Read Ideal Agent reviews | Is Ideal Agent legit? | How it works | Ideal Agent savings | Pros and cons | Top alternatives
What Is Ideal Agent?
Ideal Agent is a free, nationwide service that can match you with a local real estate agent to help you buy or sell a home.
The company’s biggest selling point is the quality of its agent network; Ideal Agent claims to partner exclusively with agents who are top 1% sales producers in their local markets.
Ideal Agent also pre-negotiates discounted commission rates with its agents to help save home sellers money. When you find your agent through Ideal Agent, your listing fee will be 2% of the sale price, instead of the typical 2.5-3% rate.
Most agent matching services will match you with multiple agents so you can interview and compare options. Ideal Agent, however, only matches you with one agent — take it or leave it.
Like its competitors, Ideal Agent is a free, no-obligation service, so there’s no real risk in giving it a try. If the agent isn’t a good match, you can always walk away.
We think Ideal Agent falls short of some alternatives, like Clever Real Estate, in two key areas: cost savings and choice.
Like Ideal Agent, our friends at Clever match you with top local agents for free. Unlike Ideal Agent, Clever pre-negotiates big savings on your behalf. You’ll only pay 1% listing fees if you sell with Clever (or $3,000 on sales below $350,000). You get the same service for literally half the price.
💰 Find a great local agent and pay 1% commission with Clever! 💰
Key Takeaways
- Ideal Agent is a fast and easy way to connect with top-performing local real estate agents.
- Its agent matching service is free and there’s no obligation to work with its recommendations.
- Ideal Agent only matches you with one agent; most of its competitors provide multiple matches so you can compare options.
- Ideal Agent has strict performance criteria for agents in its network relative to its competitors — all partners must be top 1% sales producers in their local markets.
- The company offers a limited commission discount for sellers (2% listing fee vs. the typical 2.5-3% rate) and no savings for buyers.
Is Ideal Agent legitimate?
Yes, Ideal Agent is a licensed real estate brokerage in Florida. Agent matching services like Ideal Agent must be licensed to collect payment from the agents with whom they work, which is how they make money.
Ideal Agent reviews are generally favorable, with an average rating of 4.9 out of 2,717 total reviews (read Ideal Agent reviews). The company is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
CEO Steve Johnston (the guy in the TV commercials) founded Ideal Agent in 2016. Johnston has previously started other similar companies in the real estate industry. Ideal Agent is currently funded by private investors.
Ideal Agent only has 450 agents in its nationwide network, which is considerably smaller than its competitors (HomeLight, a top competitor, has 28,000). However, Ideal Agent claims it’s created a more exclusive network; it rejects 90% of agents who apply, according to a company representative we spoke to.
Ideal Agent says admission to its network is “by invitation only,” though it does provide a link to apply on its website. A company representative told us Ideal Agent invites the top 1% of realtors to join, as determined by their regional sales volume. As far as we can tell, Ideal Agent adheres to its stringent criteria for agent performance, which is rare in the agent matching space.
🚩 A concern about Ideal Agent
When researching Ideal Agent, we noticed the company was pretty aggressive when responding to negative customer and agent reviews. This stuck out as a red flag to us.
It’s never encouraging to see a brand make personal, snarky attacks when people share a negative experience — and made us wonder how understanding or helpful they will be if and when you encounter an issue with their service.
Given the choice of working with a company that takes ownership of negative customer experiences and tries to make them right vs. one that gets aggressively defensive and lashes out, we’d opt for the former.
How Does Ideal Agent Work?
It’s pretty quick and easy for home sellers to sign up for Ideal Agent. Simply fill out a form on the company’s website, providing some basic details about your sale, including:
- The type of property you’re selling (e.g., condo or single-family home)
- The estimated value of your property
- When you’re hoping to sell by
- Your contact information
📌 Important Note
If you’re just looking for an agent to help you buy a home, there’s no way for you to sign up via Ideal Agent’s website. The form only facilitates seller sign ups. However, a member of Ideal Agent’s customer service team told us the company does work with buyers — but they have to reach out directly to sign up, which requires a little extra effort (and is pretty confusing, in our opinion).
