Published
-
Written by
Written by Hannah Warrick
If you’re looking to sell a house and save on realtor commission fees in San Francisco, California, we recommend hiring a discount real estate brokerage. A good discount real estate broker provides the same general services and support as a traditional real estate agent but for a fraction of the price.
| Company | Our Rating | Listing Fee | Availability | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
🏅 Best overall
Clever Real Estate |
Excellent
|
1.5% ($3,000 min.)
|
Nationwide
|
Learn More |
Redfin San Francisco |
Very good
|
1.5% ($9,000 min.)
|
Multi-state
|
Learn More |
Trelora Realty |
Very good
|
1%
|
Multi-state
|
Learn More |
Prevu Real Estate |
Very good
|
1.5% (minimums apply)
|
Multi-state
|
Learn More |
Northern Coast Realty |
Good
|
1%
|
Local
|
Learn More |
WP Realty |
Good
|
3.5% total commission*
|
Local
|
Learn More |
The Real Estate Witch Team evaluated 29 discount real estate brokers in the San Francisco, California, area based on a variety of key factors, including fee structures, customer reviews, sales performance, and more. Our guide will help you choose the right brand to fit your budget and desired level of service.
⚡️ In a hurry? Find top discount realtors near you now.
Top full-service discount real estate brokers in San Francisco, CA
Upfront Fee
Listing Fee
Customer Rating
Availability
Overview
Pricing
Reviews
Contact
Our take: Clever is our top pick in San Francisco, CA, for home sellers looking to save on realtor commission without sacrificing service.
What we like: Clever gets you discounted rates (up to 50%) from non-discount realtors. Plus Clever’s matching service is highly rated and free to use with no obligation.
How it works: Clever matches you with top local realtors from major brokerages like RE/MAX and Compass. You compare options to find the best fit and get the special 1.5% listing fee (same as Redfin) no matter who you choose.
Pros
- Sell with a traditional agent from a name-brand brokerage (not a discount agent)
- Agents work for up to 50% off their typical rate when you go through Clever
- Most agent selection by far — choose from many top San Francisco-area realtors
Cons
- No guarantee you’ll be able to work with a specific agent or brokerage you have in mind
- Add-ons like professional staging, drone photos, and 3D tours may cost extra (agents will break down what’s included during their listing presentation)
Fee structure
- 1.5% listing fee ($3,000 min.) at closing
- 2–3% buyer’s agent commission at closing
Total reviews nationwide:
| Weighted avg. | 5.0 | 3,055 |
| Trustpilot | 5.0 | 2,755 |
| 4.8 | 300 |
Total reviews from California:
| Weighted avg. | 5.0 | 602 |
| Trustpilot | 5.0 | 586 |
| 5.0 | 16 |
Website: listwithclever.com
Phone: 1-833-225-3837
Hours: 5 a.m.–7 p.m. PST, 7 days a week
Address: 4625 Lindell Blvd, 2nd FL, St. Louis, MO 63108
Upfront Fee
Listing Fee
Customer Rating
Availability
Overview
Pricing
Reviews
Contact
Our take: Redfin’s discount real estate service offers a decent value overall for most home sellers in San Francisco, but its minimum fee is much higher than other options in the area.
What we like: Redfin’s 1.5% listing fees can net you solid savings, and you can get an additional 0.5% listing fee savings if you sell and buy with Redfin within 12 months. Redfin is also a large, well-established brand with more discount realtors to choose from than many local discount real estate brokers.
Things to watch out for: Redfin’s tech-centric and team-based approach to selling isn’t for everyone. Redfin conducts most of the process remotely, and you work with a Lead Agent and a back-office team. Redfin also has a minimum $9,000 fee in San Francisco. So if your home is below $600,000, you’ll pay slightly more than the advertised 1.5% rate.
Pros
- Solid listing fee savings
- Established brand and decent agent selection
- Tech-forward approach may appeal to some sellers
Cons
- Higher minimum fee vs. other San Francisco options
- High-volume, team-centric approach may not be for everyone
- Less agent selection than Clever
Fee structure
- 1.5% listing fee ($9,000 min. in San Francisco) at closing
- 2–3% buyer’s agent commission at closing
- 0.5% listing fee refund if you also buy with Redfin within 12 months
*Not enough data available at this time
Website: redfin.com
Phone: 1-844-759-7732
Hours: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. PST, 7 days a week
Address: 1 Montgomery St, #800, San Francisco, CA 94104
Areas served: Ashbury Heights, Castro, Civic Center/Van Ness, Haight Ashbury, Hayes Valley, Inner Richmond, Mission, Mission Bay, Noe Valley, Oakland, Pacific Heights, San Francisco, SoMa, and more
Upfront Fee
Listing Fee
Customer Rating
Availability
Overview
Pricing
Reviews
Contact
Our take: Trelora Realty is a full-service discount real estate company with a unique team approach, offering potential savings on realtor fees.
