Key takeaway: HomeLight offers a quick, easy way to find and compare full-service realtors in your area. If you're in a situation where you need to sell quickly or buy and sell a house at the same time, you can also explore HomeLight's cash offer or buy-before-you-sell options.
HomeLight customers appreciate the wide agent selection and automated agent matching platform, which lets you sign up at any time of day or night and instantly see the profiles of local agents.
However, some customers complain that the number of phone calls you get from Homelight agents wanting your business (even if you're simply looking for cash offers) can be overwhelming. And Homelight doesn't offer commission savings like some of its competitors do.
Read on to see what customers like and don't about working with HomeLight.
HomeLight at a glance
| 🏢 Company type | Agent matching service |
| 🏴 Active since | 2012 |
| 💲 Listing fee | 2.5–3%* |
| 💰 Buyer savings | None |
| ⭐ Average customer rating | 3.8/5 ⭐ (440+ reviews) |
| 📍 Availability | Nationwide |
| *Listing fees are set by individual agents and may vary | |
» JUMP TO: Competitors | Customer reviews | How it works | Fees | Locations | Bottom line
Who does HomeLight work best for?
HomeLight works best if you're not sure where to find a real estate agent and want to quickly compare your options. The platform is free to use, so there's no harm in signing up to see who you get matched with. It’s also automated, so you can compare the profiles of local agents immediately after signing up.
With more than 30,000 agents in HomeLight's network, odds are good that it can match you with a decent local realtor. However, Homelight doesn’t have the strictest vetting requirements — pretty much any agent with an active license can sign up — and some customers complain of being bombarded with calls and emails after submitting their info.
Where HomeLight misses the mark is on savings. When you find your agent through HomeLight, you'll need to pay the prevailing commission rate — typically 2.5–3% of the sale price — or be willing to negotiate a different rate directly with your realtor.
Other agent-matching services offer better rates — saving customers as much as 50% on listing fees for the same or comparable agents, who often belong to multiple referral networks.
⚡ Want a better rate from your agent? Get a pre-negotiated listing fee of just 1.5% through Clever's top-rated agent network. Compare agents from leading brands like Keller Williams, Compass, and more. Fill out a quick survey, and get agent profiles sent straight to your inbox. (Don't worry, we won't sell your information or tack on extra fees.)
How do Homelight's fees compare?
HomeLight agents offer traditional real estate agent services at a traditional price point. Realtor commissions are typically the largest of a home seller's closing costs, with an average of 5–6% of a home’s sale price going toward agent fees. That equates to $20,000–24,000 on a $400,000 home.
While we don’t recommend choosing a realtor based solely on commission rates, we do recommend choosing a real estate company that offers lower commissions without compromising on service — especially given the variety of highly-rated companies that do just that.
Choosing an experienced agent with a lower rate has the potential to save you thousands of dollars.
HomeLight vs. competitors
HomeLight's top competitors include both discount brokers like Redfin and agent matching services like Clever Real Estate, Upnest, and Ideal Agent. These alternatives can also match you with a full service realtor, while offering lower commission rates through their brokerage or network.
HomeLight reviews: What customers say
| Review site | Rating |
| Better Business Bureau | 4.1/5 (105 reviews) |
| 4.8/5 (291 reviews) | |
| Trustpilot | 3.2/5 (1 review) |
| Yelp | 3.2/5 (43 reviews) |
| Average rating | 3.8/5 (440 reviews) |
HomeLight reviews are mostly positive, with most customers pleased with the quality of the agents they were matched with. One persistent complaint about HomeLight, however, is the volume of calls and emails people receive after signing up.
What customers love
✅ Professional agents. Most positive HomeLight reviews highlight the quality of the agents customers were matched with. While agent quality can certainly vary, the large volume of agents in HomeLight’s network means you can often find one who is a good fit for your needs.
“Jamin was great! Really helped me when I purchased my house and got everything done quickly and without the headaches and hiccups that I had experienced in past home purchases.” – Kevin M., Google
✅ Good customer service. Some reviewers were also pleased with how responsive and informative HomeLight’s customer service team was. A number of reviews mentioned that HomeLight answered questions clearly and that the process was simple and straightforward.
“I reached out to Homelight when we were looking to sell our home and they smashed us with a good reputable, local real estate agent. They made the process very easy and answered all my questions within a timely matter I would definitely use them again in the future.” – Dave R., May 2024, Yelp
✅ Large agent selection. HomeLight is the largest agent matching service in the country, which means that the company is usually able to match you with multiple realtors. Some reviewers appreciated how they were able to compare agents quickly, which made choosing a realtor easy.
