Clever Real Estate Reviews | Updated for 2023

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  Written by Ryan Shaw

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  Edited by Josiah Wilmoth

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  Reviewed by Tony Chahal

Is Clever worth it? | Clever Real Estate vs. the competition | Clever reviews from real customers | FAQs

What is Clever Real Estate?

Clever Real Estate is a free, nationwide service that matches sellers and buyers with full-service real estate agents from top brokerages, such as Keller Williams, Coldwell Banker, and Century 21. It offers commission savings and doesn’t charge any hidden fees.

Clever matches sellers with multiple agents and pre-negotiates a 1.5% listing fee on their behalf. That’s about half the price that realtors typically charge. Clever claims its sellers save an average of $7,000 in commission fees.

Buyers who work with Clever receive full service and support from a top-rated agent. They can also qualify for cash back after closing.

💰 SAVE: Connect with Clever and see how much you could save!

We researched Clever’s agent matching service — and interviewed actual Clever Real Estate customers — to help you understand the process and decide if it’s worth a try.

✍️ Editor’s take: Is Clever Real Estate worth it?

Clever Real Estate is our top pick for most people looking for a real estate agent. We compared Clever to ten other brokerages and found it offers the best value in terms of savings, agent quality, and customer support.

If you’re looking for an experienced real estate agent, Clever’s agents are fully vetted, with strong sales records and excellent customer reviews. Many come from name-brand brokerages like Keller Williams and RE/MAX, so you’ll get the same service as a traditional agent.

Clever also gives you multiple agent matches to interview and compare. If the agents don’t feel like a good fit, you can request more — or simply walk away. The agent matches are free, with no obligation to commit.

If you’re hoping to save on full-service realtor commissions, Clever offers some of the best rates in the industry. As a seller, you’ll pay a low 1.5% listing fee — about half the price that most realtors charge. On a $400,000 home, you’d save around $6,000. Learn how much you can save with Clever.

Clever Real Estate vs. top competitors

We compared Clever Real Estate to ten other agent matching services based on agent quality, savings, and customer service. Here’s how Clever stacks up against the competition.

Real estate agent quality

Clever gets top marks for real estate agent quality. Many of its agents come from recognizable national brands, like Berkshire Hathaway, Keller Williams, and Century 21. Customers get the exact same full service as they would with a traditional agent.

Along with Ideal Agent, Clever has the highest performance standards of any agent matching service. However, Ideal Agent has far fewer agents overall, so your chances of getting matched with a good agent in your area are higher with Clever. The agents we found on Clever were rigorously vetted and had proven track records in terms of sales, years of experience, and positive customer feedback.

Some other services, like HomeLight, have almost no vetting standards for agents. While HomeLight’s algorithm does match clients to agents based on agent performance, the system is only as good as its agents, and any licensed agent can join the network.

In other cases, agent matching networks claim to have vetting standards, but fail to enforce them consistently. As a result, agent quality is generally higher at Clever.

» MORE: See what real Clever customers say about their agents

Savings

Clever’s 1.5% commission rate is among the lowest in the industry. You’ll pay half the rate that most traditional realtors charge (2.5–3%). Other agent matching services don’t come close to Clever’s rates. Ideal Agent charges a 2% listing fee, for example, and HomeLight doesn’t offer discounted fees. 

With inflation and interest rates on the rise, reduced commission rates help sellers keep more of their home’s equity in their pockets.

Some of the customers we spoke to were initially concerned that there must be a “catch” with Clever’s fees being so low. After meeting with their Clever partner agents, they realized they’d be making no sacrifices in terms of service.

We suggest giving Clever a try and interviewing its agents. You can see for yourself how the quality remains high even with such low rates. Get matched with top local agents today.

Customer service

Clever is one of the few agent matching services — along with Ideal Agent — that requires its concierges to be fully licensed real estate agents. This matters because only licensed concierges can legally give you real estate advice.

Many other agent matching services, like HomeLight and UpNest, don’t require their concierges to be licensed. This means they can offer limited help with your real estate transaction.

