Orchard Reviews: Is It Worth the Extra Fees?

For sellers who need the cash from their current home to buy a new one, Orchard Real Estate provides a convenient solution: Get a short-term equity advance to secure the new house, then list for full market value and repay the loan once it closes.

As part of their Move First program, Orchard also provides a backup cash offer, which allows you to eliminate the home sale contingency from your purchase offer on a new home. This ups your chances of getting the offer accepted, since it eliminates a major risk for sellers who also need the funds from their home sale to make their next move.

While convenient, selling through Orchard will cost you more than a traditional sale. The company charges a 2.4% service fee on top of the standard brokerage commission. You're also required to work with an Orchard agent to sell your house, instead of having the freedom to choose your own.

A final consideration is that Orchard's backup offer is worth less than full market value, which could be problematic if you're in a slow-moving market where homes may not sell within their 120-day window.

Want a simpler way to compare your options? Clever Offers makes it easy to find the best path forward for your home sale by helping you compare a variety of options all in one place — ranging from competitive cash offers to buy-before-you-sell solutions providing cash upfront, plus additional upside at closing. Get started with a few quick details about your home and see your best options side-by-side — no added fees or obligation to move forward.

🔎 Orchard Real Estate at a glance

What is Orchard Real Estate?

Orchard is a real estate brokerage that advertises "stress-free solutions" to buy and sell a home.

Orchard's signature Move First program lets you access up to 70% of your home’s equity to buy a new house before you sell. Instead of having rush the sale to unlock the funds or carry two mortgages at once, you can move when you find the right place and sell your existing home when you're ready.

You can use Orchard's funds to spruce up your current house, make a down payment on a new one, and continue paying down your existing mortgage while you sell. You pay back the equity loan once your old home closes and can call on Orchard's guaranteed backup offer if it takes more than 120 days.

Orchard is ideal if you:

• Need to sell quickly, but don't want to give away your equity
• Need the funds from your current house to buy a new house
• Need to make a few repairs on your current home, but don't want to put money in upfront
• Don’t want to live in your house while it’s on the market
• Are trying to buy in a competitive housing market

However, Orchard may not be the best fit for everyone.

Orchard Real Estate pros & cons

Orchard's Move First program may streamline the buying and selling process, but is it worth it? Let’s look at the pros and cons.

Pros

✅ Freedom to move when you're ready

With Orchard’s Move First option, you can purchase a new home before selling and move when you're ready — no home sale contingency, temporary housing, or simultaneous mortgage payments.

✅ Use the equity advance to cover multiple expenses

In addition to a cash offer, Orchard's Equity can be used for multiple expenses, such as:

• A down payment on a new home
• Closing costs
• Orchard's program fees
• Up to 4 months of mortgage payments
• Moving expenses
• Repairs as you get your house ready to sell
• Other debts affecting debt-to-income (DTI) ratio

✅ Home prep services at no upfront cost

For homes that could use some freshening up prior to listing, Orchard's Concierge Service can help you make the necessary improvements at no upfront cost. Orchard's team manages the work with its vendors and you can pay them back at the close of yoru home sale

✅ Guaranteed backup offer

If your home doesn’t sell within a 120-day window, Orchard will provide a guaranteed backup offer through one of its partners. You’ll agree upon the Purchase Offer upfront, giving you peace of mind that your house will sell one way or another.

Cons

❌ Total fees run high

To work with Orchard, you'll pay a 3% listing agent commission, plus program fees ranging from 2.4% (for Move First) to 7% (for the Cash Offer + Upside option). You'll also pay for any home prep you make through Orchard's Concierge Service. These fees are on top of standard closing costs and any buyer's agent commission you choose to cover.

❌ Backup offer will be less than market value

While most Orchard customers sell their homes through a traditional listing, if your home doesn't fetch a buyer within 120 days, you may end up selling it to one of Orchard's partners for less than it's really worth.

❌ You won't get to choose your agent

To take advantage of Orchard's programs, you also have to work with their team of agents to sell your home. While some sellers have wonderful experiences with Orchard agents, others felt their agents lacked the professionalism and drive to get their homes sold quickly and for top dollar.

