America’s 10 Best Home Buying Websites

Keller Williams is the world’s largest real estate technology franchise by agent count. It has more than 1,100 offices and 200,000 associates.

• No Service Fee: Keller Williams does not charge buyers any fee for its services.

👉Our Take: Keller Williams Realtors is the largest residential real estate firm in the US. We recommend this company if you are a first-time home buyer and need assistance in your home-buying process.

Keller William as a brand is technology-driven and has an education-based culture. Their key features are mentioned below:

• Keller Cloud: Keller Cloud helps agents to prioritize sellers’ goals, maximize lead generation, and gather insightful data to produce a truly effective go-to-market strategy for home selling.
• Professional Assistance: Keller William agents will preview homes on your behalf, and work throughout the process of finding your dream home.
• Tools and Resources: Marketing savvy tools to get your home top-tier exposure
• Advance Home Search: The technology of Keller Williams makes home search and buying an advanced experience for buyers. The management system of Keller Williams to track communication help agents to understand the buyer’s needs.
• Company Culture: The brand has a culture that is agent-centric, technology-driven, and education-based, and it recognizes and rewards its agents for their contributions.

Few dealbreakers we found about the company:

• Poor Customer Reviews: Many customer complaints regarding their services. They also have poor ratings on major review platforms.
• Agent Experience: A lot of customers also complained about poor agent experience. Since, Keller William is a franchise, the agent-to-agent experience might differ.

Keller Williams has a 5 out of 5 rating on Zillow.

Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC is an American full-service real estate brokerage.

• No Service Fee: As a buyer, you do not have to pay any fee to avail services of Coldwell Banker. 

👉 Our Take: Coldwell Banker is great for buyers because of its long-standing experience and wide property selection. It is especially helpful for those looking to invest in popular areas or unique properties.

Key features of Coldwell Banker include:

• Experts in Negotiations: Coldwell Banker’s agents are skilled and have considerable experience in negotiating the best deal for you.
• Lender Assistance: It helps you to find a lender for pre-qualification according to your affordability.
• Home Search: With MLS and other tools, agents find your ideal home based on your preferences and budget.
• Finance Assistance: It helps with down payments, mortgage prequalification, and getting your finances ready to buy a house.
• Strong Agent Network: Your agent can find many property options for you as they have good connections with other real estate agents.

Red flags of Coldwell Banker include:

• Less Flexibility in Negotiation: The company’s established policies might offer less flexibility in negotiating commission rates.
• Inconsistent Agent Quality: While many agents are experienced, the quality of service can vary depending on the specific agent assigned.
• Lapses in Transactions: Customer complaints include delays in transactions and unresponsive agents.

Coldwell Banker is rated 4.9 out of 5 stars from 200+ reviews on Trustpilot

Trulia doesn’t charge users for features like browsing listings, photos, or contacting agents. However, renters do have to pay $29 rental screening fees.

👉 Our Take: Trulia stands out for its user-friendly interface and extensive property listings. It offers valuable tools like neighborhood insights and crime maps. Trulia is a good choice for those seeking a convenient home search experience.

Here are some advantages of Trulia:

• Extensive Listings: Trulia covers several property types, allowing users to explore various options.
• Neighborhood Information: Trulia keeps you updated with all the neighborhood information such as crime rates, schools, amenities, etc.
• Agent Connectivity: You can connect with real estate agents directly through the platform. This service may benefit you if you want to work with an agent.
• Mobile App: It provides convenient access to property listings, saved searches, and notifications.
• Local Coverage: It offers a comprehensive map and filters, which make it easier to look for local information about the property.
• Best Calculators: Trulia has a mortgage, affordability, and refinancing calculator to serve you better.

Here are some disadvantages of Trulia:

• Incomplete Data: Some listings may lack details, such as neighborhood insights or detailed property histories.
• Outdated Listings: Sometimes even if the house is sold, the listing is not updated. This can mislead the buyers.

Trulia has a rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars from 70+ reviews on G2

»  Trulia Reviews: Click here to know the reason behind the 3-star review on G2.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is a real estate brokerage franchise. BHHS makes over $136 billion annually in residential real estate transactions.

• No Service Fee: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices does not charge home buyers any fee for its services.