Within a few minutes of submitting the form, an Ideal Agent concierge will reach out via phone and email. During our mystery shoppers’ phone conversations, which averaged about 10 minutes each, the concierge explained the benefits of working with Ideal Agent, provided the name of an agent match, and highlighted the agent’s experience and accomplishments.
📌 Important Note
Ideal Agent will not provide an agent match until you speak to a concierge via phone. The concierge team communicates via text and email as well, but that outreach mostly attempts to set up a phone call. In other words, if you don’t like speaking on the phone, this service might not be for you.
After our shoppers’ phone conversations, the concierge followed up with an email providing the agent match’s name and contact details. Almost immediately upon receipt, the agent called to learn more about our shoppers’ needs.
Our shoppers’ take
Our mystery shoppers found Ideal Agent’s process efficient and easy. Though, for some, finding the time and quiet space for a phone call with a concierge was difficult. The option to skip the phone call, which some competing brands offer, would’ve been appreciated.
Ideal Agent’s concierges were professional and knowledgeable, which isn’t always the case with agent matching services (we’re looking at you, Sold.com 👀).
Ideal Agent’s concierges recommended interviewing multiple agents, but Ideal Agent only offers one agent match per customer. In addition to being paradoxical, it’s a big drawback.
Most agent matching services present 2-3 agents to compare, which gives you a better chance of finding the “right” fit quickly. Because Ideal Agent only makes a single match, if you want to compare options, you’ll have to work with another service — or supplement with your own manual agent search, which kind of defeats the purpose.
Unlike some of its competitors, Ideal Agent doesn’t have an online dashboard where you can view your agent matches, compare qualifications and experience, manage communications, and track progress. The entire process takes place via text and email. This certainly wasn’t a dealbreaker, but some alternative agent matching services offered a better tech experience.
How much does Ideal Agent cost?
Ideal Agent is free for sellers and buyers, as are all agent matching services. But if you’re looking for an agent to help sell your home, you will still have to cover the agents’ commissions.
Realtor commissions — typically 5-6% of a home’s final sale price — are usually split down the middle between the two agents involved in the transaction: the listing agent, who helps the seller market the home, and a buyer’s agent, who brings their client to purchase it.
The seller typically pays the fee for both agents — or more accurately, it’s taken out of the seller’s proceeds from the sale.
While most sellers won’t pay this fee directly out of pocket, it’s still a hefty chunk of change: On a $400,000 home, a 5-6% commission would be roughly $20,000-24,000!
💰 Ideal Agent offers built-in commission savings
The good news: Ideal Agent pre-negotiates limited commission discounts with its agents on your behalf.
Ideal Agent’s partners agree to sell your home for a 2% listing fee, and it sets the buyer’s agent fee at 2.5%, regardless of the competitive rate in your market. So, you’ll pay about 4.5% of the final home sale price in commissions, rather than the conventional 5-6%.
| Fee | Ideal Agent | Traditional agent |
|---|---|---|
| Listing fee | 2% | 2.5% |
| Buyer's agent fee | 2.5% | 2.5-3% |
| Total | 4.5% | 5-6% |
The potential cost savings aren’t insignificant: On a $400,000 home sale, you could save $2,000-$6,000. But it’s worth noting that some of Ideal Agent’s competitors offer bigger discounts without sacrificing service or agent quality.
For example, when you work with our friends at Clever to find an agent, you’ll get a full-service, top-quality realtor. But Clever pre-negotiates a 1% listing commission — or $3,000 for homes that sell for less than $350,000 — compared to Ideal Agent’s 2%. That’s the same service for half the price (or less)!
| Fee | Ideal Agent | Clever Real Estate |
|---|---|---|
| Listing fee | 2% | $3,000 or 1% |
| Buyer's agent fee | 2.5% | 2.5-3% |
| Potential savings* | Up to $6,000 | Up to $10,000 |
✍Editor’s Note
Ideal Agent achieves a portion of its savings by lowering the buyer’s agent commission to a flat 2.5% (opposed to the typical 3%). While commission rates can vary based on the location and market climate, we’re skeptical of any company that does this as a policy.
