Clever Real Estate is a nationwide service that connects home buyers and sellers with top-rated, low-commission real estate agents, offering exclusive savings and cash-back opportunities. With over close to 4,000 customer reviews averaging 5 out of 5 stars, Clever is praised for its ability to match clients with excellent agents and provide standout customer service.
This article breaks down how Clever works, compares it to alternatives, and shares my own personal experience using the service. It also includes insights from Lorraine Roberte, who successfully sold her home through Clever in 2024 and has since become a writer for the company.
⚡ Ready to save on your home sale? Get matched with top-rated local agents through Clever for a low 1.5% listing fee, with no obligation and zero upfront costs. Simply take this quick quiz to connect with trusted agents from leading brokerages like Keller Williams and RE/MAX, and start saving today!
Clever Real Estate reviews summary
- Clever has an average 5/5 star rating out of 3,400+ customer reviews online.
- Most customers say Clever matched them with a great agent and saved them thousands of dollars on their home sale or purchase.
- Roberte saved $5,500 by paying her agent a 1.5% commission instead of 2.5% when selling her South Florida home. Had the agent’s share been 3%, she would have saved an above-average $8,250.
- Multiple customers also called out Clever's excellent customer service in their reviews.
What is Clever Real Estate?
Clever Real Estate (or just Clever) is a free nationwide service that matches home sellers and buyers with local realtors. It negotiates serious savings on behalf of sellers and offers cash back for eligible buyers.
These aren't discount agents. Clever partners with full-service realtors from major brands, like Keller Williams and Century 21, plus top regional brokerages. But you get special rates when you go through Clever instead of finding the same agent alone.
For example, Roberte's agent assured her at their first meeting that despite not paying the usual commission rate, she’d receive the same level of service as other clients. She would also work directly with him, the principal real estate broker of the company, and not with one of the other team members.
The agent kept his word. “At no point did I feel we were being treated less than because we were saving thousands on the sale,” Roberte recounts.
My wife and I recently bought our first home and found our real estate agent through Clever. I explain below how Clever’s service works and share my personal experience using it.
🔒 Is Clever Real Estate legitimate?
Yes, Clever Real Estate is a well-established company founded in 2017 by Luke Babich and Ben Mizes, based in St. Louis, Missouri. Clever has earned over 3,400 5-star reviews on TrustPilot and holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. To date, Clever's team has helped more than 23,000 people buy or sell their homes, saving them over $150 million in real estate fees.
Roberte also sees Clever as a legitimate business, mentioning that Clever was quick to match her with her city’s top agents. “My husband and I researched the real estate agents before calling them and saw they were all some of the highest-rated in our area.”
To join Clever's network, agents must have an active real estate license, at least 5 years of experience, strong local market expertise, and positive reviews from past clients. This ensures high-quality service for buyers and sellers alike.
Roberte's agent, for instance, owned his own real estate company with 20+ years of industry experience. He’s ranked top 10% of realtors nationwide by sales volume, and his team is one of the highest-volume sales teams in the area. Roberte also found dozens of glowing 5-star reviews while researching his company.
✍️ Editor’s take: Is Clever Real Estate worth it?
In my experience, Clever is 100% worth it. You'll be matched with full-service real estate agents, and the savings are legit. It’s free to use without obligation, so there’s no risk in trying it out. I recommend you start your search with Clever to see who it matches you with.
If you work with one of Clever’s partner agents, you could save thousands of dollars compared to finding the same agent alone (we did!). The agents come from well-known and respected brands, like RE/MAX and Keller Williams, so you won’t be sacrificing quality.
🏡 My experience using Clever: Testimonial from Lorraine Roberte
It was extremely easy to get started with Clever. I filled out an application from my phone while my husband was driving us home. In less than 30 minutes, my personal Clever Concierge called and texted me, introducing themselves and letting me know they were there to help.
We were initially a little skeptical of Clever; it just seemed too good to be true. A free service delivering local, top-rated, full-service real estate agents at only a 1.5% commission? There had to be a catch.
But the company more than delivered. All our agents were so qualified, professional, and experienced that we had difficulty choosing between them.
Our home sale went quickly and smoothly despite the city's open code violation for work done without a permit by the previous homeowners. We worried this would hurt our sale, but we had a full-price offer within hours of listing. We accepted it and closed just 30 days later. We couldn’t believe how fast the home sold.
In total, we paid 4% in commissions — 1% less than what’s typical for our area. As promised, we didn’t pay Clever any fees to facilitate the match.