👉 Our Take: Berkshire Hathaway is ideal for buyers seeking luxury homes or high-end properties. Their agents provide expert advice and detailed market insights.

The key features for Berkshire Hathaway include:

• Exclusive Listings: Buyers gain access to high-end and luxury properties that may not be available on other platforms.
• Professional Network: Access to a broad network of professionals, including mortgage brokers and home inspectors.
• Assistance in Paperwork: The agents handle all paperwork for you to buy a house.

Here are a few drawbacks of Berkshire Hathaway:

• Higher Costs: The focus on luxury properties often means higher prices, which might not suit all budgets.
• Limited Options: Fewer choices are available for buyers looking for more budget-friendly homes.

Berkshire Hathaway has a rating of 2.9 out of 5 on Best Company.

eXp Realty is one of the top US real estate companies that provide a variety of services to buyers. Its agents use cutting-edge technology from the cloud-based platform and database system.

• No Service Fee: eXp Realty does not charge buyers a direct fee for using its services.

👉 Our Take: The real estate agents of eXp Realty are experienced professionals. We recommend going for this company if you want to work with a traditional real estate agent and are a first-time home buyer.

Here are some of the advantages of choosing eXp Realty:

• Local Expertise: eXp realty agents have expertise in local real estate market data. Their market insights will help you in your real estate transactions.
• Investment Advice: The agents guide you in your financial and investment decisions.
• Assistance with Negotiation: Whether it is about negotiating home offers, inspection amounts, repairs, or legal agreements, you will get a negotiator to do it on your behalf.

Here are a few drawbacks we found about eXp Realty:

• Limited Physical Offices: eXp Realty operates mostly online, which can be inconvenient for those who prefer face-to-face interactions.
• Less Personal Touch: The virtual model may offer less personalized service compared to traditional firms.
• Learning Curve: Adapting to its tech-driven platform might be difficult for some buyers.

eXp Realty has a rating of 2.9 out of 5 on Google Reviews.

Auction.com is an online auction marketplace for residential bank-owned, foreclosure, and short-sale properties.

• Buyer’s Premium: With Autcion.com, you pay a service charge of 5%. If you don’t wish to pay a percentage, you can also pay a premium of $2,500.

👉 Our Take: Auction.com is a valuable resource for buyers and sellers of distressed properties. They offer a wide range of features to streamline the auction process.

 » How Does Auction.com Work? Click here to know the step by step process of Auction.com.

Here are some advantages of Auction.com.

• Online Auction: With Auction.com, you get the convenience of joining an auction from anywhere.
• Bank-Owned Property Auctions: These are safer bets as these properties are owned by bank themselves. Auction.com has a provision for you to buy them.
• E-Auction Feature: Auction.com’s “Foreclosure Interact” tool, gives you real-time status updates of auction.
• Proxy Bidding: This feature allows users to place a bid before the auction officially begins.
• Nationwide Coverage: Auction.com covers all 50 states in the United States.

Here are some disadvantages of Auction.com:

• Lack of Transparency: Auction.com doesn’t always provide comprehensive information about the properties on their platform. They lack critical property details and legal disclosures.
• Poor and Substandard Communication: Several customer reviews highlight problem with the customer support team regarding ineffective communication.

Auction.com has 2.4 out of 5 stars from 400+ users on Sitejabber.

» Auction.com Reviews: Find out whether Auction.com is an ideal place to buy or not.

HomeFinder is a popular real estate platform. It allows users to buy or rent properties. They provide various services for buyers, sellers, and real estate professionals.

Pricing is not disclosed on the website, this means you might end up paying the traditional  3% to 6% commission.

👉 Our Take: We recommend HomeFinder for its mobile application. This app allows you to save your searches and favorite listings.

Here are some advantages you should consider for choosing HomeFinder:

• User-Friendly Interface: Their website is easy to navigate, with a relatively user-friendly interface.
• Varieties of Properties: They have a huge database of properties, including both for-sale and rental listings. This means that you are likely to find a property that meets your needs.
• Rent-to-Own Service: They provide a unique Rent-To-Own feature for unsettled people. They also provide foreclosed home services.
• Mortgage Calculator: HomeFinder allows you to calculate your mortgage loan rates, interests, and payments.
• Mobile App: They provide mobile application services to their customers.

