Redefy Reviews: Pros, Cons, And Better Alternatives

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  Written by Thomas O'Shaughnessy

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  Edited by Josiah Wilmoth

What Is Redefy? | How It Works | Redefy Fees | Locations | Redefy vs. Traditional Realtors | Selling | Buying | Redefy Reviews | Top Redefy Alternatives

Redefy Real Estate is a discount real estate brokerage that advertises realtor commission savings for home sellers. Most sellers pay a flat $3,500 listing fee, instead of the 2.5-3% rate that agents typically charge. However, as the Redefy reviews we’ll cover illustrate, your potential savings come with some pretty big risks. You’ll likely find better overall value with other discount services.

For example, sellers who work with Clever Real Estate will pay a low 1.5% listing fee. Clever’s agent-matching process connects you with top full-service realtors in your area, ensuring you never compromise on agent quality or support. Learn more now.

P.S. Just looking for Redefy Real Estate reviews? Find them here!

What Is Redefy Real Estate?

Redefy is a real estate brokerage whose core focus is offering home sellers discounted listing fees. It’s undergone numerous business shake-ups since its launch in 2011, culminating in 2020 with its sale to Home Captain, a tech-focused real estate company.

Redefy provides most of the same services as traditional realtors — but charges a lot less. Sellers pay a flat $3,500 listing fee, or 1% if their home sells for more than $1 million.

Depending on your price point, Redefy’s fee structure could translate into major savings. But, as with most discount brokerages, listing with Redefy may mean sacrificing service quality. Read on to learn more.

How Does Redefy Work?

Redefy advertises steep discounts to attract a higher volume of customers, then compensates for its low fees by:

• Handling more customers per agent (up to 4x as many!)
• Offering fewer services than traditional realtors
• Reducing operating costs with a salaried team
• Charging every seller an upfront, non-refundable $500 fee

How much does Redefy cost?

When you sell with Redefy, you’ll pay your agent a flat $3,500 listing fee — or a 1% commission rate on homes over $1 million.

Expect to offer an additional 2.5-3% in buyer’s agent commission, depending on the typical rates in your area. As the seller, you can offer whatever buyer’s agent fee you want. However, it’s important to advertise a competitive rate to motivate agents to show your home to potential buyers. This maximizes the likelihood that you’ll sell your home quickly and for top dollar.

On higher-end homes, Redefy’s pricing model saves sellers thousands of dollars in listing fees compared to selling with a conventional brokerage. However, it doesn’t save them ANYTHING on homes below $120,000.

Redefy charges a non-refundable $500 fee

The biggest drawback to Redefy’s pricing model is that you must pay a non-refundable $500 deposit when your agent lists your home for sale. The rest of Redefy’s listing fee comes out of the sale proceeds when your house sells.

Since the $500 deposit isn’t refundable, you won’t get it back for any reason — even if Redefy fails to sell your home. This is NOT a common practice. Realtors typically don’t charge anything until after your sale is complete.

Looking for a less risky way to save on real estate commission? Our partners at Clever Real Estate can connect you with top-rated realtors in your area who offer a full-service experience — all for just 1.5%. Contact Clever today to learn more!

Redefy locations

Currently, Redefy is only available in a handful of states across the U.S.

Not in Redefy’s service area, or just want to compare your options? Check out our rankings of the best low commission real estate companies — and find a low cost realtor near you!

Redefy vs. Traditional Realtors

Redefy calls itself a full-service brokerage, and it offers most of the same services as traditional realtors — on paper, anyway. However, there may be a big difference in service quality.

When you list with a traditional realtor, you form a one-on-one relationship with a real estate professional who personally guides you through every stage of your sale. This isn’t quite the case with Redefy.

Here are a few of the tradeoffs you’ll likely face when working with a Redefy agent.

Redefy agents handle 4x more customers

The biggest risk to working with a Redefy agent is that they may be juggling too many customers to give you hands-on, personalized support.

Redefy claims its agents manage an average of 48 transactions per year. That’s 4x as many as a typical realtor, according to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

With your agent managing so many transactions at once, there’s a greater risk that they won’t be familiar with the ins and outs of your situation. As one Redefy agent explained in a Glassdoor review, “Sometimes the volume is so high, even the strongest time management skills are stretched to the limit.” 

Redefy compensates by outsourcing some parts of your sale to other team members. However, this strategy could lead to mistakes, miscommunications, and frustrating delays during crucial phases of your transaction.

