Homie Reviews: Pros, Cons, and Better Alternatives

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  Written by Bailey Peterson

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  Edited by Josiah Wilmoth

Homie reviews from customers | Homie fees | How Homie works | Buyer rebates

Homie reviews summary

Homie Real Estate has mostly positive online reviews, with a 4.3/5 rating across reviews on Facebook, Google, and Yelp.

Our review of Homie gives the company good marks for its $5,000 listing fee, which could save you a lot of money. 

However, the company can offer this low rate because Homie agents work with many customers at once and don’t offer in-person support. This approach may affect their ability to give you personalized advice and help you negotiate effectively.

While Homie is a legitimate company, we consider some of its competitors to be better options.

Our #1 Homie alternative

Our top recommendation for sellers and buyers is Clever Real Estate. Clever matches you with top local agents from well-known brokerages like Keller Williams and Century 21. Your local agent will give you personalized support and full service throughout your sale.

Clever also offers big savings on realtor fees. Sellers who find an agent through Clever pay a 1.5% listing fee, half of what most realtors charge. Buyers can earn cash back after closing.

💰 Find top agents near you, get a 1.5% listing fee!

What is Homie Real Estate?

Homie Real Estate is a low-commission real estate brokerage that advertises big savings for home sellers and commission rebates for buyers.

If you sell with Homie, you’ll pay a flat listing fee of $5,000 instead of the 2.5–3% that full-price realtors charge. That could mean substantial savings, especially if you’re selling a more expensive home.

Since launching its Utah branch in 2015, Homie has helped customers buy and sell more than $3 billion worth of real estate. The company is Utah’s largest discount real estate brokerage. It also operates statewide in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, and Nevada.

Somewhere else, or just want to compare your options? Find the best low-commission real estate companies near you!

How does Homie work?

Homie makes money by advertising low real estate commission fees for home sellers. It offsets its discounted rates by having its agents serve a lot more customers at once than traditional realtors.

The company passes the savings onto customers in the form of discounted listing fees and commission rebates.

How much does Homie cost?

Homie charges home sellers a flat listing fee of $5,000, no matter the price of their home.

On higher-priced properties, Homie’s flat listing fee could save sellers thousands of dollars. However, it actually costs more than a traditional, full-price realtor on sales below about $165,000.

Expect to offer up to 3% in buyer’s agent commission

While you might pay a much smaller listing fee when you sell with a Homie realtor, you should expect to offer a traditional buyer’s agent commission rate of 2.5–3%, depending on your area.

Advertising a competitive buyer’s agent fee incentivizes realtors to show your home. Offer too little, and they may encourage buyers to look at the house down the street instead.

Learn more about how real estate commission works — including the best ways to save.

Homie vs. traditional realtors

Homie claims that it “provides everything you would get with a traditional agent,” but that’s a bit misleading. 

Although Homie’s agents offer most of the same basic services, sellers should expect to compromise on personalized support — and potentially do more on-the-ground legwork themselves.

Homie agents juggle 10 times more customers than most realtors

The biggest disadvantage to working with Homie is that your agent could be too busy to provide as much personalized service as you might expect.

Like many discount brokerages, Homie requires its agents to work on more transactions at once than traditional realtors. Homie CEO Johnny Hanna says the company’s full-time agents close around 120 deals per year, which is 10 times as many as the average agent. That’s an extremely high amount, even for a discount brokerage.

Hanna frames this heavy workload in a positive light, suggesting it means Homie agents are “more experienced” than their peers. But we don’t buy that argument. In practice, it means your agent will be juggling 10 times as many other customers at once compared with a traditional realtor.

A home sale or purchase is a major financial transaction and if your agent doesn’t have enough time to devote to you, then the likelihood of mistakes increases. You don’t want to feel like your agent is rushing through essential steps — like pricing your home accurately or negotiating with buyers and sellers — that could potentially impact your bottom line.

“Just a ‘clean’ ordinary transaction requires lots of wisdom, marketing skill and expenditures, psychological finesse, awareness of potential legal liability, negotiating capabilities, and attention to so many details,” says Cynthia Cummins, a realtor and founder of KindredSF homes.

And if your sale gets complicated and you need extra support, your agent simply may not have the bandwidth to give you the same level of personalized guidance as a traditional realtor.

Looking for a less risky way to save on real estate commission? Our friends at Clever Real Estate offer a free agent-matching service that connects you with top-rated realtors in your area. Clever’s partner agents offer a full-service experience — all for just 1.5% of your home’s sales price.

Contact Clever today to see how much you can save!

Selling with Homie

When you sell with Homie, your agent handles most of the services offered by traditional realtors. However, you may have to roll up your sleeves and take on a few DIY projects.

Homie handles tasks like:

• Listing your home on the MLS
• Arranging professional photography
• Installing a yard sign and lockbox
• Fielding offers
• Negotiating with buyers
• Managing paperwork and closing coordination

Your Homie agent won’t host an open house. So if you want one, you need to put in the time and effort to host it yourself. Be aware that holding your own open house can put you at risk of oversharing with potential buyers, which may reduce your negotiating power down the line.

Also note that your agent will have a much heavier workload than a traditional realtor. As a result, your agent may be less familiar with the ins and outs of your situation. And since they’ve never seen your house up close, they may be at a disadvantage when negotiating with a buyer’s agent who has.

Buying with Homie

If you buy with a Homie agent, you may be eligible for a commission rebate worth up to 25% of your agent’s commission. The company applies the refund to your closing costs, which can help defray your out-of-pocket home-buying expenses.

