Homie Reviews: Are the Savings Worth It?

Homie is a discount brokerage that offers a flat $5,000 listing fee ($10,000 for homes priced above $1M). While Homie's flat fee offers significant savings for sellers, it also comes with some definite service tradeoffs.

To offer its competitive fee structure, Homie relies on a team of salaried agents who handle many clients at the same time. While listing agents are somewhat local to the markets they serve, they work remotely — so virtually all of your communication will happen via phone, email, and text. You'll also be on your own when it comes to coordinating showings with buyer's agents.

While many customers appreciate the savings they get with Homie, Homie's 4.3/5 customer rating is lower than competitors — indicating that its hands-off approach isn't for everyone.

Other low commission real estate companies offer similar savings without sacrificing the hands-on support you'd expect from hiring a realtor.

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Who Homie works best for

Homie works best for experienced home sellers who want to pay a lower commission rate and don't mind doing some of the legwork to reap the savings benefits offered by Homie.

Homie’s main selling point is their flat listing fee of $5,000. Sellers with homes priced $500,000 get the equivalent of a 1% listing fee, savings them thousands of dollars compared paying a conventional 2.5–3% realtor commission.

The trade-off is that Homie sellers have to do more of the work themselves, including getting your house ready to sell, coordinating showings with buyers' agents, and evaluating offers.

You will have a dedicated Homie agent to contact for assistance, but they'll assist you remotely — not face-to-face. And the primary complaint among Homie customers is poor communication from agents, who are often stretched thin due to handling a higher-than-average transaction volume.

Do yourself a favor and find a real realtor. The "savings" are not there if you think about how much work you have to do yourself.

— ML, Yelp, September 2022

The main realtor that was working with us was hard to get a hold of. There were a couple time sensitive things that needed attention ASAP, and after calling and emailing several times, they didn't pick up.

— Blogpost detailing one seller’s experience with Homie

Homie customer reviews

Review site	Rating
Google	4.4/5 (994 reviews)
Yelp	2.3/5.0 (40 reviews)
Zillow	5.0/5 (35 reviews)
Average rating	4.3/5 (1,069 total reviews)

Customers who worked with Homie generally had positive things to say about the smoothness of Homie’s sale process, the money they were able to save with the flat listing fee that Homie charges, and their agent’s responsiveness. Happy sellers thought it was nearly comparable to a full service agent experience.

However, some reviewers also complained that their Homie agent wasn’t very responsive, and took hours or days to return messages — which sometimes resulted in difficulties getting their home sold.

🟢 Positive themes from Homie reviews

Hands-on support (60% of reviews). Homie customers frequently praise their agents' accessibility, responsiveness, and willingness to go "above and beyond" to help them through their transaction. A notable strength appears to be the multi-layered support system, with customers appreciating access to not just their dedicated agent, but also real estate attorneys and support staff who are readily available to help.

• "Dan Hicks (our agent) was a great resource…He was always available to answer our questions and very knowledgeable."
• "Pablo stayed up till 11:30 pm (without being asked to) to help us negotiate and close fast!"
• "They are super-responsive, answering questions and dealing with issues at all hours of the day and night, weekends included."
• "Having all the help of professionals easily accessible to us, assisting in navigating paperwork, scheduling showings, negotiating, and more."
• "Their attorneys were super helpful and available at a drop of a hat, even on the weekends."
• "He was always available for questions and willing to go the extra mile."

Significant savings (47% of reviews). Customer sentiment around Homie's cost savings is overwhelmingly positive, with customers frequently citing savings of $5,000 to $20,000+. Customers are also pleased with the level of support provided while paying significantly less than the traditional 6%.

• "Had I used a traditional RE for this transaction my cost would have been $39,000 vs the $15,000."
• "The Homie business model saves you a ton off the traditional seller's agent commission of 6%"
• "We saved $14,301 in commissions on the sale and were eligible for $5,000 in rebates on the purchase, for a total of just under $20,000 in savings."
• "Not only did I save a ton of money by avoiding high agent commissions, I experienced the same high quality service."
• "The enormous cost savings did not affect the quality of our experience."

Easy process (45% of reviews). Another common thread in Homie reviews is appreciation for how Homie simplifies complex real estate transactions through their online platform, clear communication, and step-by-step guidance.

• "The process was smooth and seamless. Their online platform made it incredibly easy to upload, view, and sign documents."
• "The whole process was easy and straight forward - there were no surprises."
• "They work so hard to make the process seamless and really take the stress out of the process."
• "It was super simple. 1. Fill out an online questionnaire. 2. homie provides a top notch real estate agent. 3. They send a professional photographer, which Includes 3D rendering for the MLS listing. The photographer installs the lock box. That's it!"
• "The process was very easy and smooth, and Homie allowed us to do as much on our own as we wanted, knowing we had professionals we could rely on if needed."
• "Navigating the Homie web site, submitting documents and signing was really easy and convenient."