We were particularly impressed by how Clever has improved its customer service over time. Before, a single Clever concierge was responsible for handling the entire customer journey. Today, there are multiple Clever concierge teams, each dedicated to handling just one aspect of the customer journey.

The result is a better and more streamlined experience. As customer Steve said:

Clever was very responsive and walked me through every step of the process and checked in regarding the service I received.”

Clever concierges are also willing to step in if a customer has concerns about their agent or any other aspect of their home sale or purchase. In the rare event that an agent isn’t living up to expectations, Clever concierges may exclude that agent from future transactions.

No other agent matching service we found goes to the lengths that Clever concierges do to ensure their customers are satisfied. On the contrary, other services were difficult to get in touch with and were often unhelpful with solving concerns after providing the initial agent match.

Pros and cons of Clever Real Estate

✅ Pros

• Clever Real Estate offers some of the best savings in the industry. It charges a listing fee of 1.5%, well below the industry average of 2.5–3%. On a $400,000 house, that amounts to savings of $6,000.
• Clever has a nationwide network of top full-service real estate agents who work for major brokerages, like Keller Williams, RE/MAX, and Berkshire Hathaway. Agents are fully vetted and must meet minimum performance criteria, such as five-plus years of real estate experience and excellent reviews from past sellers and buyers.
• The Clever concierge team provides helpful and knowledgeable advice at every stage of your home sale or purchase, from matching you with a realtor to helping resolve any issues that may arise. Each concierge team member is a fully licensed realtor, allowing them to legally provide in-depth and expert advice about your real estate transaction.
• Eligible buyers can get cash back after closing through Clever Cash Back.

❌ Cons

• As with most agent matching services, coverage varies, especially in rural areas. While Clever is available nationwide and has top agents in most areas, there may be some areas where fewer agents are available.
• You’ll get the most savings on higher-priced homes. For homes under $200,000, you’ll pay a flat listing fee of $3,000.

How does Clever Real Estate work?

Clever Real Estate’s service is designed to match you with the best agents to suit your particular situation and priorities.

The Clever concierge team learns about your real estate needs to hand-pick agent matches. The company also leverages advanced algorithms and streamlined technology to make the process fast and easy.

Other agent matching services often rely too much on either an algorithm to make a match (which often leads to agent mismatches) or customer service reps to do the matching (which tends to be slow and cumbersome). Clever uses a good balance of technology and human oversight. In our experience, the result is a fast process that doesn’t sacrifice quality.

Are Clever’s real estate agents good?

Clever’s partner agents are consistently high quality. They have to meet specific performance criteria, including having at least five years of experience as a realtor and a proven track record of success. If a partner agent isn’t performing up to standards, Clever is willing to remove them from its network.

The customers we spoke to were consistently impressed by how good Clever’s partner agents are. As one customer, Ron, told us:

Whenever I had questions or recommendations, I’d either email or call [my agent] and she was receptive to everything. . . . On a rating of 1 to 10, I’d give [her] a 10. I even gave her a little thank you card because I really feel like I found a friend. Every step of the way, there were zero problems.”

When you sell or buy with a Clever partner agent, you’ll get the same service and support you’d expect from a traditional agent charging full commission.

Full service for Clever sellers includes:

• Comparative market analysis (CMA) and pricing strategy
• Recommendations for pre-listing repairs and staging
• Professional photography
• Full listing on the MLS and hundreds of other real estate sites
• Showings and open houses
• Help with offers, counteroffers, and negotiations
• Contract and paperwork support
• Closing and title coordination
• And more

Full service for Clever buyers includes:

• Real-time MLS alerts
• On-demand house tours
• Help with offers and counteroffers
• Support during inspection and any renegotiations
• Final walkthrough and closing coordination
• And more

Clever’s partner agents sign an agreement that stipulates they must provide 100% full service. Clever’s concierge team will check in with you and the agent on an ongoing basis to ensure your agent is delivering the promised level of service and support. Clever Real Estate reviews from past customers confirm that Clever’s agents genuinely offer full service throughout the selling or buying process.

