Ideal Agent Reviews: What You Get for 2% Commission
Ideal Agent fees (is it really 2%?) | Ideal agent reviews and complaints | Ideal Agent vs. alternatives | How does Ideal Agent work? | FAQ
What is Ideal Agent?
Ideal Agent is an agent matching company. Its free service pairs you with a local real estate agent to help you buy or sell a house.
Ideal Agent offers home sellers a discounted listing fee of 2%, compared with the average 2.5–3% commission rate charged by traditional seller's agents. Keep in mind that home sellers also pay the buyer’s agent commission (another 2.5–3%), making the total commission with Ideal Agent closer to 4.5–5%.
Ideal Agent claims that its agent network includes only real estate agents who are in the top 1% of their markets.
However, its network is relatively small (only 2,000 agents across the entire country), and you can connect with only one agent at a time. Ideally, you’d want to interview at least two or three realtors before deciding who to work with.
Other agent matching companies, like Clever Real Estate, offer multiple agent matches AND better commission savings, including cash back for buyers — something Ideal Agent doesn't offer.
🔍 Find and compare top local real estate agents. List for just 1.5%!
How does Ideal Agent work?
How Ideal Agent works for home sellers
Ideal Agent makes it simple for home sellers to connect with a real estate agent.
On the Ideal Agent website, you'll complete a short online form, providing your email address, your phone number, and information about your home.
Ideal Agent then matches you with a qualified listing agent in your area. That agent will contact you by email, phone, or text. You have no obligation to work with the agent, and there's no fee for the matching service.
If you proceed with the agent, you’ll receive the full range of services you need from the realtor. Once your home sells, you’ll pay your listing agent's commission and likely the buyer’s agent commission as well, like you would if you worked with a traditional agent.
✅ Pros of using Ideal Agent for home sellers:
- You can save time researching and finding a qualified agent.
- Ideal Agent claims that its agents are in the top 1% for their local markets.
- You can save some money on commission with a 2% rate.
❌ Cons of using Ideal Agent for home sellers:
- Its network is small, with about 2,000 agents. If you live in a less populated area, there may not be an agent available, or you may be paired with an agent who isn't familiar with your local market.
- Ideal Agent matches you with only one agent, preventing you from interviewing and comparing multiple realtors.
- The discounted commission rate of 2% isn’t as low as other agent matching services.
How Ideal Agent works for home buyers
While Ideal Agent’s website states it works with home buyers, its services focus more on home sellers. For instance, there currently isn’t a form on its website to help home buyers connect with a buyer’s agent.
Home buyers need to use the website’s chat feature to get started. An Ideal Agent representative will then call you to collect more information and help connect you with a buyer’s agent.
Home buyers have no financial benefit from using Ideal Agent, unlike other agent matching companies that offer financial incentives to buyers.
✅ Pro of using Ideal Agent for home buyers:
- You can save time finding a qualified agent.
❌ Cons of using Ideal Agent for home buyers:
- Its website isn’t set up to easily assist home buyers.
- Ideal Agent doesn’t offer home buyers any financial incentives, unlike other agent matching services.
Ideal Agent fees: Are they really 2%?
Yes, most sellers pay a 2% listing fee when they work with Ideal Agent.
Commission | Ideal Agent | Conventional realtor |
|---|---|---|
Listing fee | 2%* | 2.5–3% |
Buyer’s agent fee | 2.5–3% | 2.5–3% |
Total | 4.5–5% | 5–6% |
*$3,000 minimum fee may apply. | ||
You may have seen the Ideal Agent commercials with Alan and Lindsay talking about Ideal Agent’s 2% free structure.
While Ideal Agent’s standard listing fee for home sellers is 2% of the final sale price — compared to the 2.5–3% most agents charge — some sellers may end up paying more.
Ideal Agent has a minimum $3,000 listing fee. So if your home sells for less than $150,000, you'll pay more than the advertised 2% rate.
Remember that regardless of who you sell with — Ideal Agent, competitors with even lower rates, or a conventional realtor — you'll likely have to cover the 2.5–3% buyer's agent fee on top of the discounted listing fee. In most real estate transactions, both fees come out of the seller's home sale proceeds.
Bottom line: Sellers can expect to pay a total commission of about 4.5–5% with Ideal Agent.