Prompt communication (41% of reviews). Positive reviews frequently mention Homie's responsiveness, with agents providing quick responses even during non-traditional hours and weekends. Customers also appreciate getting regular updates on their transaction progress.

• "I never called or emailed that I didn't hear back immediately… emails were answered by a team, not just one person!"
• "I'd even email her on Saturday or Sunday not expecting a reply until Monday, but she still replied the same day."
• "The responsiveness of the company for any questions or needed communication was the best I have had from any company, ever."
• "I can't remember a single time throughout the processes where we didn't know what was going on, or when something needed to be done."
• "He responded to us quickly, no matter the day or time."
• "Communication was top-notch, with regular updates on showings, inquiries, and potential offers."

Sells fast (26% of reviews). Approximately 1 in 4 reviews mention Homie's ability to facilitate quick sales, with many homes selling within days or weeks of listing — often at or above asking price. The speed of sales appears to be complemented by efficient closing processes, with several customers noting rapid progression from listing to closing. However, many of these reviews are from

• "We sold the house only 24 hrs after putting it on the market - for full price - and closed in 3 weeks!"
• "We had 13 offers on our home in 3 days and accepted an offer that was thousands more than our asking price."
• "We sold our multi-million dollar home through Homie in 2 weeks!"
• "We listed on a Friday with Homie and went under contract the next day for more than appraised value."
• "The home was under contract the day after the listing and it sold as quick as advertised."
• "Pablo was able to create a sense of urgency with multiple perspective buyers that resulted in us getting two offers on the house the next day before even putting it back on the market."

🟡 Homie complaints and areas for improvement

Poor communication (6% of reviews). The primary complaint among Homie customers is poor communication. In particular, customers express frustration with having to chase down responses, repeat information, and deal with agents who seem overloaded with multiple transactions or unavailable during key times.

• "Communication throughout the process was horrible. It would take hours, sometimes days to get a response."
• "Trying to get a hold of someone is a hassle and usually unsuccessful, and it doesn't seem like they have staff in the office on the weekends to answer calls."
• "Questions that would have taken a traditional agent a few hours to respond to took days."
• "My real estate agent frequently had to wait long timeframes for a reply. And usual replies were 'I'm at the beach, you'll have to wait.'"
• "We also had to remind the agent of every little step along the way."
• "Homie agents are not always available on the weekend. They are handling many transactions at a time."

Misrepresented services (4% of reviews). A small percentage of past customers report that Homie's services didn't align with their expectations. Common complaints center around the level of service provided and instances where customers had to handle tasks they expected the agent to manage.

• "One thing that confused us when we were putting in an offer, was that we needed to email or send on the offer ourselves, Homie did not do that."
• "Saved a ton of money but had to do all the work ourselves."
• "They're cheap, but their "cheap price" isn't worth the hassle.
• "Homie just kind of left us to fend for ourselves."
• "Don't expect staging of the home or your realtor to even visit the home."

Struggles to sell (2% of reviews). A handful customers also experienced difficulties selling their homes with Homie. While some acknowledge timing and market conditions as factors, others express frustration with the pricing advice and issues with maintaining momentum through the sales process.

• "They promise to save Sellers money but it might not be worth it if it takes 3-4 months to sell the house!"
• "We had only a couple showings for the 6 month listing which should have been an indication that it was overpriced."
• "The only selling strategy they employed was to tell me to keep lowering the price."
• "If you want to sell a house in a timely manner and be represented professionally, DO NOT use Homie."
• "I had two buyers get my house under contract only to back out, but the agent never found out why."
• "I believe, if we'd listed at a competitive price to begin with, when the market was really hot, we could have sold quickly."

Homie vs. competitors

Homie's $5,000 flat fee is competitive, even among discount brokers, and many customers feel well-supported by Homie agents throughout the home buying and selling process.

But if hands-on service is a top priority, Homie may not be the best choice for your home sale. Several customers have complained about a lack of responsiveness from Homie agents and felt surprised by the amount of work they had to put in themselves.

A growing number of real estate brokerages offer full-service support at a much lower commission rate. While they're not all as "cheap" as Homie, agents who offer in-person service are often better positioned to offer pricing advice and help you navigate complex negotiations following inspections and appraisals.

Below are some of our top recommendations.

How Homie works

What to expect as a seller

Homie offers a fairly standard, if barebones, flat fee service package for sellers that includes:

• Pricing assistance, including a home value report
• Professional photos
• MLS listing syndicated to Zillow, Realtor.com, etc.
• Social media marketing
• Yard sign and lockbox for showings
• Appointment managing app

While Homie's listing package includes most of the same basic services you’d get from a traditional real estate agent, it doesn’t include agent-assisted home showings or the in-depth marketing that you would receive from a traditional brokerage — or even a low commission brokerage with wider reach, like Redfin.

Once you fill out an online form, a Homie agent gets in touch with you and arranges for professional real estate photos to be taken of your home. Homie will then list your home on the MLS, Zillow, and other platforms, and send over a yard sign and lock box. From this point on, any showings or open houses are the seller’s responsibility.

