5 Best Discount Real Estate Brokers in 2026

Can you pay 1% to 2% to list your house with a "discount real estate broker" but still get a full-service agent? You sure can. But the harder question is why almost nobody does it.

In our 2026 survey of 500 recent home sellers, 41% said they didn't know discount or low-commission brokerages existed at all, and another 27% had heard of them but knew almost nothing about them. Only 9% ended up using one.[1]

That lack of awareness is costing sellers real money. A traditional listing agent charges 2.5% to 3%. A discount broker charges 1% to 2% for the same MLS listing, the same photos, and, in the best cases, the same caliber of agent. On a $400,000 sale, dropping from 3% to 1.5% keeps $6,000 in your pocket. On a $700,000 sale, it's $10,500.

Just know that "discount" covers a wide range of business models, from a nationwide agent-matching service to a two-agent franchise in one metro, and the minimum fees buried in the fine print can erase the savings entirely on a lower-priced home. Below are the five companies whose fee-to-service ratio holds up, what each one costs, and the specific questions to ask before you sign.

Want to pay less in realtor fees? The top broker on our list, Clever Real Estate, can help you find vetted local agents who charge just 1.5%. You'll answer a few short questions, then receive personalized recommendations in your inbox. This service is free, and there's no obligation to move forward with an agent. Get started today!

What is a discount real estate broker?

A discount broker is an agent or brokerage that charges less than the traditional listing-side commission. The traditional structure is 2.5% to 3% for the listing agent and 2.5% to 3% for the buyer's agent, for a total of 5% to 6% of the sale price. Discount brokers cut the listing side to 1% to 2% and leave the buyer-side question to negotiation.

The important distinction is between a discount broker and a flat-fee MLS service. A discount broker is a licensed agent doing the full job (pricing, photography, MLS syndication, showings, negotiation, contract-to-close) for a lower percentage. A flat-fee MLS service sells you the listing itself for a few hundred dollars and leaves everything else to you. Both save money. Only one saves you work.

Three models sit under the "discount broker" umbrella, and they behave differently:

• Agent-matching services (Clever, Ideal Agent, UpNest) negotiate a reduced rate with agents at conventional brokerages. You get a normal local agent at a pre-negotiated fee.
• In-house salaried brokerages (Redfin, Prevu) employ their own agents and use technology and volume to fund the discount. Consistent process, less individual attention.
• Low-fee franchises and independents (1 Percent Lists, SimpleShowing, and local brokerages like Quadwalls in Northwest Indiana) build the whole business around a low rate.

Chuck Vander Stelt, an Indiana broker who runs a low-fee model at Quadwalls Real Estate in Northwest Indiana, argues sellers should aim their fee-cutting effort at one specific target. "Sellers wanting to reduce their real estate commission fees should focus on hiring a low-cost listing agent," he says. "The buyer's agent has a relationship with the buyer and is their trusted advisor. Additionally, the buyer's agent typically does significantly more work."[2]

Types of discount real estate brokers

Five models sit under the "discount broker" umbrella, and they behave differently. Knowing which one you're talking to is the single most useful filter when you compare companies.

1. Full-service discount brokers

These charge a reduced percentage, usually 1% to 2%, for the complete listing job: pricing, photos, MLS, showings, negotiation, and closing. Under the hood, they fund the discount three different ways.

Some discount brokerage options, like Clever Real Estate and Ideal Agent, pre-negotiate lower rates with full-service agents at conventional brokerages. Some, like Redfin and Prevu, employ their own salaried agents and use technology and volume. Some, like 1 Percent Lists, are low-fee franchises that build the whole business around a lean rate. All five companies ranked in this article below are full-service discount brokers.

2. Flat-fee full-service brokers

Same complete service, but for a set dollar amount instead of a percentage, commonly $3,000 to $5,000 regardless of sale price. The math favors expensive homes: a $5,000 flat fee is 0.7% on a $700,000 sale but 2.5% on a $200,000 sale. Run your own number before assuming a flat fee beats a percentage.

3. Virtual and limited-service brokers

Online-first brokerages that strip the service menu down and let you pay for pieces à la carte. You might get the MLS listing, pricing guidance, and contract review, but handle your own showings and open houses, or pay separately for photography. Cheaper than full service, more work than full service. Read the service list line by line before you sign.

4. Flat-fee MLS services

Not really brokers in the working sense. For a few hundred dollars, they enter your listing into the local MLS, where it syndicates to Zillow, Realtor.com, and the portals. Everything else (pricing, showings, negotiation, disclosures, closing) is on you. A flat-fee MLS listing is a FSBO tool with better exposure, not a cheaper agent.