Redefy agents earn a salary — not commission

Compared to traditional realtors, Redefy agents have less direct financial incentive to help you maximize your home’s final sale price.

Most traditional realtors get paid exclusively on commission. This means their income is directly tied to your home’s sale price. The more it sells for, the more they make. And if they fail to sell it, they don’t get paid at all!

In contrast, Redefy pays its agents a fixed salary. This means your agent gets paid the same if your house sells for $10,000 above market value — or $20,000 below it.

Agent selection is extremely limited

Redefy’s business model depends on closing more deals with a smaller team. So, if you’re interested in taking advantage of its discounted rates, be aware that you won’t have many options when selecting your agent.

No matter what company you list with, it’s important to choose a high-quality agent. But that’s especially true with Redefy, simply because their agents juggle so many different customers at once. Saving a few thousand bucks on realtor fees is great. But if an overextended agent sells your house for $25,000 less than it’s worth, you’re not really saving money in the long run!

To guarantee you get the best overall value, we recommend comparing Redefy against other local realtors. 

Our friends at Clever Real Estate offer a free service that matches you with full-service agents in your area. You can interview as many agents as you like until you find the perfect fit. 

And since Clever pre-negotiates a discounted listing fee of 1.5% on your behalf, you never have to choose between service quality and savings. Contact Clever to find top-rated realtors in your area today!

Selling With Redefy

For the most part, Redefy offers the same range of services as a traditional real estate brokerage. Your lead agent — or another Redefy team member — will support your during each step of the sale process.

Redefy won’t host an open house, but its team provides services and support like:

• In-home pricing consultation
• Professional photography
• Marketing your home on the MLS
• Help negotiating with buyers
• Closing logistics

The biggest difference is that Redefy’s customer service model relies on a team-based approach rather than a single agent overseeing every aspect of your sale.

In theory, this increases efficiency, allowing Redefy’s licensed agents to support more customers simultaneously. But, in practice, involving more people in your sale can make an already-stressful process even more difficult. 

When you’re working with one team member to decide on a list price, another to market your home, and a third to negotiate with buyers, it’s unlikely that any of them will have a comprehensive understanding of your needs, priorities, and situation.

This approach might work for straightforward sales in seller-friendly markets. But if your property is unique, your situation is complicated, or you run into problems, your agent may not have the bandwidth to provide the hands-on support you need.

Redefy DIY

In addition to its standard listing package, Redefy offers support to sellers looking to list “for sale by owner” via a flat-fee MLS listing service called Redefy DIY.

For a flat, upfront fee, Redefy DIY will list your home on the local multiple listing service (MLS), a database where local brokerages market the properties they’re selling. Home-search platforms like Zillow and Redfin get most of their listing data from the MLS, so your listing should appear on those websites too.

In most cases, using a flat-fee MLS listing service like Redefy DIY is a LOT cheaper than selling with a realtor — or even a discount broker. However, selling your own home can be incredibly complicated and comes with additional risks.

Learn more about selling with a flat-fee MLS listing service like Redefy DIY.

Buying With Redefy

You can also purchase a home with a Redefy agent, but you’ll likely find better value with other discount services.

Redefy does NOT offer any built-in savings for home buyers. But since you’ll face the same potential service quality tradeoffs as sellers, buying with Redefy does come with built-in risks.

In contrast, many other discount brokerages offer home buyer rebates to eligible customers. If you qualify, you may receive a portion of your commission back as a credit or cash.

These rebates can help offset closing costs and other upfront expenses you incur when buying a home.

Learn more about how to get a home buyer rebate.

Redefy Reviews: Pros and Cons

Redefy offers some potential advantages compared to traditional, full-priced real estate brokerages. But it’s important to weigh those benefits against the risks. Only then can you decide if Redefy is really your best option, or if one of its competitors delivers even better value.

Pro: Potential savings for most home sellers

The biggest advantage to listing with Redefy is that its flat-fee pricing model offers steep discounts to most home sellers.

Redefy’s listing fee is the same for all homes below $1 million. The more expensive your home, the more you’ll save compared to listing with a traditional realtor or a discount broker that charges percentage-based commission.

Here’s an example of a positive Redefy review from an experienced seller who was thrilled by how much money they saved.

That said, Redefy’s fees aren’t a great value at all price points. If your home sells for around $120,000 or less, Redefy would likely cost MORE than listing with a traditional realtor. 

