HOW WE ARE DIFFERENT
I am the original rebate Realtor in Southern California. Since 2004, I’ve sold over 300 properties, saving clients more than $2,000,000 in the process. Other companies (new and older) have jumped on the bandwagon of “discount” real estate commission models--like Rex Real Estate, Opendoor, PurpleBricks and Redfin. But none of the copycats offer a traditional, full-service real estate experience combined with huge savings. I’m no discount broker, I’m a premier value broker!
Rex Homes
Your home isn’t on the MLS
Rex will list and sell your home for a 2% total commission. The catch is that they don’t list your home on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service), the national database used by Realtors and online search websites like Zillow. When you list with Rex, your home is only promoted on their platform and in their advertising, missing out on the vast majority of buyers who look for homes through traditional Realtors and websites. Rex also offers a buyer rebate but about it’s not clear how much service they actually provide.
Opendoor
They buy your home at a discount
Opendoor skips the sale process completely and buys homes directly from sellers. Instead paying a 5% to 5% commission plus title, escrow and other fees, when you list your home with Opendoor you pay a flat fee in the 7% range. Opendoor closes deals quickly without the headaches of loans, inspections and contingencies, but you never know if you got the right price because the sale doesn’t take place on the open market. Opendoor doesn’t appear to offer any sort of rebate to buyers.
Purplebricks
Service so bad they’re going out of business
Purplebricks spent millions on advertising and offered to sell homes for a flat fee. Unfortunately, their agents were underpaid and didn’t do a very good job serving their clients. In July of 2019, Purplebricks announced that it would be closing its business in the United States—just a few months after it pulled out of the Australian market as well.
Redfin
Hard to figure out how much you’ll save
Redfin started after I opened We Help U Buy Realty as a discount Real Estate Broker. Redfin originally offered the same 50% commission rebate as We Help U Buy, but has switched to a sliding scale. The typical commission rebate with Redfin is about ½ of 1% of the sales price on homes over $500,000. (For comparison purposes, the average We Help U Buy rebate is two to three times higher than Redfin.) On homes under $500,0000, Redfin will refer you out to other agents. Redfin will list and sell your home for a 1.5% listing fee and will give you .5% back if you buy through them within one year.