5. Buyer rebate programs

The one model aimed at buyers instead of sellers. Some brokerages return a portion of the buyer-agent commission to you at closing. Prevu's Smart Buyer rebate, for example, returns up to roughly 1.5% where state law permits, and Prevu's parent company reported a median rebate of $10,450 for buyers who closed through its brokerage entities in 2025.[3] Rebates are prohibited or restricted in a handful of states, so confirm eligibility before you plan around the money.

Whichever model you're comparing, aim your fee-cutting effort at one specific target. "Sellers wanting to reduce their real estate commission fees should focus on hiring a low cost listing agent," Vander Stelt says. "The buyer's agent has the relationship with the buyer and is their trusted advisor. Additionally, the buyer's agent typically does significantly more work."[2]

What services do you get with discount brokers?

At the full-service companies on this list, the core job is included: the services that actually sell the house. Where discount brokers trim is usually the extras, and that's where you should read carefully. Here's what's typically included and what's not:

The right way to use this table is as a script for your first call, not a verdict on the category. Ashley Oshinsky, broker and owner of Higher Living Real Estate in Metro Detroit, publishes three service tiers at 4%, 3%, and 2.5% with the services in each spelled out, and her experience points at what actually matters.

"What surprised me is how little I actually end up discounting. When people can see exactly what they're paying for, most don't mind paying it. Fee pushback is almost always a value gap."[4]

That's the standard to hold a discount broker to. Not "is this cheap," but "can they tell me exactly what I get for it."

Pros and cons of discount brokers

The savings are real and easy to calculate. A 3% listing fee on a $500,000 home is $15,000. At 1% it's $5,000. The risk is harder to quantify: a weaker negotiation or a longer time on market can cost more than the fee you saved.

Sellers who used a low-commission broker mostly didn't experience that downside. Among the low-commission sellers in the Clever survey, 82% rated their service as good as or better than a traditional agent would have provided, and 69% believed their home sold for the same or more than it would have otherwise.[1] Treat those as directional. The subgroup was 45 sellers, not a large sample.

The counterargument comes from agents who charge full rates and can articulate why. Jay Mills, a realtor partner with the Hupman Group in Savannah, Georgia, puts it bluntly: "I believe all of us in real estate live by the motto 'you get what you pay for,' and a discount very often means a lack of something: experience, knowledge, resources, or time to work for you as a client. Ask questions on what a discount broker is offering and not offering, and don't be afraid to interview two if you feel one is missing something."[5]

Oshinsky's experience suggests the question is really about transparency rather than price. She lists three published tiers, at 4%, 3%, and 2.5%, with the services in each spelled out. "What surprised me is how little I actually end up discounting. When people can see exactly what they're paying for, most don't mind paying it. Fee pushback is almost always a value gap."[4]

Are discount brokers legit? How do they make money?

Discount brokers are legitimate. The agents are licensed under the same state laws as any other agent, listed on the same MLS, use the same state-approved contracts, and owe you the same fiduciary duties. A 1.5% agent and a 3% agent are regulated identically. Price is a business decision, not a licensing tier.

The more useful question is how a company affords the discount, because the answer tells you what to expect from the service:

• Volume. Most discount models trade margin for deal count. An agent who closes 40 sales at 1.5% earns more than one who closes 15 at 3%, and lean teams plus software make the higher volume manageable.
• Free customer acquisition. Companies like Clever Real Estate send agents a steady stream of ready-to-list sellers. Agents accept the lower rate because they spend nothing on marketing or lead generation to get those closings, so the discount comes out of the brokerage's customer-acquisition budget rather than out of your service.
• Salaried agents and technology. Redfin and Prevu employ their own agents and route much of the busywork (scheduling, paperwork, tours) through software and support staff. Consistent process, less individual attention.
• Low overhead. Franchises like 1 Percent Lists and small independents skip the expensive offices and national ad budgets and pass the difference through as a lower rate.

The real risks with a discount broker are the ones in the fine print, not the license: a minimum fee that quietly raises your effective rate, add-on charges for services you assumed were included, and thin agent coverage in smaller markets. Every one of those is checkable before you sign, and the vetting questions later in this guide cover exactly how.

Top 5 discount brokers

1. Clever Real Estate

Listing fee: 1.5%, with a $3,000 minimum

Availability: Nationwide

What Clever offers: Clever is a discount real estate brokerage. It connects you with agents at conventional brokerages (Keller Williams, RE/MAX, Century 21, and local independents) who have agreed to a 1.5% listing fee for Clever-referred business. You get a full-service listing agent with local market knowledge, and the discount comes from the brokerage's margin rather than from your service.