Why do agents agree to work for just 1.5%?

You may be wondering why any real estate agent — especially one who already has a solid track record — would agree to work for 1.5% commission when the standard rate is 2.5–3%. In fact, Clever’s 1.5% model is a win-win for both agents and customers.

Here’s why: Agents typically spend a lot of time and money on marketing and trying to find new clients. Clever takes on this work for real estate agents by sending potential clients to them, which in turn means agents don’t have to spend as much on marketing. The result is that agents get more business — which is good for their bottom lines — and are able to pass on the savings to you. So everybody wins.

How much can sellers save with Clever?

Clever sellers typically save between 40–50% on listing fees versus what they’d typically pay with a full-service agent. That translates to about $7,000 in average savings.

See for yourself how much you could save with Clever by entering your home’s sale price below.

Clever Real Estate savings calculator

How Clever’s commission rates work for sellers

All Clever partner agents have agreed to offer full service and support for a fraction of the typical 2.5–3% listing fee rate. You’ll get the same service as you would with a traditional agent, but at a significantly reduced rate.

• Sellers with homes over $200,000 pay a 1.5% listing fee
• Sellers with homes under $200,000 pay a flat $3,000 listing fee

In addition to the listing fee, expect to offer a competitive buyer’s agent fee to incentivize local agents to show your home to their clients. Buyer’s agent commission fees are negotiable and vary by market, but 2–3% is typical and encouraged. 

With Clever, you’ll usually pay a total commission between 3.5% and 4.5%. That’s significantly less than the typical 6% total commission most sellers pay.

Finding a buyer’s agent through Clever

Clever can also match you with an agent when buying a home. As is the case with most home purchases, you won’t have to worry about covering the buyer’s agent commission for your realtor. That comes out of the purchase price and is set by the seller, not the buyer.

But you may be eligible for Clever Cash Back — which puts money back in your pocket after you close. Clever Cash Back is available in 41 states and is a legit way to help offset the cost of your move or home renovation projects.

Those savings are great, but the main factor you should consider when shopping around for a buyer’s agent is quality. Your buyer’s agent is there to help you find homes for sale, negotiate a sale price with the listing agent, and help guide you through closing.

Clever’s buyer agents are high quality and come from name-brand brokerages, like Berkshire Hathaway and Century 21. They are held to the same standards as all of Clever’s partner agents, meaning they must meet minimum performance standards, such as a minimum number of transactions, years of experience, and positive customer reviews.

This vetting process ensures that no matter which agent you get matched with through Clever, they’ll have the necessary experience to help you find a house that fits your needs and budget.

How much can buyers save with Clever?

Eligible home buyers can get some savings through Clever with Clever Cash Back. The program offers you a gift card of up to $500 when you buy a home with a Clever agent:

• $250 if you buy with a Clever agent
• $500 if you buy and sell with a Clever agent

Are you eligible for Clever Cash Back?

Clever Cash Back is available in the 41 of 50 U.S. states that allow commission rebates and cash back rewards for home buyers. 

Clever’s buyer savings program is not currently available in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Tennessee. The U.S. Justice Department supports commission rebates and cash rewards for home buyers and is actively working to make them legal in all 50 states.

Also note that Clever Cash Back has some purchase price criteria. Homes purchased in qualifying states for over $50,000 are eligible for cash back. Purchases of homes below $50,000 are not currently eligible. 

Cash back rewards vs. buyer rebates

Some real estate companies and agents offer home buyer rebates — or commission rebates — as an incentive for home buyers. We recommend cash back over rebates, when possible, because cash back is less complicated.

Buyer rebates and cash back programs are subject to the same state restrictions, which means both are available in the same 41 states.

Clever Real Estate reviews from real customers

Clever Real Estate reviews online give the company a rating of 4.9/5 out of 1,995 reviews across Trustpilot and Google. Plus, Clever Real Estate has an A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau.