Buyer’s agents working in a hot sellers market may take a reduced commission to land their client the home they want. But in other scenarios, a reduced buyer’s agent commission may deter agents from showing your home to clients, which can result in an extended sale timeline or lower price.
How does Ideal Agent make money?
Ideal Agent makes money by taking a percentage of the commission its partner agents earn on deals for customers the company referred to them. This is a “referral fee,” and it’s how all agent matching services make money.
The company recently announced a partnership with Incenter to offer branded mortgage and title services. This will likely create an additional stream of revenue for Ideal Agent.
Why do agents work with companies like Ideal Agent?
Agent matching services like Ideal Agent help realtors grow their business. Agents typically spend a lot of time and money marketing themselves to attract new customers. And there’s no guarantee every customer they sign will result in a payday (some homes don’t sell, some buyers don’t end up buying, etc.)
Ideal Agent and its competitors provide a steady stream of new prospective customers at zero upfront cost. This lowers the agent’s risk — they only pay for deals that close. Having someone else find new clients also saves an agent a ton of time, which allows them to close even more deals. More volume and less risk means agents can earn less on each deal but still turn a profit and grow their business.
Ideal Agent Reviews: Major Benefits and Drawbacks
Ideal Agent reviews are mostly positive, with an average customer rating of 4.9 out of 2,717 total reviews.
In addition to examining existing Ideal Agent reviews online, our team of mystery shoppers tested the ins and outs of the service.
We found that Ideal Agent sets higher performance standards for its agents than most competitors, and does a more thorough job confirming their credentials before allowing them to join the network. If you value sales numbers and quantitative performance, Ideal Agent may be the service for you.
Additionally, Ideal Agent’s concierges are highly qualified and knowledgeable about real estate. Each concierge is also a licensed agent. Our shoppers felt comfortable asking them for advice and believed they knew what they were talking about.
However, Ideal Agent fell short in several key areas, relative to other services:
- Only offers one agent match per customer
- Commission discounts for sellers are limited
- No built-in savings or benefits for home buyers
If you’re looking for an agent matching service that delivers maximum value, we recommend checking out some of its competitors — particularly Clever Real Estate, which offers more flexibility and bigger savings for sellers and buyers.
If you’re interested in learning more about Ideal Agent’s service, we’ve got you covered. We’ve laid out the major pros and cons below to help you determine whether Ideal Agent might be a good fit for you.
Ideal Agent Pros and Cons
✅ Highly qualified agents
Ideal Agent sets a high bar in terms of agent quality. Agents in its network must meet standards, including:
- A minimum of five years’ experience
- A minimum 25 reviews on Zillow or Realtor.com with a 4.9-star rating or above
- A minimum of 100 transactions closed in the last 12 months in large markets (or 50 in smaller markets)
- Membership in the National Association of Realtors
- Top 1% in local sales
Our mystery shoppers also found that Ideal Agent does a thorough job of checking agents’ credentials before allowing them to join its network. This isn’t typical of competitors, and made our shoppers feel confident in any realtor the service matched them with.
📌 Important note: Just because an agent meets quantitative criteria doesn’t mean they’re the best agent for you. Take into account other factors, including personality and past experience in your price range and desired property type.
Many reviews agree that Ideal Agent’s agents are top quality.
![[Agent name] was awesome. They did a fantastic job with selling our home. We could not have asked for a better realtor. I would recommend them to anyone in need of help in selling their property.
Ideal Agent did a fantastic job of recommending them to us.](https://www.realestatewitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Doug.png)
✅ Dedicated, helpful concierge
All of Ideal Agent’s concierges are licensed real estate agents. In fact, one of our shoppers’ concierges had been an agent for 20+ years. The concierges were knowledgeable and helpful when answering our questions about real estate in general and the company.
In each of our shoppers’ experiences, a dedicated concierge handled all communications between the shopper and the company.
This is beneficial, because your assigned concierge will be familiar with your situation, and you won’t have to re-explain your needs to whichever concierge you happen to get (which has been our shoppers’ experience with other agent matching services).
