Published
-
Written by
Written by Hannah Warrick
If you’re looking to sell a house and save on realtor commission fees in San Jose, 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 Jose |
Very good
|
1.5% ($9,000 min.)
|
Multi-state
|
Learn More |
Trelora Realty |
Very good
|
1%
|
Multi-state
|
Learn More |
Miguel Portales |
Very good
|
$7,800–9,800
|
Local
|
Learn More |
Flat Rate Realty San Jose |
Good
|
1%
|
Local
|
Learn More |
The Real Estate Witch Team evaluated 28 discount real estate brokers in the San Jose, 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 Jose, CA
Upfront Fee
Listing Fee
Customer Rating
Availability
Overview
Pricing
Reviews
Contact
Our take: Clever is our top pick in San Jose, 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 Jose-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 Jose.
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 Jose. 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 Jose 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 Jose) 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: 2033 Gateway Pl, #110, San Jose, CA 95110
Areas served: Blossom Valley, Cambrian, Campbell, Castro Valley, Fremont, Hayward, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Mountain View, Newark, San Jose, Santa Clara, Santa Teresa, Sunnyvale, Willow Glen, 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. This company also uses 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 at closing
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: Miguel Portales promises personalized service at a high level of satisfaction for San Jose home sellers, but the flat fee could be higher than other options in the area.
What we like: The flat fee at Miguel Portales is straightforward ($7,800 for homes under $1m and $9,800 for homes between $1–1.5m). The listing package includes traditional marketing strategies like yard signs, digital advertising, professional photography, videography, and 3D tours.
Things to watch out for: The flat fee will help you save (compared to the typical 3% listing commission), but it may be higher than what other discount real estate brokers offer in San Jose. We suggest exploring all your options before moving forward with this broker.
Pros
- Simple flat fee structure could mean major savings for sellers
- Professional photography, videography, and 3D tours are included
- The broker has over a decade of experience in the area
- Highly rated by customers on Google and Zillow
Cons
- Other discount real estate brokers may offer lower fees
- Less agent selection compared to Redfin or Clever
Fee structure
- $7,800 listing fee at closing for homes below $1m
- $9,800 listing fee at closing for homes between $1–1.5m
- 2–2.5% buyer’s agent commission at closing
Website: miguelportales.com
Phone: (415) 610-9055
Address: 39899 Balentine Dr, Ste 200, Newark, CA 94560
Areas served: San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley
Upfront Fee
Listing Fee
Customer Rating
Availability
Overview
Pricing
Reviews
Contact
Our take: Flat Rate Realty offers competitive listing fees for San Jose residents, but we couldn’t find any review data for this broker, which made it difficult to verify service quality
What we like: Flat Rate Realty provides a competitive 1% listing fee, allowing sellers to save thousands of dollars compared to traditional brokers. Listings include open houses and virtual home tours.
Things to watch out for: The MLS listing period is undisclosed for Flat Fee Realty’s services, which could be problematic if your home takes longer to sell. We suggest interviewing an agent at Flat Fee Realty before determining if the discount real estate broker is right for you. Also, we couldn’t find any review data for this company to verify its customer satisfaction rate.
Pros
- Competitive 1% listing fee
- Open houses and virtual home tours included with listings
Cons
- Unclear MLS listing period
- Limited availability of customer reviews
- Potential confusion regarding brokerage affiliations
Fee structure
- 1% listing fee due at closing
- Unclear what buyer’s agent commission this broker recommends
*Not enough data available at this time
Website: flatraterealtysanjose.com
Phone: (408) 627-0030
Address: 481 N Santa Cruz Ave, #104, Los Gatos, CA 95030
Areas served: Burlingame, Campbell, Cupertino, Daly City, Evergreen Los Gatos, Pacifica, Palo Alto, Redwood, San Bruno, San Francisco, San Jose, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Sausalito, Sunnyvale, and Willow Glen
Other discount real estate brokerages in San Jose, 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 Jose 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 Jose area. Its real estate agents either offer discount commission or a flat fee listing on the local MLS. We left it off our San Jose list because we couldn’t verify pricing details or find any reviews or transactions for this company.
WP Realty is a discount realtor that charges a total of 3.5% commission, which includes the buyer’s agent commission. This brokerage could be a good fit for sellers looking to work with a local agent. We kept them off of our San Jose list because the split between the listing commission and the buyer’s agent commission is unclear.
» MORE: Compare all full-service discount real estate brokers in California.
Limited-service and flat fee MLS San Jose 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 Jose 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 62 discrete pricing and service models to create our initial list of San Jose, CA, discount real estate brokerages. We then compiled and analyzed a further 1,052,293 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 Jose region calling itself a discount real estate broker or agent. We then filtered that list down and ranked the top San Jose 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