To qualify for a rebate, you must bundle with Homie by using its home loan and title services.

In exchange for the chance to earn a commission refund, you may face potential service tradeoffs as a buyer with Homie. 

Once you’re ready to look at homes, you can schedule showings through the Homie app or website. A Homie buyer’s agent will accompany you on home tours, help you put together offers, and negotiate with the seller on your behalf. 

But remember that since Homie agents handle such a heavy workload, they may be more hands-off than a traditional realtor.

Homie Cash

Homie Cash is a service that lends eligible home buyers the funds to make all-cash offers, even if they need to finance the purchase with a conventional mortgage.

Making an all-cash offer can be a great way to strengthen your offer — especially in a seller’s market. Since your offer isn’t contingent on getting approved for a home loan, the seller doesn’t have to worry about the sale falling through before closing.

But you may end up paying more in the long run because you’ll have two sets of closing costs: one when Homie temporarily lends you the funds to purchase your home with cash, then a second set when you close on your regular mortgage.

Homie Real Estate reviews: Pros and cons

Homie reviews are generally positive, with an average customer rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars, based on reviews across Facebook, Google, and Yelp.

The company’s hands-off customer service model offers much lower listing fees than conventional, full-price real estate brokerages. That said, it’s a good idea to weigh Homie pros and cons carefully. You can see whether it’s your best option or if another low-commission real estate company provides superior value.

Pro: Homie’s DIY platform is a good fit for some sellers

This review comes from a satisfied seller with Homie Utah. The seller found Homie’s online platform intuitive and easy to use — even though the company’s hands-off customer service model isn’t the best fit for many traditional sellers.

Pro: Flat listing fee leads to big savings

Homie’s main selling point is its cheap listing fees. Satisfied customers consistently report that the company’s pricing structure delivers genuine savings.

This Homie review is from a seller who was very happy with their savings. However, they warn that customers may encounter a few “bumps along the way” in terms of service quality.

Homie tends to be a good fit for DIY-inclined sellers who are comfortable managing more of the sale themselves but still want access to an agent when they need support.

Con: Agents provide less personalized support than traditional realtors

The most common Homie complaint is that the company overpromises and underdelivers. Homie’s marketing claims sellers get “everything” they’d expect from a traditional agent. But Homie agents handle so many customers at once that they’re unlikely to be able to offer the same degree of personalized service that you’d get from a traditional agent.

Negative Homie reviews consistently warn that sellers have to do a lot more work than if they’d listed with a traditional brokerage.

This seller saved money with Homie, but they ultimately felt that the listing fee discounts weren’t worth the service quality compromises they experienced.

Con: Overextended agents may not provide five-star service

Another common Homie complaint is that agents manage too many customers at once and can’t devote proper time and energy to each sale.

Time and again, dissatisfied customers highlight that overextended Homie agents communicate poorly. This can create issues when sellers encounter problems that need to be addressed immediately. 

Given how difficult their agent was to contact, this seller felt their Homie experience was similar to selling for sale by owner” — just a lot more expensive.

Subpar communication isn’t just frustrating. It can also put a potential sale at risk. Many negative Homie reviews come from buyers who wanted to purchase Homie homes but found it difficult to get in touch with the listing agent.

Area of concern: Homie’s add-on services may not be the best value

While Homie’s main business is helping sellers and buyers navigate real estate sales, it also makes money by encouraging existing customers to use its other in-house services. These include:

• Homie Loans: Homie’s in-house mortgage business
• Homie Title: A title and settlement company
• Homie Insurance: An independent insurance brokerage
• Homie Provider Marketplace: A referral network for electricians, landscapers, home inspectors, and other local contractors

Buying or selling a home can be an overwhelming process, so it’s convenient to use these in-house services rather than getting estimates from local companies yourself.

But, while Homie might have cheap commission rates, it doesn’t necessarily offer the best value when it comes to home loans or insurance. As this Homie review illustrates, you may experience issues in service quality. 

The best Homie alternatives

While Homie Real Estate is cheaper than a conventional brokerage at most price points, the company’s service model makes it a riskier option than some of its competitors. 

Depending on your situation, needs, and priorities, you may find better overall value with one of these Homie competitors.

1. Homie vs. Clever Real Estate

Clever is a free agent-matching service that offers big commission savings WITHOUT the service-quality compromises that come with Homie’s hands-off sales approach.

This company pre-negotiates low rates with traditional realtors from major brokerages like RE/MAX and Keller Williams. With Clever, you’ll sell with a top-rated, full-service agent for a 1.5% listing fee. Eligible buyers may also receive a cash refund with Clever Cash Back. 

Find out how much you can save with Clever today!

2. Homie vs. Redfin

If you want to save on realtor commission but aren’t comfortable sacrificing on-the-ground support, Redfin may be a good fit. Redfin’s 1.5% commission rate is more expensive than Homie’s flat listing fee for homes over $250,000 — but Redfin is the cheaper option for less-expensive homes.

Learn more about selling with Redfin.

3. Homie vs. Help-U-Sell

Like Homie, Help-U-Sell is a discount brokerage that charges a flat listing fee for sellers in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. Help-U-Sell’s fees vary by location and range from $2,950 to $7,950 — so Homie will likely be the cheaper option, but you’ll need to check with your local office to be sure. Service quality also varies by location, but selling with Help-U-Sell will likely be a similar experience to selling with Homie.

Learn more about selling with Help-U-Sell.

FAQ about Homie

Related links

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%.