Sometimes, with competing agent matching services, our shoppers interfaced with three or more concierges, and were confused about who was doing what. Our shoppers said, with other companies, it often felt like a feeding frenzy, with concierges reaching out excessively, trying to be the one to land their business. This wasn’t the case with Ideal Agent.
Concierges generally communicated via text, email, and phone, and responded promptly on all three channels. Sometimes, phone calls went unanswered — the concierge was presumably helping another customer. But Ideal Agent does have a toll-free number, which was answered reliably by a customer service representative who picked up during regular business hours.
Reviewers agree that Ideal Agent’s concierge team is effective.
✅ Fast and easy service
Ideal Agent’s online sign-up process for our shoppers acting as sellers was simple, same as with most competitive agent matching services. Once our shoppers signed up, a concierge reached out immediately and responded to questions.
The process for our shoppers acting as buyers required extra effort. One shopper reached out via the chat box on Ideal Agent’s home page. The chat representative then requested a phone call to gather the information required for sign-up.
During our shoppers’ initial phone calls with a concierge, the concierge provided an agent match, followed by a prompt email containing the agent’s name and contact details. Those agents reached out within 10 minutes.
Based on our shoppers’ experiences, you can expect to complete the match process with Ideal Agent in an hour or less (as long as it’s done during normal working hours). Some competitors, like HomeLight, provide an automated list of matches instantaneously. Others, like Effective Agents, may take a day or more.
Reviewers agree that the sign-up process is quick and easy.
⚠️ Limited commission discount
Ideal Agent pre-negotiates a 2% listing commission with agents in its network, which is about 1% less than the typical rate nationwide. It offers buyer’s agents a 2.5% commission, which is on the lower end of the spectrum.
Many customers appreciate the discounted rates.
While any discount is nice, sellers can save more with our friends at Clever. Clever pre-negotiates a 1% listing commission with its network (or a flat fee of $3,000 for homes that sell for less than $350,000). Clever links customers with top-performing agents in their local area just like Ideal Agent does. Why work with a company that charges more for the same service?
Find out how much you can save with Clever
⛔️ Single agent match
Ideal Agent provides customers with only one agent match. This is atypical in the industry. The company claims it doesn’t want to overwhelm you with communication from a variety of agents.
It’s never a good idea to sign with the first and only agent you speak to. Interview at least two or three agents to determine the best fit before choosing one. Most agent matching services understand this and accordingly provide two or three agent matches up front.
We assumed that, if our shoppers requested a different agent, Ideal Agent would oblige. They denied our shoppers’ requests. Ideal Agent really is a take-it-or-leave-it service. We don’t believe this approach sets buyers and sellers up for success — a qualified agent who fits your situation and can get you the best outcome on your sale.
✍ Editor’s Note
If you want to try Ideal Agent, consider checking it out alongside another agent matching service. That way, you’ll have a handful of qualified agents to review and interview. Always do your due diligence before making any important real estate decision!
⛔️ Inconsistent agent match results
Our mystery shoppers’ opinions differed on the agent matches they received from Ideal Agent. One felt they received an appropriate match with solid experience in the neighborhood they specified.
The other felt their match was likely a high-performing agent, but with little knowledge of the local area. The agent was located in a major city, and the shopper sought to sell a home in a nearby suburban town. The agent had closed only one deal in that town since 2006, though he had many sales in the city.
Our shopper asked their concierge for another agent located closer to the town, as driving into the city for meetings and signings could be inconvenient. They also mentioned a concern with the agent’s local knowledge given his track record of sales in the area. The concierge did not acknowledge that these concerns were valid and refused to provide another agent match until our shopper gave the original match a shot.
Ideal Agent doesn’t share the criteria it uses to pair customers and agents. In an interview, CEO Steve Johnston compared the company’s matching technology to that used by Uber to find the driver closest to the app user. This made us wonder if the company matches agents and customers solely based on proximity rather than expertise.
Additionally, we wondered if agent coverage may be uneven in certain areas due to Ideal Agent’s relatively small agent network, limiting match options.
