your home on MLS, while some allow you to do it completely free.

How much do discount real estate brokers charge to sell a house?

Discount real estate brokerages typically charge anywhere from a flat rate fee to 2% of the sale price. Clever, for example, charges a flat fee of $3,000 to list your home without an agent. Richr charges $0.

How can discount real estate brokers charge lower fees?

Real estate brokers charge lower fees by offering sellers the opportunity to do more of the work themselves to get a more significant profit in their pocket. Different discount real estate brokers provide various options, such as an agent assisting with the sale or an utterly solo venture, only posting it on MLS on your behalf.

When considering a discount real estate brokerage, thinking about the core reason behind the sale of your home will help you make an informed decision. If you’re moving to your dream home or a fixer-upper that needs extra cash for renovations, consider selling yourself by listing on MLS for free and saving that commission. If you buy your dream home with Richr, you’ll even make cashback too!