❌ Concierge Service may be overpriced

Orchard uses their preferred contractors for its Concierge Service, which some customers say inflated the costs of home improvements compared to what they could have gotten through a competitive bidding process.

Orchard Real Estate reviews

Source	Average Rating	Review Count
BBB	3.8/5	44
Trustpilot	4.2/5	750
Weighted Average:	4.2/5	794

Orchard has mixed reviews from sellers. Many clients praise the convenience of being able to buy a new home before selling, especially in competitive markets. Some sellers also laud the team’s professionalism and the short time homes spend on the market.

However, other reviewers report problems dealing with Orchard. The most common complaints involve the agents, high fees, and unsatisfactory backup offers.

Positive feedback

Customers tend to appreciate Orchard’s smooth process and the ability to move before selling.

A few clients mention the convenience of their equity advance loan as one of the best parts about using the company.

Many sellers commend agents and other Orchard team members and comment on their professionalism, knowledge, and communication skills.

Common complaints

Some reviews mention unresponsive or inattentive agents. We noticed a few reviews where clients said that their agent would not show up for appointments.

A few sellers brought up unexpectedly high fees and lowball offers as some of the main problems they encountered with Orchard.

Orchard Real Estate vs. competitors

Company	Type	Program Fee	Use your own agent?	Coverage	Avg. customer rating
Orchard	Buy-before-you-sell	2.4% + 6% brokerage	❌	Multi-city	4.18/5 (794 reviews)
Clever Offers	Cash Offer Marketplace	Varies by partner	✅	Nationwide	4.9/5 (4,236 reviews)
Knock	Buy-before-you-sell	$2.25% + $1,850 loan origination	✅	Multi-state	4.78/5 (941 reviews)
Homeward	Buy-before-you-sell	3.5–7%	✅	Multi-state	4.33/5 (1,367 reviews)
Flyhomes	Buy-before-you-sell	2.5% loan origination + 9.999% APR	✅	Multi-state	4.84/5 (1,984 reviews)
Opendoor	iBuyer	5%	N/A	Multi-city	4.26/5 (4,397 reviews)

More Orchard alternatives to consider

A buy-before-you-sell company isn’t the only way to lessen the stress of buying and selling at the same time. Depending on your situation, working with a real estate agent or choosing an iBuyer could be a good — or better — option.

Sell with an experienced listing agent

One of the biggest tradeoffs of working with Orchard is that you don't get to pick your own agent, which is a huge deal when you're paying them 3% of your home sale price to represent your best interests.

While most agents can't pull a backup cash offer out of their pocket, they can mitigate a lot of the headaches of buying and selling at the same time by:

• Helping your explore alternative bridge loan or financing options
• Negotiating favorable terms, such as a fast closing if you've found already found a house, or a lease-back agreement if you need more time to look 
• Submitting your house to iBuyers and negotiating on price so you'll have a fall back in case your closing falls through

Working with an agent of your choice also gives you the best chance of saving on selling costs, since realtor fees are negotiable — especially when you have multiple agents competing for your business.

An agent-matching platform like Clever Real Estate can help you lower those costs further by connecting you with top-notch listing agents who charge just 1.5% through their network. You can interview as many agents as you like to find the perfect fit for your home.

In addition to knowing you have the right person for the job, a discounted commission rate can help offset some of the other expenses that come with buying and selling a home.

Sell to an iBuyer

With its upfront cash offer, selling to an iBuyer shortens the selling process and delivers the cash you need to buy a new home. But there are some downsides.

For instance, iBuyers tend to pay closer to the full market value for your home than other cash buyers, but they also charge service fees of 5% (or more). You also won’t have the opportunity to try selling your home on the open market first, which could result in a higher sale price.

Want a simpler way to compare your options? Clever Offers makes it easy to find the best route for your home sale — including options that let you get most of your home value upfront and then sell for additional upside once you've moved. Get started with a few quick details about your home — no added fees or obligation to move forward.

How Orchard Real Estate works

Orchard has two main options for sellers who want to use the company’s services: Move First and List with Orchard. Here’s what to expect if you decide to choose either option.

Orchard Move First

This service allows you to buy a new home and move in before putting your old place on the market. It is a convenient way to avoid the rush of searching for a new home after your old one is sold or a home sale contingency.