Other customers have been dissatisfied with the quality of their agent match.
![We were assigned [agent name] by Ideal Agent and [brokerage name] to sell our late stepmother’s house in Green Valley, Arizona. Ideal Agent says that they only provide “Top Local Agents.”
[Agent name] was descriped as a very succesful, experienced, competent agent. This is NOT the case. [She] is the most incompetent, lazy, non-customer-oriented real estate agent I have every seen. I think she is downright dangerous. In fact, she specifically told us that she had other clients and that she was busy. Also, she told us she wasn’t making enough money on the transaction to provide us with service ...](https://www.realestatewitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Karen.png)
⛔️ Misleading claims about commission savings
In several instances Ideal Agent used tricky math to make its discounted rates seem more robust than they actually are.
In press interviews and on the company’s website, Ideal Agent often eliminates the buyer’s agent commission when calculating the amount a customer can save with its service.
It’s extremely unlikely your home will sell to an unagented buyer, so leaving out the 2.5-3% buyer’s agent commission isn’t realistic. According to the National Association of Realtors, 88% of buyers use a real estate agent when purchasing a home. (For more information on buyer’s agent commissions, see above.)
Some online reviewers wanted potential customers to understand that the company often omitted the buyer’s agent commission in its marketing.
Also, an Ideal Agent concierge told one of our mystery shoppers that sellers typically pay up to 7% in agent commissions. We presume the company wanted to make its 4.5% total commission rate seem more impressive than it actually is. In fact, the average percentage most sellers will pay towards commissions is 5.45%. So, Ideal Agent customers save less than 1% compared to the national average.
⛔️ No buyer savings
Ideal Agent isn’t a buyer-focused company. Its advertisements (on television and the internet) tout its “Smart Seller” system. And there’s no place for buyers to sign up for the service online, though representatives confirmed Ideal Agent works with buyers.
This focus on sellers is echoed in Ideal Agent’s lack of savings for buyers. If you’re looking for a way to save money when purchasing a home, Ideal Agent won’t be a good fit.
The good news: Similar services offer potential savings for home buyers. Clever Real Estate, for example, gives eligible buyers 0.5% of the purchase price back after closing. On a $400,000 home, that’d be $2,000!
That’s cash in hand just for buying with Clever!
Learn more about home buyer rebates
Top Ideal Agent Alternatives in 2022
If you’re on the hunt for a great realtor, these companies provide a comparable service to Ideal Agent with their own benefits.
Clever Real Estate
Agent Matching Services
- List for $3,000 or 1%
- Up to 0.5% cash back for buyers
- Helpful, licensed Concierge
Clever is a free, no-obligation service that matches home sellers and buyers with top-rated, local real estate agents nationwide. Unlike most of its competitors, Clever pre-negotiates big discounts with its agent network, so customers land major savings! Sellers can save up to 50% on realtor commission fees. Buyers can qualify for 0.5% of their purchase price back after closing.
- Partners with full-service agents from top brokerages like Century 21 and RE/MAX
- Provides multiple agent matches so you can compare and choose the best fit
- Pre-negotiates low rates with agent network
- As with most agent matching services, customers may have fewer agent options in certain rural areas
6358 Delmar Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63101
Our friends at Clever Real Estate help match customers with top-rated local real estate agents, just like Ideal Agent. And like Ideal Agent, Clever also offers discounted commission rates for sellers in addition to buyer’s rebates.
Clever’s concierges are licensed and experienced real estate professionals, as are Ideal Agent’s. But unlike Ideal Agent, Clever will match you with more than one realtor in your area so you can comparison shop and find the best agent to meet your needs. Along the way, Clever’s helpful concierges will check in to answer questions, address any concerns, and make sure you and your agent are on the right track.
Clever pre-negotiates a 1% listing fee with its agents, which is half the price of Ideal Agent! And qualifying buyers get a check for 0.5% of the purchase price back after closing. All while providing a top-notch full-service real estate experience.