Homie agents are salaried and carry a heavy client load; they communicate with home sellers primarily by phone, email, or text, and clients typically get little to no face time with their Homie agents. This is the main difference between a Homie agent and a traditional agent.

It’s also not clear from Homie’s website how much agent assistance you can anticipate during the home inspection and home appraisal phases of the sale process, which is when many of the benefits of a full service top local agent kick in.

What to expect as a buyer

Buyers who want to purchase through a Homie agent can schedule showings through Homie’s website, or the Homie app, and will be accompanied by Homie partner agents throughout the process. 

Homie also offers buyers various other real estate services, including:

• Homie Title: a title and settlement company
• Homie Insurance: an insurance brokerage
• Homie Loans: in-house financing
• Homie Provider Marketplace: a referral network for various home services

Homie used to advertise a buyer rebate of up to 25% of the buyer’s agent commission when they bundled mortgage, title, and insurance services. However, this rebate is no longer advertised on their website.

How much can I save with Homie?

Homie's listing fee	$5,000 (or $10,000 deluxe package)
Nationwide average listing fee	2.5–3% of the home sale price
Amount saved with Homie	Varies based on home sale price

Your potential savings with Homie is going to depend almost entirely on the sale price of your home. Using the national average listing commission of 2.83%, let’s look at some example price points.

• If you sold a $300,000 home, the typical listing commission of 3% would come to $9,000, which means you’d save $4,000 by using Homie.

• If you sold a $500,000 home, the typical listing commission of 3% would come to $15,000, which means you’d save $10,000 by using Homie.

• However, if you sold a $150,000 home, the typical listing commission of 3% would come to $4,500, which means you’d actually pay $500 more by using Homie.

Clearly, at the higher end of the price spectrum, you’re in line for substantial savings by using a Homie realtor. However, below around $170,000, you’re better off using a conventional real estate agent, or a discount broker with a lower minimum fee.

💰 Want to pay less in realtor fees? Use our free agent finding tool to connect with top local realtors who charge a 1.5% listing fee (half the usual rate). Fill out a short form, and compare agent matches from your inbox.

Homie news and updates

Founded in 2015, Homie received millions of dollars from investors through several rounds of funding. However, the company seems to have hit significant turbulence in recent months.

After an April 2024 Salt Lake Tribune article[1] alleged that Homie was "calling it quits," the company fired back by clarifying that it was only converting its salaried agents to independent contractors. This comes after several rounds of layoffs and the departure of its CEO.

But while the company once employed hundreds of traditional agents, and was hiring 1,000 more agents[2] as recently as 2021, it currently employs only 18 agents as contractors, plus "a handful" of salaried agents. It’s unclear whether the company is merely contracting in a rough market, or is about to close its doors permanently— but sellers who want to take advantage of Homie’s flat fee model should probably do so quickly, while they still have the chance.

Bottom line: Should I use Homie?

Homie is a legitimate real estate brokerage that does offer some advantages over a traditional agent. But like a lot of discount real estate brokers, not all sellers will benefit equally. Sellers who have a high-priced home that doesn’t need much marketing help could save thousands of dollars of realtor fees with Homie’s flat fee model, compared to working with a conventional real estate agent.

However, sellers who want or need a personalized real estate experience from their agent, or have a more modestly-priced home, may not get what they want out of a Homie experience. 

FAQ about Homie

Related articles

Homie isn’t the only real estate company that offers discounted listing fees, so compare your options! Read on to learn about Homie alternatives that offer bigger commission savings, better service quality, or both.

What Companies Offer the Lowest Real Estate Commission Fees? Homie’s listing fees are cheap, but how do they stack up against the competition? Find out which discount service charges the lowest commission rates.

Discount Real Estate Brokers and Agents | Everything You Need to Know: Selling with a discount real estate broker like Homie is often a very different experience from using a conventional realtor. Learn more about how discount brokers work.

Clever Real Estate Must-See Reviews: Whether you’re buying or selling, Clever can help you find top-rated real estate agents in your area. Learn how its free agent-matching service can connect you with full-service realtors who charge just 1.5%.

Methodology

The Real Estate Witch team evaluated Homie on a variety of factors, including savings, customer service, online reviews, agent quality, and how it compares to the competition. Our mission is to empower you to make an informed decision about whether Homie is right for your next real estate transaction.

Our low commission real estate brokerage rankings are based on three key criteria:

• Cost and savings. We compared Homie's pricing model to top competitors and average prices across the U.S., including the average listing fee, minimum fees, and any buyer incentives offered.
• Customer service. We performed an in-depth analysis on Homie's customer reviews across review sites. We broke down the sentiment of reviews, looking at themes around agent responsiveness, expertise, and meeting customer expectations.
• Ease of use. We evaluated how efficient it is for customers to find, compare, and select an agent through Homie, evaluating their agent network size, technical platforms, communication methods, and post-transaction support.