What customers like about Clever

Customers tend to praise Clever for two main things: the quality of its agents and the savings.

“Clever matched me with the PERFECT agent.”

“Clever delivered as promised.”

We repeatedly found Clever Real Estate reviews that highlighted how effective and diligent agents were, with some customers even saying they had built friendships with their agents after their transaction closed.

This quality is likely a reflection of Clever’s vetting process for agents. Unlike some other agent matching services, Clever doesn’t let just any realtor into its network. Instead, realtors need to have a great track record in terms of experience, sales, and customer reviews.

Customers also pointed out that they saved a lot on commission with Clever. The listing fee with Clever is just 1.5% — about half of the 2.5–3% that’s typical for the industry — which on a $400,000 house can amount to savings of $6,000.

Some customers admitted they were initially skeptical about these savings, or worried there was a “catch.” They were quickly reassured after meeting their realtors that they’d get the same service as a traditional, full-priced real estate agent, but for thousands less.

Where customers thought Clever could improve

A few Clever customers were disappointed with the quality of their agents, with some wishing their agent had gotten a better price for their home or were located closer to them.

“We would have liked more recommendations.”

“The first agent didn’t work out, but the second one did.”

Other negative experiences were a result of Clever’s commission structure not being explained clearly. For example, some customers were under the impression that the 1.5% listing fee is the only cost they would have to pay. In fact, as is true when selling a house with any agent, homeowners also have to cover the buyer’s agent commission (which is typically around 2.5–3%) as well as any closing costs.

Fortunately, Clever has improved its customer service model since some of these negative Clever Real Estate reviews were written. Today, different Clever concierge teams are responsible for different steps of the customer journey. We suspect that this more focused approach to customer service will help cut down on misunderstandings and give customers a clearer idea of how the service works.

Bottom line: Is Clever Real Estate right for you?

Based on our research of Clever Real Estate and other popular agent matching services, we think Clever offers the best overall service for the vast majority of buyers and sellers. Clever’s partner agents are consistently high quality, its savings for both sellers and buyers are the best in the industry, and you can try it for free with zero obligation.

The only situation where you may want to look elsewhere is if you’re selling a house at a low price point — typically less than $100,000. At that price, a traditional, full-priced real estate agent may be able to provide a better deal given Clever’s flat $3,000 listing fee for homes less than $200,000.

For all other sellers and buyers, however, Clever is a good deal. You’ll get a top, full-service real estate agent and pay only a fraction of the price. In other words, you’ll save thousands of dollars for the exact same service as you’d get from a traditional broker.

Our advice: Start your real estate journey with Clever. You’ll have an expert in your corner from the beginning, but because Clever is free and comes with no obligation, you’ll still be able to pursue other options at any point.

Methodology

We strive to deliver objective real estate reviews. The Real Estate Witch team and its mystery shoppers tested and researched Clever and 10 other agent matching services over a six-week period. We regularly update all our reviews to ensure they are accurate and relevant. Our goal is to help you find an agent who can get you the best possible value when you buy or sell your home.

Disclosure

Real Estate Witch is a partner brand of Clever. However, we form our opinions based on the same facts we share with you, and we apply the same objective standards to Clever that we do to all companies we review. Our focus is to let you know who Clever is and isn’t right for.

Related links

How to Choose a Realtor: The Complete Guide: A good agent can make a big difference in how well your home sale or purchase goes — and how much you get or save for your house. Find out how to choose the right realtor for you.

Top 10 Low Commission Real Estate Agents: Low commission real estate companies can help you save thousands on your home sale. Check out our ranking of the best low commission companies, and see what options are available in your local real estate market. 

The Best Discount Real Estate Brokers and Agents: Discount brokers can save you a lot of money, but some come with significant drawbacks. Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering a discount realtor.

Negotiating Realtor Fees: 5 Tips to Lower Commission: Negotiating real estate fees centers on knowing the market and your situation, then using that info while talking to multiple agents.

FAQs about Clever Real Estate