What we like: Trelora provides significantly discounted commission rates compared to traditional realtors, which has generated positive customer reviews. They also use a team of real estate professionals to serve each client, which could allow for a more diversified range of expertise and service.
Things to watch out for: Rather than assigning a single agent to facilitate the entire process, Trelora uses a team of agents. This approach could potentially cause confusion or lack of personalization (especially if there’s no clear communication).
Pros
- Significant savings due to low 1% commission rate
- Positive customer reviews
- Some sellers may enjoy working with a team vs. a single agent
Cons
- Potential lack of personal service due to team-based approach
Fee structure
- 1% listing fee at closing
- 2–3% buyer’s agent commission recommended
Website: trelora.com
Phone: 866-471-3440
Address: 2110 K St, Sacramento, CA 95816
Areas served: Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington
Upfront Fee
Listing Fee
Customer Rating
Availability
Overview
Pricing
Reviews
Contact
Our take: Prevu Real Estate may be a good choice for sellers who value transparent pricing and easy communication, but it could lack local market expertise.
What we like: The 1.5% listing fee can lead to decent savings for home sellers. Plus, its online platform makes communicating with your agent easy, and reviews are largely positive.
Things to watch out for: Prevu has a smaller presence than other brokerages in San Francisco, so you may not find agents with extensive local experience. Also, it’s unclear what the minimum commission fee is for San Francisco.
Pros
- Transparent pricing model and good listing fee savings
- Established multi-state operation
- Online platform allows for easy communication with your discount realtor
Cons
- No public reviews or transaction data found specific to San Francisco
- Potential lack of market expertise
- Unclear what the minimum listing fee is
Fee structure
- 1.5% listing fee (minimums apply) at closing
- 1.5–2.5% buyer’s agent commission at closing
Website: prevu.com
Phone: (646) 603-6868
Address: 110 E 25th St, New York, NY 10010
Areas served: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, DC
Upfront Fee
Listing Fee
Customer Rating
Availability
Overview
Pricing
Reviews
Contact
Our take: Northern Crest Realty offers a 1% listing fee to San Francisco residents, but limited customer reviews make it hard to gauge performance.
What we like: The team at Northern Crest Realty lists homes for one-third of the traditional listing commission, which could save Bay Area sellers thousands of dollars. The team has over 30 years of brokerage experience and aims to give each customer personalized service.
Things to watch out for: There aren’t many third-party reviews of Northern Crest Realty, so it’s hard to determine the discount real estate broker’s customer satisfaction level. We recommend talking to an agent from Northern Coast Realty before moving forward.
Pros
- Significant savings from the 1% listing fee
- Work with a local Bay Area discount real estate broker
- The North Crest team has over 30 years of real estate brokerage experience
Cons
- The broker doesn’t clearly define what’s included in its listing packages
- Limited third-party reviews
Fee structure
- 1% listing fee at closing
- 2.5% buyer’s agent commission at closing
| Weighted Avg. | 4.9 | 7 |
| Zillow | 4.9 | 7 |
Website: teamncr.com
Phone: (925) 973-5701
Address: 930 Dwight Way, Suite 10A, Berkeley, CA 94710
Areas served: Alamo, Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Concord, Danville, Dublin, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Hercules, Lafayette, Livermore, Martinez, Moraga, Newark, Oakland, Orinda, Piedmont, Pinole, Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton, Richmond, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, San Pablo, San Ramon, Shore Acres, Sunol, Union City, and Walnut Creek
Upfront Fee
Listing Fee
Customer Rating
Availability
Overview
Pricing
Reviews
Contact
Our take: WP Realty offers a full-service experience with a fixed 3.5% total commission for San Francisco home sellers, but the broker isn’t transparent about how this total commission is split into listing and buyer’s agent commissions.
What we like: The 3.5% total commission rate offers savings compared to the 5–6% total commission that other brokerages offer. Also, WP Realty is a family-owned business from Dublin, CA, with deep knowledge of the San Francisco selling landscape.
