Ideal Agent Reviews & FAQs: What You Need to Know

When you’re selling a home, hiring a real estate agent is important. Your listing agent will help you market the property, set the price, and negotiate for the best offer. 

Unfortunately, hiring an agent can be very expensive as you traditionally have to pay a 6% commission fee. That fee is split between your agent and the real estate professional representing the buyer (the buyer’s agent).  

The good news, however, is that there are now many better alternatives to this traditional model.  Ideal Agent is one of them. Ideal Agent matches you with a local real estate agent in your community who is willing to accept a reduced commission while still providing all the same services as any full-service listing agent would offer. 

Ideal Agent claims to have selected the most elite agents across the country to help you sell your home at a reduced fee, but is the service right for you? 

• What is Ideal Agent?
• What Services Does Ideal Agent Provide? 
• Ideal Agent Pros and Cons
• Ideal Agent Reviews

Heads up: Ideal Agent isn’t the only company offering lower commission agents. We’ve partnered with Clever Real Estate to offer top-rated agents that work for 1% or a $3000 flat fee. Find agents in your area and talk with a real estate expert. 

What is Ideal Agent?

Ideal Agent is an online company that will match you with a local real estate agent willing to accept a discounted commission. Specifically, Ideal Agent promises to help home sellers find a full-service local agent who will charge just 2% to list their home. 

Ideal Agent doesn’t charge a fee to match you with an agent, and they promise the professional you’ll be matched with is one of the “top 1% of agents” within your local area. To ensure sellers are matched with a skilled professional, Ideal Agent turns down more than 90% of agents who apply to join their network. The agents they accept typically have 14 or more years of experience; between 100 and 300 transactions annually; and a five-star rating from past clients. 

However, it’s important to note the 2% commission Ideal Agent advertises is just the amount you’ll pay to your listing agent. You’ll still need to offer a commission to the buyer’s agent. The standard commission buyer’s agents receive is 3%, but Ideal Agent indicates sellers who work with them generally pay an average of 2.5% in most parts of the country.  While you can offer less than 3% to the buyer’s agent, this may affect your ability to sell your home for top dollar as some buyer’s agents may not prioritize showing your property to clients. 

That means you could end up paying commission fees as high as 4.5% to 5% when you list with Ideal Agent. While this is a savings compared with the customary 6% fee split between the buyer’s and seller’s agents, costs still mount quickly. And there are less expensive alternatives.  

Real Estate Witch partnered with Clever to help you find a full-service agent charging just $3,000 or 1% of your home’s value for properties that sell for $350,000 or more. Again, this is just the listing agent’s fee, but it’s below the 2% commission Ideal Agent offers. 

Match with a Clever agent today.

What Services Does Ideal Agent Provide? 

Ideal Agent matches you with a local real estate professional in your area who provides all of the services any full-service listing agent would offer. These include:

• Preparing a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to set the right price for your home. A CMA is a careful review of homes similar to yours that sold recently in your area. By seeing what they sold for, you can determine how much to list your house for. 
• Meeting with you in person to discuss your needs. Your realtor will talk with you about your goals and timeline for selling, as well as walk through your home with you to make suggestions to maximize the price you’ll get for your property
• Arranging for professional photographs. Depending on your local market and the agent you’re assigned, your listing agent may also arrange for videos, aerial photography, 3D tours, and more. 
• Listing your property on the Multiple Listing Service (a large database of properties for sale) as well as marketing it on popular real estate websites including Realtor.com, Redfin, and Zillow. 
• Negotiating offers on your behalf with buyers
• Coordinating closing, which is the process where you’re paid for your property and the  buyer takes legal ownership

These are the customary services that any listing agent should provide. The big difference: the real estate professional Ideal Agent helps you find to perform them is someone willing to do all these tasks for less than the standard 3% commission fee. 

Ideal Agent Pros and Cons

There are both pros and cons to working with Ideal Agent. 

Here are some of the biggest benefits:

• You’ll pay less than the standard commission. If your home sells for $400,000 and you pay 2% to your listing agent instead of 3%, you can save $4,000. 
• You’ll be represented by a full-service agent. You won’t have to try to navigate the complexities of listing and selling your home on your own. 

And here are some of the biggest downsides:

• Total commission fees can still be expensive, as you’ll have to pay 2.5% to 3% to your buyer’s agent on top of the 2% your listing agent charges. If you pay a total of 5% commission on a $400,000 house, you’d owe $20,000 to real estate agents — on top of other closing costs you have to pay. 
• Agent quality is mixed. While some real estate professionals in Ideal Agent’s network provide top-notch service, Ideal Agent complaints show others are eager for a fast sale and don’t represent their client’s interests very well. 

Ideal Agent Reviews

Some clients were satisfied with the agents that they were assigned. In fact, most people who worked with Ideal Agent were happy with the process. 

This seller, for example, was matched with an agent who helped them sell a property remotely. He touted the superior service he received, and credits Ideal Agent for helping him to get a fast sale. 

Many satisfied clients describe the speed at which they were able to sell their properties and the professionalism of the agent to whom they were assigned. 

However, a number of clients felt that the real estate professionals they were matched with by Ideal Agent were not up to par. 

Common Ideal Agent complaints included a lack of communication, as well as an eagerness to sell properties quickly since the agents weren’t making much money on each transaction. Some sellers also felt that their agents weren’t representing their interests very well. 

This home seller, for example, felt frustrated by the process, indicated her agent wanted a quick sale, and didn’t believe that her agent was on her side. 

This customer had a similar experience, lamenting the lack of communication and indicating that she felt her agent better represented the interests of the buyer rather than the seller. 

Another past customer also felt that speed was a bigger priority for their agent than getting top-dollar for the home. 

Ultimately, customer satisfaction largely depends on the specific agent that each client is assigned to. In fact, as this review perfectly illustrates, some agents who work with Ideal Agent provide substandard service while others in the same local area go above and beyond. 

The mixed reviews suggest that Ideal Agent may need to develop a stronger screening process to ensure home sellers are paired with committed, experienced full-service agents who are ready to provide the support and advocacy that sellers deserve during a complex process. 

If you’re a seller who is looking for an agent who will work on your behalf at an affordable price, Real Estate Witch can help. We’ve partnered with Clever to connect you with agents from within their trusted network. These agents are not just full-service agents with proven track records, but they also charge just $3,000 or 1% of the sale price if your home sells for $350,000 or more. 

Contact Clever today to learn more. 

Related Reading

If you’re interested in Ideal Agent reviews because you’re considering selling your home, it’s important to learn about all of your options. Check out these articles for some additional information. 

What Companies offer the Lowest Real Estate Commission Fees: Many companies offer discounted services for home sellers. Here are eight that you should know about, including Clever Real Estate, Redfin, REX Homes, and more. 

1% Real Estate Listing Fees: Paying just a 1% commission to a full-service real estate agent could save you thousands compared with the traditional commission model. Learn some pros and cons of working with a listing agent that charges just a 1% fee, and find out how to find an agent that’s right for you. 

Clever Real Estate Review: Clever Real Estate connects sellers with full-service agents who will charge just 1% commission for selling your property. This Clever Real Estate review will help you to determine if working with a Clever partner agent is the best choice for your situation.