Here are some red flags we found during our research:

• Incomplete Data: Sometimes, property listings on HomeFinder.com may be incomplete or outdated.
• Poor Customer Reviews: They have received poor reviews regarding negligent customer service.

HomeFinder.com has 2.3 out of 5-star ratings on Trustpilot and Consumer Affairs.

Realtor.com does not charge home buyers or renters any fees for using their platform. However, they do charge real estate agents fees for listing homes on their platform.

The exact fees depend on the agent’s location and other factors, such as home size.

👉 Our Take: Realtor.com seems to be a comprehensive platform for home buyers, sellers, and renters. They offer a range of services such as home listings, neighborhood information, real estate news, and many more.

Here are some advantages of choosing Realtor.com:

• Accurate Listings: Realtor.com claims to have an up-to-date listings of homes for sale and rent.
• Neighborhood Information: Realtor.com provides information about neighborhoods, such as school ratings, crime rates, and local amenities.
• Home Value Estimator: It provides an online tool that estimates the value of your home based on recent sales and other factors.
• Mortgage Calculator: Realtor.com offers a mortgage calculator that helps you estimate your monthly mortgage payments. The estimation is based on the price of the home, down payment, interest rate, and other factors.
• User-Friendly Interface: Their easy-to-use interface makes it simple to search for homes and access other features.
• REALTOR Support: It is the official listing website of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). So, buyers can buy or rent a property through a Realtor.

Here are some major drawbacks that a user should be aware of.

• Offline Process: Realtor.com has manual and offline procedures which can be very complex and time-taking.
• Poor Reviews: Many of their users complained about their customer support and realtor’s services.
• Unwanted Calls: Once you inquired about a property on Realtor.com, you start getting unsolicited calls from their agents.

Realtor.com has a poor rating of 1.6 out of 5 stars from 1000+ users on Trustpilot.

Homes.com is free to use for homebuyers and renters. However, real estate agents can pay to advertise their listings on the website.

👉 Our Take: Homes.com is a valuable resource for homebuyers and renters. The website provides extensive property listings and tools for home searches.

Here are some advantages of choosing Homes.com:

• Extensive Listings: Homes.com aggregates listings from a various sources. This gives users access to a wide range of properties.
• Snap and Search Feature: It allows you to take snapshots of the home you like. Later, the app will match the snapshot with similar homes in your area.
• Advanced Search Filters: You can filter your search results based on various options, such as price, location, features, and amenities.
• Saved Searches: You can save your searches and receive email alerts when new listings that meet your criteria are added to the website.
• User-friendly Interface: The website is easy to use and navigate, even for first-time homebuyers.

Here are some red flags of Homes.com:

• Sells Leads: Homes.com sells home buyer and seller contact info to real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and lenders.
• Listing Accuracy: Homes.com aggregates listings from multiple sources, potentially leading to inaccuracies or outdated information.
• Limited Agent’s Information: It does not provide direct contact information of listing agents. Instead, users have to submit a contact form through the website.

Homes.com has a rating of 1.4 out of 5 stars from 100+ users on Trustpilot.

Zillow is one of the most visited real estate websites. It provides an exceptional home buying and renting experience.

• Zillow Premier Agent: You can connect with an agent representing a particular property and get their commission rates on request. Typically, a buyer agent charges a 2%-3% commission on the sale price.

👉 Our Take: Zillow is a popular choice for home buyers for its vast listings and easy-to-use tools. The platform offers valuable tools like Zestimate® for estimating property values and interactive maps for exploring neighborhoods.

Here are the key features of Zillow:

• Extensive Listings: Zillow offers a wide range of property listings, including homes for sale, rentals, and foreclosures.
• Mortgage Calculator: It allows you to compare mortgage rates from various lenders. You can pre-qualify for a loan through Zillow Home Loans.
• Zestimate Tool: It provides estimated property values to help gauge market prices.

Here are some drawbacks of Zillow:

• Outdated Listings: Some property listings may not be updated in real time, leading to outdated information.
• User-Generated Content: Home details and photos heavily rely on user input, which can sometimes be inaccurate.
• Overwhelming Ads: The site has numerous ads and promotions that can be distracting.

Zillow has a rating of  1.2 out of 5 on Consumer Affairs.

» Zillow Offers Reviews: Everything you need to know about Zillow.