» LEARN: How real estate commissions work
Ideal Agent vs. alternatives: You can do better than a 2% listing fee
Ideal Agent's 2% listing fee will net you some savings compared to a conventional realtor charging 2.5–3% — but there are better options that can save you more.
Clever Real Estate offers a 1.5% listing fee nationwide, and it's our top pick for home sellers. Clever offers the same agent quality at a lower cost than Ideal Agent. It also has more agent selection (14,000 top agents nationwide vs. Ideal Agent's 2,000). And eligible buyers get cash back savings at closing.
Redfin also might be worth a look. Its 1.5% listing fees are lower than Ideal Agent's. But Redfin has some service quality risks you won't get with Clever and Ideal Agent, who match you with conventional realtors (and simply negotiate lower rates for you).
💡 Our advice: Try Clever first to get the best selection of agents. If you like an agent you're matched with, you'll also get the best savings. If you don't like any of the agents Clever recommends, you can simply walk away (Clever is free with no obligation) and try other services offering a more limited agent pool, like Ideal Agent and Redfin.
Try Clever's free agent matching service!
Match with top local realtors, get full service for just a 1% listing fee.
Ideal Agent reviews and complaints
For the most part, Ideal Agent has outstanding customer reviews, with thousands of 5-star ratings across legitimate review sites like Trustpilot, Google, and the Better Business Bureau.
Customers report a high level of satisfaction with Ideal Agent’s matching services and commission rates, as well as the agents themselves.
However, some customer reviews mention hidden fees and poor service from their agent.
Review site | Rating |
|---|---|
Trustpilot (5,420 reviews) | 4.9/5 stars |
Google (466 reviews) | 4.8/5 stars |
Better Business Bureau (255 reviews) | 5/5 stars |
Ideal Agent positive reviews
Ideal Agent reviews consistently highlight the quality of agents in its network. This validates Ideal Agent’s vetting process, which requires agents to be in the top 1% of sales volume locally or nationally.
Additionally, customers reported that their agent helped them through the entire selling process and maintained strong communication. Customers also expressed being pleased with the price they received for their home.
Source: Trustpilot
Customers also reported satisfaction with Ideal Agent’s concierge service, which many felt was efficient and easy to use. Ideal Agent uses fully licensed real estate agents, which helps them provide quality service and advice.
Source: Trustpilot
Ideal Agent complaints
While the majority of Ideal Agent reviews are positive, some customers had a negative experience.
Most negative Ideal Agent reviews focus on the agent failing to meet expectations, not working hard enough, or not understanding the local market. This may be partly due to Ideal Agent’s smaller network of agents, making it hard for the network to serve some areas.
Customers also reported dissatisfaction with hidden brokerage fees.
Source: Trustpilot
Source: Trustpilot
However, some Ideal Agent reviews express dissatisfaction with the commission rate, with customers saying they didn't get the savings they expected.
Source: Trustpilot
So while Ideal Agent reviews are overall positive, not everyone is happy with the agent they're assigned.
Alternatives like Clever Real Estate have larger agent networks and match you with multiple agents at once, so you can compare agents and find the right fit. Clever also offers better savings than Ideal Agent.
👋 Find and compare top local agents, save thousands on real estate fees!
Bottom line: Is Ideal Agent legit?
Ideal Agent is legitimate. The company has favorable online reviews overall and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
Ideal Agent’s agent matching service can help you efficiently find a qualified real estate agent and save a modest amount of money on your listing fee (2% vs. the typical 2.5–3%). You'll receive the same services you'd get with a conventional agent even though you’ll work with a low commission realtor.
While Ideal Agent is legit, it isn’t the only option worth considering.
Clever Real Estate, for example, provides more agent matches with high-quality realtors — giving you more options on who you hire to sell your home. Clever also offers a lower listing fee of 1.5%, plus cash back savings for home buyers.
💰 Top local agents, incredible savings.
Try Clever’s free matching service, list with the best agents in your area for just 1.5%.
FAQ about Ideal Agent
Like other agent matching companies, Ideal Agent makes money by charging the real estate agents in its network a referral fee. Additionally, Ideal Agent makes money from other service offerings like title, mortgage, and property insurance.
Ideal Agent has agents located in all 50 states. However, some areas may have fewer options than other areas, making it harder to find a local agent. You can enter your location on the Ideal Agent website to see if it has agents available in your area.