“Homelight made the process of finding a realtor so efficient and simple. They were quick at reaching out to realtors who they thought were a good fit for us and realtors who we personally requested to get in touch with. As a result, we were able to communicate with multiple realtors almost immediately. And we hired a super competent and professional realtor within just a couple days! I am super appreciative for Homelight's help as it would have taken me so much longer on my own.” – Rachel S., September 2023, Yelp
HomeLight complaints
❌ Unwanted calls. By far the most common complaint about HomeLight is the number of calls and emails people receive from either HomeLight itself or from its partner agents. This happens even when people specify that they’re not looking for a realtor — such as when they're entering their property info ito HomeLight's home value estimator.
“I submitted info to get our estimated home value, I even selected I have an agent…. They don’t care what so ever and send out your info to at least 20 agents. My phone kept ringing and it was overly obnoxious. Homelight ends up calling over and over and when I finally answered and explained to the rep my frustrations, she gave me attitude and told me “I don’t know why if you’re working with someone why you would look to compare”.” – Angelica M., Google
❌ No available cash offers. Some people who requested cash offers through HomeLight Simple Sale were especially frustrated that HomeLight failed to provide any actual cash offers. Instead, they were also instead inundated with calls from traditional realtors.
“It says a cash offer but all they offered me was about 500 calls from different realtors they sold my phone number and email to. There was no cash offer involved. They are totally misleading” – Prudent_Pop_9265, July 2024, Reddit
Getting a lot of unwanted phone calls like this is certainly annoying. When this happens, it may be because HomeLight isn’t able to find any cash buyers in the seller’s area. Also, some realtors have connections to local real estate investors, so receiving calls from realtors isn’t necessarily a guarantee that those realtors won’t be able to find you a cash buyer.
Homelight reviews from Realtors
Most online reviews of HomeLight from realtors are positive. Generally, the website does a good job of generating quality leads. Realtors feel that the referral fee is also fair.
“Homelight is by far the best referral service we use. The leads are better and a high number of them close within a year. So worth the referral fee we pay at closing!” – Sheila N., Google
However, HomeLight recently raised its referral fee to 33%, which some critics say will make it harder for realtors to provide the same level of service.[8]
HomeLight services
HomeLight’s main service is to match you with a real estate agent to help you sell your house or buy a new one. The agents the company finds for you don’t actually work for HomeLight. Instead, they are third parties, often from large brokerages like RE/MAX and Keller Williams, who get local "leads" through HomeLight's referral service.
If you choose to work with an agent referred to you through HomeLight, you can expect the full set of services you would from any other local realtor. Your listing agreement will name the specific duties and responsibilities of your agent However, a full-service listing agent will typically offer:
- Pricing guidance, including a comparative market analysis (CMA)
- Professional photography
- Staging advice
- MLS listing and syndication to sites like Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com
- Social media marketing
- Negotiation assistance
- Yard sign and lock box
- Showing and open house coordination
- Help with evaluating offers, handling negotiations, and reviewing the final contract
- Guidance through inspections, appraisals, and closing
Some services, such as 3D virtual tours and drone photography, may be available at an additional cost.
Buyer’s agents offer a similar level of support, but they are more focused on finding properties for their clients and negotiating with sellers. Buyer’s agents can also recommend other professionals, such as home inspectors, lenders, and real estate attorneys.
How finding an agent through HomeLight works
Finding an agent with HomeLight is fairly straightforward, whether you’re a buyer or a seller. Here’s how it works:
- Visit HomeLight.com. HomeLight’s online form will ask you questions about the property you’re selling or looking to buy, such as price range and your closing timeline.
- Submit your information to see matching agents. HomeLight’s algorithm will instantly match you with up to three real estate agents. According to HomeLight, its algorithm takes the following agent metrics into account to come up with referrals:
- Location, property type, and price point expertise based on previous transactions
- Transaction volume by year
- Average sale price vs average listing price
- Average days on market
- Customer reviews from past clients
- Response time and success rate with past HomeLight referrals
- Review your agent matches. Under the “View Details” menu, you’ll find information about each agent, such as their experience level, the number of homes they’ve sold, and a map of their recent transactions. You can choose one of these agents or request additional ones.
- Discuss your options with HomeLight. A HomeLight concierge will contact you via phone and email, typically within a few hours. You can discuss your matches with the concierge and request additional matches if needed.
- Interview your agent matches. You can choose to talk with any of your agent matches via phone, email, or through HomeLight’s messaging platform to see if they would be a good fit for your real estate needs.