Clever Real Estate reviews from real buyers and sellers
| Customer rating | |
|---|---|
| Weighted average | 5/5 (3,000+ reviews) |
| Better Business Bureau | 5.0 (116 reviews) |
| 4.8 (430+ reviews) | |
| Trustpilot | 5.0 (3,400+ reviews) |
Clever Real Estate reviews are positive overall, with an average rating of 5 out of 5. Customers were especially impressed by the quality of their Clever agent matches, which often made the entire real estate transaction feel easy and seamless.
Of course, saving money was another plus for many customers. Several reviewers said they saved thousands of dollars while still getting a great real estate agent. Other reviewers focused on the positive experience they had with Clever's customer service team.
While we couldn’t find many negative Clever Real Estate reviews, the few we did find focused on real estate agents who were a poor match for individual customers. This isn't surprising since even the best agent isn’t going to be right for everyone. Fortunately, Clever will match you with multiple agents so you can choose the best fit.
'Stunned at how great our experience was'
Many customers were happily surprised to learn that Clever partner agents are the same ones working with major national and regional brokerages.
'Worked with a great agent'
Other reviewers appreciated how their agents were able to handle challenges, which made the real estate transaction much easier.
'Clever saved me thousands of dollars'
Savings were also a major customer selling point, thanks to Clever’s low commission prices.
'One of them didn't impress me very much, so I went with the other one'
While most Clever Real Estate reviews are positive, there have been occasional complaints. Often these complaints are about the first agent match not being a great fit. Fortunately, Clever allows you to compare multiple real estate agents so you can pick the right one for you.
How does Clever Real Estate work?
Clever’s agent matching service is fast and easy. Here’s how it works in a nutshell (click on each step for a more detailed breakdown):
1. Sign up online. The sign-up process literally takes a few minutes.
2. Talk to a Concierge. A licensed Clever customer service rep gives you a call to learn more about your needs and answer questions (note: you can opt out of the call).
3. Get your agent matches. Your first agent matches arrive via text, email, and your Clever dashboard within a few hours (sometimes minutes).
4. Decide who to interview. Read up on the real estate agents and decide who you want to talk to. The agents may also contact you, but there’s no obligation or pressure to respond.
5. Compare and choose agents. Interview the agents and pick the best fit. You can also request more agent matches — or walk away anytime.
6. Start buying or selling, get ongoing support from Clever. Once you choose, the real estate agent takes it from there. You get 100% full service and support, plus legit savings (we’re talking thousands).[/jump-link]
Step 1: Sign up online
You can sign up and get matched with a Clever partner agent by completing a simple online form.
You enter a few basic details about your purchase or sale (like zip code, target price, and timeline), and voila—you're finished. It takes about one to two minutes.
You can also call Clever directly at 1-833-225-3837 or email [email protected], if you prefer.
Step 2: Talk to a Clever Concierge
After you sign up, you’ll get a call from a Clever Concierge, usually within minutes. You'll have to wait longer if it’s outside Clever’s normal customer service hours (seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT).
While the Concierge conversation is optional (you can opt out and just get your agent matches), I recommend picking up the phone for a few key reasons:
- Every Clever Concierge is a licensed real estate agent. In addition to answering questions about Clever’s service, they can provide general real estate advice and guidance.
- Human-driven customer service beats full automation. The conversation is an opportunity to tell the Concierge about your situation, goals, and preferences so they can use that context to recommend real estate agents who are a better fit.
- Clever’s Concierges are super nice and helpful! In an age when frustrating customer service experiences are the new normal, Clever stands apart. Everyone I interacted with was super smart, friendly, and genuinely invested in helping me get a good outcome.
Step 3: Get your agent matches
Once you fill Clever in on your needs and preferences, the agent matching process begins.
How long it takes to get your agent matches can vary depending on where you’re looking to buy or sell and your needs. However, according to Clever, the first match usually comes through in less than an hour (we got our first two agent matches in minutes).
Our Clever Concierge told me it could sometimes take up to 24 hours for all the matches to be finalized, but ours always came much faster every time we requested them (we requested additional matches a few times as we considered different areas to buy).
Lorraine Roberte told us her agent matches exceeded her expectations. “It probably would’ve taken me countless hours, several phone calls, and too many initial consults to find agents as good as the ones Clever sent.” Instead, she says she was matched with three agents minutes after submitting her application.
Clever delivers agent matches via group text messages, email intros, and a nifty customer dashboard on Clever’s website.
Step 4: Decide which agents you want to talk to
Once you get your agent matches, I recommend researching online. Clever has strict standards for the agents in its network and tailors matches to your needs and preferences, but it’s always a good idea to do your own due diligence.