Things to watch out for: The 3.5% bundled commission could save you money, but WP Realty doesn’t disclose the listing/buyer’s agent split. If this split is more advantageous for the selling agent, it may draw in fewer buyer’s agents to show your home. This Bay Area real estate broker also has limited customer review information on third-party sites.
Pros
- A lower fixed commission rate could result in cost savings for sellers
- Realtor support throughout the buying process
Cons
- Limited information about listing packages
- Service area is limited compared to national brokers
- Customer review information is lacking
Fee structure
- 3.5% total commission at closing
*Total commission includes listing agent commission and buyer’s agent commission.
| Weighted avg. | 4.4 | 24 |
| Yelp | 4.4 | 24 |
Website: wprealtyinc.com
Phone: (510) 734-0808
Address: 4101 Dublin Blvd Ste F-64 Dublin, CA 94568
Areas served: Dublin, Irvine, Livermore, San Francisco, San Ramon, and Stockton
Other discount real estate brokerages in San Francisco, CA
Assist-2-Sell, a well-established discount real estate franchise and flat fee MLS company, has experienced a decline in recent years. While local offices typically offer full-service and tiered, flat fee pricing options, the specific details may vary. We didn’t include Assist-2-Sell on our San Francisco list because we couldn’t find any data about the company in the area. There was no available information regarding pricing, recent transactions, or customer reviews to confirm the company’s current activity in the area.
Discount Realtor is a real estate referral service that matches you with a discount realtor in the San Francisco area. Its real estate agents either offer discount commission or a flat fee listing on the local MLS. We left it off our San Francisco list because we couldn’t verify pricing details or find any reviews or transactions for this company.
» MORE: Compare all full-service discount real estate brokers in California.
Limited-service and flat fee MLS San Francisco brokers
Sellers who have more experience in real estate may be interested in using limited-service or flat fee MLS companies. These brokerages offer less support but for a lower fee than full-service discount realtors.
| Company | Our Rating | Listing Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Best price for our readers
Unreal Estate |
100+ reviews
|
$0–599 upfront + 0.5% at closing
Use code “Clever” to save
|
Learn More |
HomeListers |
$1,295
|
Learn More | |
MLS Town by Berg Properties |
59 reviews
|
$95-895
|
Learn More |
» MORE: Compare all flat fee MLS services in California.
Next steps: Start interviewing real estate agents
Related articles
Average Real Estate Commission in California: Knowing the standard commission rate in your area can help you avoid overpaying for a realtor and accurately estimate costs when you sell your home.
California Seller Closing Costs and More: Read this guide for a complete breakdown of the costs of selling a house in California, including tips on how to save on your sale.
9 Steps to Selling a Home in California: Are you ready to sell your home in San Francisco but need help understanding the process first? Read our complete guide on selling a home in California (with or without a realtor).
How to Negotiate Realtor Commissions: Negotiating real estate fees centers on knowing the market and your situation, then using that info while talking to multiple agents.
How to Choose the Right Realtor to Sell Your House: When selling a home in today’s market, choosing the right listing agent is key. Most people hire the first traditional agent they interview — here’s a better approach.
Why trust us
Data sources
Our Research Team gathered 66 discrete pricing and service models to create our initial list of San Francisco, CA, discount real estate brokerages. We then compiled and analyzed a further 1,052,737 publicly available data points tied to past transactions, customer reviews, licensing info, and more to categorize each service and create our final list and rankings.
Methodology
The Real Estate Witch Team used public business directories to identify every company in the greater San Francisco region calling itself a discount real estate broker or agent. We then filtered that list down and ranked the top San Francisco options based on the following criteria:
- Service level: We only included and rated full-service discount realtors and brokerages to start, which we think are the best option for most home sellers. These companies offer the same key services you’d expect from a traditional realtor, including in-person representation and end-to-end support.
- Pricing: We assessed each company’s fee structure and cross-referenced it with the service model to determine who was offering (a) the best overall value — price vs. service — and (b) the fewest unfavorable pricing terms, like high minimums, nonrefundable upfront fees, or other hidden costs.
- Customer reviews: We evaluated all verifiable customer reviews for each service. We considered not only the total review counts, average customer ratings, and key positive and negative themes, but we also assessed factors like how recent and relevant the reviews were to customers making hiring decisions right now.
- Sales activity: We looked at available data about past transactions to gauge sales performance and activity level.
Editorial policy
Credible, primary sources power our pages. When you hire a service through a link on this page, we may earn a small commission. But this doesn’t influence our advice or ranking methodology. Learn more about Real Estate Witch here.
Leave a Reply