- Sign a listing or buyer agreement. If you choose to proceed with one of your matched agents, you’ll sign a contract with them specifying the length of the agreement, the agent’s duties, and their compensation. You’re also free to turn down all of your agent matches and look elsewhere.
Additional HomeLight services
HomeLight Simple Sale is a cash offer service. HomeLight will match you with real estate investors in your area who will pay cash for your home and close quickly (often within a few weeks). HomeLight doesn’t buy your house itself, but rather acts as an intermediary between you and investors, who can range from local cash buyers to large iBuyers.
In theory, HomeLight’s cash offer option can be a good choice if you’re looking to sell fast and you don’t want the hassles that come with a traditional listing, such as staging and showings. However, customers complain that you'll still get calls from agents — even when looking strictly for cash offers.
HomeLight’s Buy Before You Sell program lets you use the equity in your current home to make an offer on a new home. Because your offer doesn’t include a prior home sale contingency, it can stand out in a competitive market. Once you buy your new home, you then sell your old home. If it doesn’t sell within 120 days, HomeLight will buy the property.
Buy Before You Sell can be a convenient option since you won’t have the pressure of needing to find a new home before the closing date on the home you’re selling. However, HomeLight charges a 2.4% fee for the sale of your home when you use Buy Before You Sell. There is also an additional $1,500 fee if you don’t use HomeLight Closing Services.[1]
Is HomeLight legit?
Yes, HomeLight is a legitimate real estate company that primarily focuses on matching buyers and sellers with real estate agents. It was founded in 2012 in San Francisco by Drew Uher, who remains the CEO. HomeLight is today based in Scottsdale, AZ.
With over 30,000 agents in its network, HomeLight is the largest agent matching service in the U.S. and operates nationwide. Its Buy Before You Sell program expanded to 46 states plus Washington D.C. in August 2024.[9]
HomeLight makes money by charging real estate agents a referral fee, which is deducted from the agent’s commission when they complete a real estate transaction.[10] HomeLight also charges a 2.4% service fee for selling your house via its Buy Before You Sell program.
HomeLight locations
HomeLight is available nationwide. Additional services may only be available in select areas. ‘Buy Before You Sell’ is available in all states plus Washington, D.C., except for Alaska, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island.[11]
HomeLight news and updates
HomeLight announces that it has partnered with 10,000 loan officers and 28,000 real estate agents to expand its Buy Before You Sell program to 40 additional states.[2] HomeLight Buy Before You Sell will now be available nationwide with the exceptions of Alaska, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island.
HomeLight’s real estate agent referral fee is increased to 33%.[3] The company claims the increase will help it focus on marketing and new products, although critics warn it could lead to higher commissions and less service for customers.
In the face of high interest rates and a difficult market, HomeLight announces it is laying off 19% of its workforce.[4] The layoffs come on the heels of similar announcements at other real estate companies, including Sundae, Knock, and Orchard.
Denver-based Accept.inc is acquired by HomeLight for an undisclosed amount.[5] Accept.inc is a startup that enables buyers to submit all-cash offers when they qualify for a mortgage.
HomeLight raises $100 million in Series D funding, bringing its total valuation to $1.6 billion.[6] The company triples its valuation since its Series C funding in November 2019.
HomeLight Simple Sale is launched as a “marketplace” of over 100 iBuyers for sellers looking for cash buyers.[7] The service is initially available in 35 U.S. metropolitan areas.
FAQ
Is HomeLight a reputable company?
Yes, HomeLight is a reputable company and one of the largest real estate agent finding services in the country. It does a good job of matching buyers and sellers with nearby realtors, although some competitors may be a better choice if you’re looking to save money.
What is HomeLight Simple Sale?
HomeLight Simple Sale is a service where HomeLight will find local real estate investors in your area who are willing to buy your house for cash. Simple Sale can be a good option for selling fast, but you’ll have to settle for a lower sale price.
Is a HomeLight appraisal accurate?
A HomeLight appraisal is not overly accurate, although it can be a good starting point to give you an idea of what your home may be worth on the open market. A comparative market analysis (CMA) from a real estate agent will provide a better picture of your home’s value.
Related reading
What Companies Offer the Lowest Real Estate Commission Fees? Working with a low commission real estate agent is one of the best ways to save when you sell your home. We’ve spent hundreds of hours reviewing low cost options to find the ones that provide the best savings, service, and overall value.
Realtor Fees: Who Pays the Commission and How Much Is It? Wondering how much realtor fees cost? This guide explains what you’ll pay (and how to get the best rates) when working with a realtor.
How to Find a Real Estate Agent. Finding the right real estate agent can be difficult. We've created a detailed guide to help you find the best agent for your situation.