Take two minutes to do some Googling, and check each agent’s Zillow or Realtor.com profiles to see their current and past sales, customer reviews, and more.
Roberte says she didn’t have a great experience with the real estate agent she found on her own when buying her home. “When I was ready to sell eight years later, I knew I wanted someone who was professional and responsive and who would price our house right.”
All three agents Clever sent fit the bill and had 5-star reviews. However, because she had an open code violation from the previous owner, her top criteria was finding someone who would best know how to proceed. The agent she chose went above and beyond by consulting with a lawyer to ensure they took all the right steps.
If the real estate agent doesn’t seem like a good fit, you don’t have to talk to them. You can opt to follow up only with the agents who seem promising. Or you can ask Clever to send additional matches with refined criteria.
If you want to proceed a bit more cautiously, start by contacting the agents via text (that’s what we did) or email to set up a call. This also provides an opportunity to test their communication skills and responsiveness. Or you can just cut to the chase and call them right away.
| ✍️ Editor’s note: Some real estate agents may try to contact you immediately. This indicates that they’re motivated and generally on the ball. If you want an agent to stop contacting you, just let Clever know (though I never had to do that, none of them were pushy or aggressive).
Also note that it’s not a deal breaker if the agent doesn’t respond right away. The best real estate agents have packed schedules. They may be actively showing homes or helping other clients during the day, and that's why they're not free when you get connected. |
Step 5: Interview agents and choose the best fit
Now it’s time to actually talk to the agents and decide who you want to work with.
As home buyers, the stakes surrounding our decision felt relatively low: none of the real estate agents we spoke to was looking to lock us into an exclusive contract.
👍 Zero pressure, seamless process, speedy results
I didn’t feel pressured at all throughout the process. I also knew that if we started touring homes with a real estate agent and things didn’t click, we could ask Clever to send more matches.
Candidly, I wasn’t a fan of the first agent I spoke to on the phone. Their profile was great, but their personality wasn’t a match.
I immediately liked the second real estate agent. We connected via phone on Saturday afternoon and visited houses with her on Sunday.
Our agent didn’t pressure us at all. She was super knowledgeable about the different types of homes, their features, local regulations, and towns and neighborhoods in general.
We made an offer on (and ultimately bought) a house we toured with her the following evening.
⚡️ Clever helped us stay fast and flexible while house hunting
Clever sent us several agent matches, with agents in different markets throughout the region we were buying in.
We were house hunting (and now live) in a more rural part of Upstate New York, so we were considering several towns that weren’t right next to one another. Our target markets spanned multiple counties and school districts — and in some cases, a large body of water.
We wanted agents who specialized in each discrete market so we’d have legit expert guidance no matter where we made an offer. Clever made that super easy for us to do!
When a potential property popped up in a town an earlier real estate agent wasn't as familiar with, we just hit up our Clever Concierge for a new match with local expertise.
As I mentioned, we bought with the second agent we spoke to (apologies to the agents we ghosted!). But it was pretty awesome to have that kind of support and flexibility as we scrambled to adapt our strategy because of the insane competition among buyers in the region.
| ✍️ A quick note for sellers: Because most listing agents have you sign a contract when you hire them, it’s a good idea to interview at least two to three before making a final decision. This helps ensure you get the best possible fit in terms of skills, experience, customer service approach, and personality. |
Step 6: Start buying or selling, get ongoing support from Clever
Once you choose your agent and actually get started, Clever continues to check in on your progress and the level and quality of service you’re getting from your agent. It’s really nice to feel like you have some backup if your agent isn’t meeting your expectations — or things just aren’t clicking personality-wise.
Clever can step in and address service quality issues. Or it can “break up” with the agent on your behalf and help you find a new one, so you’re not starting from scratch.
How good are Clever’s partner agents?
Clever vets its partner agents thoroughly. According to its website, Clever works with agents who have solid experience (5+ years), sales records, and customer reviews. It also partners with agents specializing in specific areas, like short sales or pre-foreclosures, real estate investing, first-time buyers and sellers, military, and more.
The agent we chose was with one of the top brokerages in our region. She had a really solid profile on Zillow: lots of local experience, recent deals, and excellent reviews. Had we searched for an agent on our own instead of going through Clever, there's a good chance we would've reached out to her anyway.
Our Concierge also told us that Clever proactively removes agents from its agent network who don’t live up to its performance and customer service standards.
So while Clever can’t control everything — remember, these are independent agents from name-brand brokerages, not Clever employees — it does a pretty amazing job of ensuring the agents in its network deliver on the promised service and value.