The math: On a $400,000 home, 1.5% is $6,000 instead of $12,000 at 3%. The $3,000 minimum means the effective rate rises on cheaper homes: at $200,000, you're paying an effective 1.5%, but at $150,000, you're paying 2%.

What actual customers say: Reviews focus on agent quality and the speed of the match. Complaints cluster around agent responsiveness in thinner markets, where the agent bench is shallower.

Best for: Sellers who want to compare multiple pre-vetted agents at a fixed low rate without cold-calling brokerages.

Not ideal for: Sellers of homes under about $200,000, where the minimum fee eats the discount.

1.5% listing fee vs. 2.5%–3% traditional The 1.5% is the listing agent’s fee only. Buyer’s agent compensation, if the seller offers it, is negotiated separately and paid on top. A $3,000 minimum applies, so the effective rate is higher on homes under roughly $200,000.

The seller picks the agent

Carlos C. 50+ Halo Realty · 25 recent sales

Cathy C. 46 Keller Williams · 25 recent sales

JC Young 19 eXp Realty · 39 recent sales

Full service included at 1.5%

• Pricing strategy
• Photography
• MLS syndication
• Showings
• Negotiation
• Closing

4,300+ 5-star reviews on Trustpilot

How Clever Real Estate works

Clever is a discount real estate broker that connects sellers with top-rated, full-service agents from name-brand brokerages who have agreed to sell for a 1.5% listing fee (roughly half the traditional 2.5% to 3%).

1. 1 Answer a few questions about the home. Clever’s concierge team responds with matched agents in the seller’s market. Free, with no obligation.
2. 2 Compare the matches and pick one. Clever partner agents are top producers from every major brand, or top-rated local brokerages, and each has already agreed to the 1.5% rate.
3. 3 List at 1.5% with full service. The seller gets the same service a traditional listing includes, with nothing unbundled or sold back as an add-on to reach the lower rate. Clever reports sellers save an average of $7,000.

Learn more: Anytime Estimate’s review of Clever Real Estate

2. Redfin

Listing fee: 2%, reduced to 1% if you also buy with a Redfin agent within 365 days of closing on your listing 

Availability: More than 80 markets

What changed: Redfin's standard listing fee is now 2%, not the 1.5% it advertised for years. The 1% rate is conditional. Redfin charges the full 2% at closing and then sends you a check for the 1% difference after you buy your next home through Redfin.[6]

Two clauses in that fine print matter more than the headline rate. Minimum listing fees run from $2,000 in inexpensive markets to $9,000 in San Francisco. And if your buyer comes in unrepresented, Redfin increases your listing fee by 1% of the sale price.[6] That second clause can cost you $6,000 on a $600,000 sale in the one scenario where you'd expect to save.

What actual customers say: Redfin reviews are the most mixed on this list. Sellers consistently praise the marketing package (professional photography, 3D walkthroughs, high listing traffic) and consistently criticize the service level.

Best for: Sellers who are also buying in a Redfin market within a year, and who are comfortable being self-directed. 

Not ideal for: Sellers who only want to sell (you pay the full 2%), sellers in expensive markets facing a high minimum, and anyone who might attract an unrepresented buyer. Read our full Redfin review.

3. 1 Percent Lists

Listing fee: 1%. Some franchises set a minimum, so confirm it in writing before you sign. 

Availability: 19 states

What 1 Percent Lists offers: The lowest headline percentage among the full-service options here, delivered through a franchise model. You get a licensed local agent who handles pricing, marketing, showings, and negotiations. Because each office is independently operated, service quality and minimum fees vary from one franchise to the next.

The math: On a $400,000 sale, a 1% listing fee is $4,000 instead of $12,000 at 3%, an $8,000 difference. That's the largest percentage-based saving on this list, which is why the minimum-fee question matters so much.

What actual customers say: Reviews are strongly positive, with agents described as knowledgeable and easy to reach. Because franchises operate independently, read reviews for your specific office rather than the national brand.

Best for: Sellers in a covered market who want the lowest available full-service percentage. 

Not ideal for: Sellers who need consistency across markets, or who are outside the 19-state footprint. Read our full 1 Percent Lists review.

4. Ideal Agent

Listing fee: 2%, with a $3,000 minimum

Availability: Nationwide

What Ideal Agent offers: A single agent match rather than a slate of options. Ideal Agent screens for top producers, typically agents in the top 1% of their market by sales volume, and negotiates a 2% listing fee. You talk to a representative by phone, then get introduced to one agent.