💰 Learn how much you can save in realtor fees with Clever! 💰
UpNest
Agent Matching Services
- Agents compete for your business
- Potential commission discount
- May offer buyer rebate
UpNest calls itself a “real estate agent marketplace” because agents compete for your business through its platform. After you sign up on UpNest’s website, local agents will submit proposals for you to review. Because they’re competing with one another, they’re incentivized to lower their rates to make their proposals more attractive. While this may drive savings, they may not be significant — particularly in less competitive markets. And unlike some other brands, the savings aren’t actually guaranteed.
- Agents compete for your business, which can drive savings
- Platform allows customers to easily shop around for the best agent match
- Discounts are not guaranteed and may be minimal
3 E. Third Ave., Ste. 200
San Mateo, CA 94401
If commission savings are your top priority, UpNest is worth investigating. It calls itself a “real estate marketplace,” because it enables local realtors to compete for your business by submitting proposals.
By creating competition, UpNest drives potential savings for customers, as some agents may lower their commission rate in a bid to win your business.
But UpNest’s savings aren’t guaranteed and may fall short of Ideal Agent’s, depending on your local market conditions. Other agent matching services, like Clever, offer bigger, guaranteed savings no matter which agent you choose.
HomeLight
Agent Matching Services
- Automated match process
- Impressive localized coverage
- No built-in commission savings
HomeLight is the largest agent matching service in America, with more than 28,000 agents in its network. That means more choice in terms of agents and brokerages relative to its competitors — particularly in rural and small town markets. The agent matching process is fully automated, which makes it a bit more streamlined but also comes with some quality risks. HomeLight does not offer any kind of commission savings for home sellers or buyers.
- Well-known and established agent matching service
- More choice in terms of agents and brokerages
- May offer better coverage in small towns and rural markets
- Does not pre-negotiate savings for customers
- Process is 100% automated — lack of human oversight can result in bad matches
- Many customer reviews cite unsolicited calls and spam emails after signing up on the HomeLight website
100 First St., Ste. 2600
San Francisco, CA 94105
With one of the largest agent networks in the industry (28,000 agents), HomeLight is a solid agent matching option. HomeLight provides you with multiple agent matches and generally has better network coverage than its competitors, like Ideal Agent, outside of major metropolitan areas.
However, HomeLight’s model doesn’t offer a cost-savings element for customers. Why work with a company that provides the same service at a higher price?
Sell with a low commission real estate agent
If you’re interested in Ideal Agent’s discounted realtor fees, it’s worth exploring what other low commission real estate companies are available in your area.
Many discount brokerages offer even better rates than Ideal Agent, while still offering service and support that’s similar to working with a traditional realtor.
Check out our rankings of the top discount brokers for every budget!
Should I Work With Ideal Agent?
Because Ideal Agent offers a free, no-obligation agent matching service, there’s no reason not to try it out. If you don’t like your agent match, you can walk away.
Or, you can use Ideal Agent in tandem with another agent matching service so you can compare multiple agents and find the best fit for you!
Ideal Agent offers quick service, a knowledgeable concierge team, and a high-quality agent network. But so does Clever, at an even lower price point — plus Clever offers cash back for buyers.
Give both a try and decide for yourself which provides the best agents and value!
Related Links
How To Choose a Realtor: The Complete Guide: Don’t sign a listing agreement until you read this! Learn all the best tips to find the perfect real estate agent for your sale.
Realtor Fees: Your Questions, Answered: Still confused about commissions? This article tackles them head-on, along with the slew of other fees you’ll encounter when buying or selling your home.
How To Save Money on Realtor Fees: 10 Tips: If you’re looking to maximize value in your real estate transactions, check out this handy guide with tips on how to score discounts and save money.
FAQs
How much does Ideal Agent cost?
Ideal Agent is free for home buyers and sellers — all agent matching services are. Realtors pay Ideal Agent a 25% referral fee on commissions they earn from deals closed with customers referred to them by the company.
Is Ideal Agent worth it?
Yes. Ideal Agent is free for buyers and sellers, and it provides a small commission discount for sellers. However, other services offer bigger savings, like a 1% commission rate.
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