To decide if Clever is right for you, you can get matched with agents and compare options.
Do Clever partner agents really provide full service?
Based on my personal experience as a home buyer, and Roberte's experience as a seller, Clever’s partner agents absolutely provide full service — and then some.
After submitting our offer, we had some brutal, stressful negotiations that lasted weeks. Our agent texted and called us at all hours of the day, seven days a week, to give us updates, answer questions, and help keep our panic attacks to a minimum.
Our agent was also there for the inspection and advocated on our behalf. And she helped us develop creative ways (contingencies, flexible closing) to get our bid accepted, even though we were offering the list price and other buyers were willing to pay (a lot) more.
Then, over a very extended closing timeline (we’re talking more than five months), our agent:
- Continuously checked in with updates and kept the deal on track
- Accompanied us on the final walk-through
- Gave us the customary champagne and flowers after closing
- Consistently brought her emoji A-game when texting 👍 👏
While I can’t personally speak to the seller experience, I’ll point to the massive number of 5-star reviews (mostly from home sellers) as solid evidence Clever delivers on the "full service" promise for those customers.
“My agent spent over an hour at my house for the initial meeting. He walked through the home, provided me with a folder of materials to look through, and explained what the process would be like,” says Roberte.
To prepare for the listing, he had a professional photographer take photos and 360-degree images. That way, interested buyers could do a virtual tour. She could also easily accept or decline showings from an app. They had a few open houses scheduled but never had the chance to do them. The house sold too fast.
Clever Real Estate's commission savings for sellers
Clever sellers get full service and support from a realtor for a 1.5% listing fee — instead of paying the typical 2.5–3% rate most seller’s agents charge. This might not sound like a huge difference, but the real-dollar savings are massive when discussing an asset as valuable as a house.
Here's an example of Clever seller savings on a $500,000 home.
| Clever | Conventional realtor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listing fee | 1.5% | $7,500 | 3% | $15,000 |
| Buyer’s agent fee | 3% | $15,000 | 3% | $15,000 |
| Total commission | 4.5% | $22,500 | 6% | $30,000 |
| Total savings | 1.5% | $7,500 | 0% | $0 |
Also, Roberte said that by listing her $550,000 home with Clever, she saved significantly compared to using a conventional real estate agent. While a traditional agent would typically charge a 5% commission, totaling $27,500, Clever's model required only a 4% total commission—1.5% for the listing fee ($8,250) and 2.5% for the buyer's agent fee ($13,750), amounting to $22,000.
This strategic choice led to a total savings of $5,500 for Roberte, highlighting the financial benefits of opting for Clever’s more cost-effective service.
It's also important to know that you’ll only pay your agent’s reduced fee if and when your home sells. If the agent fails to sell your home or you both agree to end the relationship and go a different direction, you won’t pay anyone anything.
What about the buyer's agent fee?
You may or may not need to cover the buyer’s agent commission, typically 2–3% of the home's final sale price. Following the recent NAR settlement, these fees are now negotiated separately.
While the buyer's agent commission is determined through direct negotiation between the buyer and their agent, the buyer may still request that you, the seller, cover the fee as part of the offer. That happened in Roberte's case, as she paid $13,750 to the buyer's agent (2.5% commission).
Do Clever sellers still get full service even for the discounted rate?
Yes! According to Clever (and confirmed by thousands of positive seller reviews), you can expect the same experience, service, and support you’d get if you’d found the same agent on your own and paid their full rate. Full service includes all the essentials:
- Home valuation and pricing strategy
- Staging and listing prep advice
- Professional photos
- MLS listing, digital and print advertising
- Showings, open houses, or both
- Help with offers and negotiating
- Contract support
- Closing coordination
When you meet with prospective agent matches, they’ll do a listing presentation where they lay out their entire marketing strategy and what type of services and support you can expect. So you’ll ultimately have full control over who you hire and know exactly what to expect coming in.
Clever Offers
Clever Offers is a free, no-obligation cash offer service for home sellers who need to sell quickly. The service connects you with multiple vetted cash home buyers (both local and national) so you can compare offers and choose the best fit for your home sale.
Clever Offers recently surpassed $500 million in home sale transactions, helping more than 20,000 sellers explore their options and find the right buyer.[1]
Designed for sellers who need flexibility and speed, the platform lets you:
- Compare traditional investor cash offers, iBuyer bids, and creative alternatives like seller financing
- Explore the 7-Day Sold route — a short-term MLS listing that sparks competitive bidding among cash buyers, often leading to stronger offers (sometimes up to 100% of market value)
- Get a free comparative market analysis (CMA) from a top local agent to benchmark your cash offers against what your home might fetch on the open market
You’re never locked in or pressured to accept an offer. You can walk away at any time or pivot to listing your home with a Clever agent — often at a discounted commission rate — if it looks like you’ll net more on the open market.