The trade-off: 2% is the highest rate on this list, and one match means no comparison shopping. What you're paying for is production volume. If your home is complicated (unusual floor plan, difficult HOA, stale listing history), an experienced high-volume agent is worth more than a percentage point.

What actual customers say: Reviews are strong on agent competence. The recurring complaint is the phone-heavy intake process and follow-up calls.

Best for: Sellers who want one experienced, high-volume agent and would rather not evaluate several.

Not ideal for: Price-first sellers, who can do better at 1% or 1.5%. Read our full Ideal Agent review.

5. Prevu

Listing fee: 2%

Availability: 12 states plus Washington, D.C.

What changed: Prevu was acquired by reAlpha Tech Corp. (Nasdaq: AIRE) in November 2025 and now operates as Prevu by reAlpha.[7] Prevu is licensed in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, D.C. In January 2026, reAlpha completed its first integration milestone, bringing the combined brokerage footprint to 13 states plus D.C. and expanding its paired brokerage and mortgage coverage from three states to eight.[3]

Prevu's listing fee is 2%, confirmed on its own seller page.[8] The real draw is the buy side. The Smart Buyer rebate returns a portion of the buyer-agent commission to you at closing, up to roughly 1.5% where state law permits. reAlpha reported a median rebate of $10,450 for buyers who closed through its brokerage entities in 2025.[3] Rebates are prohibited or restricted in a handful of states, so confirm eligibility for your state before you plan around the money.

What actual customers say: Reviews are positive on speed and on the rebate arriving as promised. Prevu uses salaried agents, and some reviewers note the service feels more transactional than a dedicated local agent.

Best for: Buyers, and sellers who are buying and selling in the same Prevu market and can stack the 2% listing fee with a rebate on the purchase.

Not ideal for: Sellers who only want to list, since 2% is available nationwide elsewhere with published minimums. Read our full Prevu review.

Honorable mention: SimpleShowing

SimpleShowing charges a 1% listing fee, the lowest on this page, but it operates in only three states (Florida, Georgia, and Texas) and carries a $5,000 minimum. Run the math before you assume you're saving: that minimum makes your effective rate 2% on a $250,000 home and 1.43% on a $350,000 home. It only delivers a true 1% above roughly $500,000. Read our full SimpleShowing review.

How to vet a discount broker before signing

Most sellers don't shop around. In the Clever survey, 65% interviewed only one agent before choosing, and just 8% talked to three or more.[1] Interview at least two, and ask these five questions in your first call:

1. "What is the minimum fee, in dollars, on a home at my price point?" Get the number, not the percentage. This is where the savings usually disappear.
2. "Does my fee change under any circumstance?" Redfin raises the listing fee by 1% if the buyer is unrepresented. Ask whether anything similar applies.
3. "Which of these do I pay extra for: professional photos, 3D tour, staging consultation, lockbox, open houses, print marketing?" Get it itemized in writing.
4. "Will I work with one agent start to finish, or a team of specialists?" Neither answer is wrong. You just need to know which you're buying.
5. "How many homes have you closed in my ZIP code in the last 12 months?" A low fee from an agent who doesn't know your submarket is not a bargain.

Then ask for the listing agreement and read the cancellation terms before you sign. If the answer to any of the five is vague, that vagueness is the product.

Alternatives to discount brokers

If you decide a discount broker isn’t for you, you’ve got alternatives.

Negotiate with a traditional agent

The simplest alternative is to hire the agent you already want and ask for a lower rate. Sellers who negotiated most often credited the tactics you'd expect: asking directly (50%), having a home expected to sell easily (39%), a high-value home (27%), bundling their purchase and sale with the same agent (25%), and a hot local market (22%).[1] Successful negotiators typically shaved 0.5 to 1.5 percentage points off the total rate, which is $2,000 to $6,000 on a $400,000 sale.

Timing helps. Sellers who negotiated in a seller's market got a reduction 98% of the time, versus 81% in a buyer's market.[1] Here's our full guide on how to negotiate realtor commission.

Be aware that plenty of agents simply decline. "When a seller pushes for a lower fee I simply say no," Perna says. "I know the value I bring, and clearly demonstrate it on an appointment. It rarely comes up."[9] If you get that answer from an agent you want, a discount broker is your alternative rather than a longer argument.

iBuyers and cash home buyers

If you’re primarily focused on a quick sale, an iBuyer or cash buyer might be the way to go.