Pro: In-person support

Some discount brokers in Redefy’s price range cut costs by offering no in-person support at any point during the sales process. They won’t even visit your home to help you price it accurately.

Redefy agents provide less hands-on support than traditional realtors, but the company does offer an in-home consultation to help you decide on a list price and stage your home to make it more appealing to buyers.

Many positive Redefy reviews also highlight satisfactory customer service from individual local offices. Just remember that your experience will depend on the quality of agents in your area.

Con: Risky customer service model

A consistent theme among negative Redefy reviews is that its advertised savings come with some pretty big tradeoffs, especially in terms of service quality. 

Redefy relies on agents handling WAY more customers than the average realtor. And its team-based approach means you won’t have a single point of contact throughout the process.

If your agent gets overextended while you’re negotiating with a buyer or during other important stages of your sale, there’s a greater risk you’ll encounter problems that could have been avoided.

This seller saved around $6,000 selling with Redefy, but they didn’t feel that the discounted rates compensated for the lack of support from their agent.

Con: Non-refundable $500 deposit

If you sell with Redefy, you’ll owe a non-refundable $500 fee when your agent lists your house on the MLS. Redefy claims this fee covers marketing expenses, which is why they won’t return it if you change your mind about using its service.

However, it’s VERY unusual for a real estate brokerage to force sellers to pay anything up front. Traditional realtors and discount brokers alike typically don’t charge a fee until your home actually sells. This ensures they’re completely incentivized to help you find a buyer.

Redefy obviously still has an incentive to sell your house —  that’s the only way it collects the rest of its fee. But the fact is that Redefy still makes money from every listing, even when it delivers less-than-stellar customer service.

Con: Less savings for high-end homes

Redefy advertises a flat $3,500 listing fee, but that only applies for homes worth less than $1 million. At higher price points, Redefy charges a 1% commission rate.

This 1% rate is less competitive compared to other discount services, especially considering Redefy’s relatively substantial tradeoffs.

Clever Real Estate offers a discounted 1.5% listing fee — and it comes without the service quality risks. All of Clever’s partner agents provide full-service support and have been pre-vetted for experience and stellar customer service ratings. Learn how you can save with Clever today.

The Best Redefy Alternatives

Although Redefy’s flat listing fee is cheap, the company’s service quality tradeoffs make it a riskier option than some of its competitors. Depending on your situation and priorities, you may find better overall value with one of these Redefy competitors.

1. Trelora

Trelora is a discount brokerage with locations in select markets across the U.S. Like Redefy, Trelora charges home sellers a flat listing fee, with rates starting at $3,000. 

However, like many discount brokers, Trelora has a poor reputation among traditional real estate agents. This could put sellers at a disadvantage if realtors discourage buyers from looking at Trelora homes.

Learn more about selling with Trelora.

2. Redfin

With nationwide brand recognition and a proven savings model, Redfin is a solid option for most home sellers. Its 1.5% listing fee isn’t the best rate available, but customers typically face fewer service quality risks compared to Redefy.

Learn more about selling with Redfin.

3. Clever Real Estate

Clever is an agent-matching service that offers big commission savings WITHOUT the service-quality risks that typically come with a discount brokerage.

They pre-negotiate low rates with traditional realtors throughout the U.S. With Clever, you can sell with a top-rated, full-service agent for a 1.5% listing fee.  Eligible buyers may also receive cash back at closing. 

When it comes to saving money on real estate fees, you have a lot of great options to choose from. If you’re still not sure where to start, we recommend giving Clever a try. Reach out today to meet top agents in your area. 

Redefy FAQs

Related Links

If you’re looking to save on realtor commission, it’s important to compare ALL your options. We recommend reading the following resources to learn about other ways to save.

Discount Real Estate Brokers and Agents: Everything You Need to Know: Selling with a discount real estate broker like Redefy is often a very different experience from using a traditional realtor. Learn more about how discount brokers work and how to decide which company is the best fit for your situation.

How to Sell a House Without a Realtor: If you’re an experienced home seller, you can maximize your savings by listing your house “for sale by owner” (FSBO). Want to learn more? Read our comprehensive guide on how to sell a home without a realtor.

Seller Closing Costs: Here’s Everything You Need to Know: Realtor commission isn’t the only home-selling expense you need to worry about. Sellers typically pay 8-10% of the home’s sale price in “closing costs.” Here’s everything you need to know about these transaction-related fees — including how to save.