⚡ Get cash offers and compare your options with Clever Offers
Clever vs. alternatives
I’ve done a lot of homework on agent matching services like Clever and discount brokerages like Redfin.
Redfin stands out for its agent productivity — the average Redfin agent closed more than 23 deals in 2024, which is over three times the average for agents at other brokerages.[2] However, some online reviews suggest that this high volume can come at the expense of personalized service and responsiveness.
Clever agents, by contrast, offer one-on-one support while charging the same low 1.5% listing fee as Redfin.
It’s pretty clear cut: Clever objectively offers the best combination of service quality and savings compared to other nationwide brands, Redfin included.
Roberte says she had completely opposite experiences when buying and selling the same home. “When I was looking for a home, my agent’s calls were sometimes unprofessional, and she wasn’t proactive with her services. She also downplayed the code violation issue on our home and how much work the house needed. In contrast, my Clever agent was transparent, honest, and professional in all our dealings.”
Clever competitor breakdown for home sellers
Redfin charges the same 1.5% listing fee as Clever. However, Redfin's agent network is smaller, so you might have more trouble finding an agent that fits your needs.
Ideal Agent and UpNest are agent matching services that offer similar agent quality to Clever (they match you with highly rated local agents from name-brand brokerages), but don’t offer competitive savings.
Ideal Agent’s 2% listing fees are more expensive than Clever’s 1.5% rates. And UpNest doesn’t offer pre-negotiated rates. While it advertises savings, many sellers seem to pay pretty close to market rates — aka even more than with Ideal Agent.
» MORE: Compare Clever vs. other low commission real estate brands
The bottom line: Who should use Clever?
If you need a realtor, I highly recommend trying Clever first — or at least comparing its matches to other agent matching services and brokerages to see how they stack up.
Clever found us a great local agent who went above and beyond the call of duty, big time. She helped us purchase our first home during what was probably the hardest time to buy a house — maybe ever?
I’m not saying Clever is going to work for everyone. But I’ll just reiterate this key point:
| If Clever does get you a good match (which it's very good at, by the way), you’ll buy or sell with a top local agent from a name-brand brokerage and save literally thousands (if not tens of thousands) of dollars. |
Given the potential upside — and the fact that Clever is free with no obligation — I can’t imagine why everyone wouldn’t at least try this service.
Try Clever's free agent matching service!
Match with top local realtors, get full service, and save. 100% free with no obligation.
Get Started| Summary: Clever Real Estate | |
|---|---|
| My rating | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
| Avg. customer rating | 5 (3,400+ reviews) |
| Listing fee for sellers | 1.5% (vs. typical 2.5–3%) |
| Avg. seller savings | $7,000 |
| Cost of service | Free with no obligation |
| Concierge support | Included |
| Availability | Nationwide |
| Agent network size | 19,000+ |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Better Business Bureau | A+ rating, accredited |
FAQ about Clever Real Estate
Is Clever any good?
Yes. As a Clever customer, I can confirm that Clever offers excellent value and service. Clever matched us with a great agent and provided excellent support throughout the home-buying process. We didn’t pay Clever (or our agent) a dime! While many people probably think this sounds too good to be true, it’s not. More people should know about Clever, because it’s making real estate more affordable and accessible for consumers nationwide. Learn more about my experience buying with Clever.
Is Clever Real Estate legitimate?
Clever is a fully licensed brokerage and well-established nationwide service that helps consumers get expert representation and save money when they buy or sell a house. Clever is fully accredited by the Better Business Bureau, with an A+ rating. It has a perfect 5-star average customer rating based on more than 3,400 verified reviews on the independent review site Trustpilot. You can read Clever customer reviews here.
Who owns Clever Real Estate?
Clever’s CEO is Luke Babich. The St. Louis–based company was co-founded by Luke Babich, Ben Mizes, and Jake Cardenas in 2017. Clever’s agent matching service is available nationwide, with more than 18,000 agents in its partner network.
What's the difference between Clever and Redfin?
Both Clever Real Estate and Redfin offer ways to save on real estate commissions. Clever works with independent, top-rated local agents from major brokerages like RE/MAX and Keller Williams and charges a pre-negotiated 1.5% listing fee, offering a personalized, full-service experience. Redfin, on the other hand, uses its own in-house agents who operate within a team-based, tech-focused model, potentially making the experience less hands-on.