An iBuyer, or “instant buyer,” is a company that buys and resells homes quickly, often using search algorithms or other technology to aid the process. They usually have stricter criteria for the condition of homes they purchase.

A cash buyer is a company or individual investor who purchases homes outright without needing mortgage financing, often in as-is condition.

Either of these options can get your home sold within a week or two—possibly a day or two, with an iBuyer. The trade-off is that you’ll likely get a lower price.

Selling without an agent

For-sale-by-owner is the cheapest option on paper and the least common in practice. FSBO fell to 5% of all sales in 2025, an all-time low, while a record 91% of sellers used an agent. FSBO homes had a median sale price of $360,000 versus $425,000 for agent-assisted sales, and 60% of FSBO sellers already knew their buyer.[10]

That price gap is not entirely a penalty for going it alone, since FSBO homes skew toward cheaper markets and off-market family sales. It's still a wide enough spread to take seriously before you save 1.5%.

Where FSBO sellers get hurt is paperwork. "Sellers who go FSBO most commonly underestimate how bad ChatGPT contracts are," Perna says. "They miss important clauses. They add clauses that either don't matter or are actually illegal." His recommendation: "Their best bet here is call a good local title company. They have all the documents and often have a closing department that will actually handle the whole thing."[9]

Mills makes the same case from the risk side: "Many people think they can handle it themselves, especially in a favorable market. However, consider how much you really know about the real estate process. Are you up-to-date on all the laws, forms, and crucial details? One small mistake or unforeseen issue can cost you money and time, or lead to prolonged lawsuits."[5]

Here's our guide to selling your house without a realtor if you want to weigh it properly.

Why you should trust us

Who reviewed this page

Steve Nicastro, Managing Editor. Steve was a licensed real estate agent in Charleston, South Carolina, from 2019 to 2023 and closed $6 million in transactions. He has bought and sold more than 30 homes: 20 as an agent, seven as an investor, and three as a homeowner, including one he listed and sold himself as a FSBO seller. He has sat on both sides of the commission conversation, as the agent asked to cut his fee and as the seller doing the asking, which is why this page focuses on the minimum fee and the fine print rather than the advertised percentage.

How we picked these five

We started with every discount and low-commission brokerage operating in at least one full state, then scored each one on five things:

• Real cost, not headline cost. We calculate the effective rate at multiple price points once the minimum fee is applied. A 1% fee with a $5,000 minimum is a 2% fee on a $250,000 home, and we say so.
• Fee transparency. Companies that publish their rate, minimum, and conditional adjustments rank above companies that make you call to find out.
• Service actually delivered for the fee. Full MLS syndication, professional photography, showing coordination, and negotiation support have to be included, not sold as add-ons.
• Coverage honesty. We report the licensed footprint from state disclosures rather than the marketing claim.
• Verified customer reviews at volume. We weigh companies with hundreds or thousands of verified reviews above those with a handful.

No company can pay to appear on this page, improve its position, or influence how it is described. Rankings are set editorially and no company on this list reviews its writeup before publication.

How we verified the numbers

Every fee, minimum, and coverage figure on this page was checked against the company's own current disclosures rather than a third-party summary. Redfin's 2% rate, its $2,000 to $9,000 minimum range, and the 1% surcharge for unrepresented buyers come from Redfin's own fee page and disclaimer. Prevu's 2% listing fee comes from Prevu's seller page, and its 12-state-plus-D.C. licensed footprint comes from its brokerage license disclosure, not from its parent company's press release, which describes a larger combined footprint.

For market-level data we use primary sources. Commission trend figures come from Redfin's own transaction records rather than agent self-reports. Seller and FSBO behavior data comes from the National Association of Realtors' annual Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.

Consumer behavior data is proprietary. It comes from a 2026 Clever survey of 500 U.S. adults who sold a primary residence in the past two years. Where a finding rests on a subgroup too small to be reliable, we flag the base size in the text instead of presenting it as a headline number.

Agent perspectives come from original email interviews conducted in July 2026 with licensed brokers and agents in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, California, and Georgia, chosen to span low-fee, tiered, and full-fee pricing models so the page isn't only quoting people who agree with it. We name every source, their brokerage, and their market. We do not use anonymous "industry experts."

When this page was last updated

Reviewed and updated July 2026. We recheck published fees, minimums, and licensed coverage for every company on this page at least twice a year, and immediately after any acquisition or pricing change. The most recent revision reflected Redfin's move from a 1.5% to a 2% standard listing fee and reAlpha Tech Corp.'s acquisition of Prevu.

Frequently asked questions

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