Here's how the Move First program works:

1. Apply for an equity loan based on your home’s value.
2. Use the funds for a non-contingent offer on a new home and make a down payment. You can also use this money to pay closing costs or for your moving expenses.
3. Move out while Orchard prepares and lists your old home. The company will take professional photos of your property and will help you put it on the market.
4. When your home is sold and you receive money for it, pay Orchard back the equity advance and for any other services.
5. If the home doesn’t sell in four months, accept a backup offer or keep it listed.

Move First comes with a 2.4% program fee on top of the brokerage fee.

List with Orchard

This service is their more traditional selling option, where the homeowner puts the house on the market with the help of one of Orchard’s local realtors.

1. Start with a free valuation of your home to determine the right listing price.
2. Choose whether you want to list your property on the market or sell it for cash.
3. If you decide to list, Orchard will prepare your home for sale and assist with tasks such as professional photography, 3D tours, and marketing.
4. Your agent will provide full-service support through showings, offers, contract negotiations, and closing.

List with Orchard comes with a 3% brokerage fee, not including the amount you choose to offer a buyer's agent. You'll also pay traditional closing costs and any fees owed to Orchard's Concierge Service for home prep.

Orchard Cash Offer Marketplace

Orchard's newest service is a cash offer marketplace, which lets you compare offers from iBuyers like Offerpad, Opendoor, and Homeward with the guidance of an Orchard agent.

The benefit is that you can unlock as much as 84% of your home value upfront — giving you more leverage than the equity advance — then list for additional upside. Alternatively, you can sell directly to an iBuyer for minimum hassle and a guaranteed closing.

The downside is the cost. You'll pay as much as 7% in service fees to Orchard's cash offer partners, plus up to 6% in brokerage fees to sell your house and buy a new one. On a home worth $600,000, you could end up paying Orchard and its partners as much as $78,000 in fees.

While some sellers may appreciate having a real estate professional in their corner during offer reviews and negotiations, there's no requirement to work with an agent when selling to an iBuyer. If you're in a time crunch and considering the cash offer route, you can source offers directly from top iBuyers and then use their offer as a backup while testing the waters with a traditional listing.

Additional Orchard services

If you sell with either the Move First or List with Orchard programs, you’ll be eligible for Orchard's Concierge Service, which is focused on preparing your home for showings and putting it on the market.

With this service, the company can do agreed-upon repairs and minor upgrades that may help attract more buyers and sell faster. Homeowners can also pay for these services after the home is sold, using the profits from the sale.

Just keep in mind that many top agents offer similar home prep services through contractors in their networks, so there's no need to work specifically with Orchard to defer the costs of home preparation until closing.

READ: Where to find top agents for less

What to watch out for with Orchard

Orchard's equity advance isn’t for everybody. There are some things you’ll want to be aware of.

Not all homes are eligible

Orchard primarily works with single-family homes in good condition. Generally, manufactured homes, mobile homes, or homes with severe water or foundation damage don’t qualify.

Carrying costs can add up

Selling on the open market can take time. If you choose to buy before you sell with Orchard, you may be stuck with the costs of two mortgages for up to 4 months while your old house sells — though you won't have to pay the amount back until closing.

The backup offer should be a last resort

Orchard's guaranteed backup offer is a nice perk, but don’t rely on it — it will typically be far less than your home’s market value. Accepting this offer outright would be a big loss compared to selling on the open market.

This is where an experienced agent is helpful, so really consider whether you want to use Orchard or another program that lets you choose your own agent.

How does Orchard make money?

Orchard makes money by charging service fees on the programs it offers.

Orchard fees

Where is Orchard available?

Homeward is available in the following markets: Select markets in AZ, CA, CO, GA, TN, TX, WA.

Bottom line: Is Orchard worth it?

Orchard offers a convenient way to buy before selling, which can help you avoid a selling contingency and will allow you to shop for a new home on your timeline. However, this convenience comes at a cost — prepare to pay a 2.4% program fee on top of the usual realtor fees and closing costs.

While the company’s Move First program has its benefits, there are alternatives to consider, including other buy-before-you-sell programs. Many lower commission brokerages can provide similar benefits and assist you through all steps of selling at a much more competitive commission rate.

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