6 Best Real Estate Companies in Iowa (2024 Updates)

Houzeo is real estate company headquartered in New York.

Houzeo offers 4 Flat Fee MLS packages.

• Bronze Package – $399: This package offers Houzeo listing only for 6 months with 24 photos.
• Silver Package – $399+0.5% at Close: This offers maximum photos upload and provide you with seller disclosures.
• Gold Package – $429+0.5% at Close: It is Houzeo’s signature MLS package and includes all the technology Houzeo is known for like, Houzeo Showings, Houzeo Offers, and DigiTransact.
• Platinum – $449+1% at Close: It includes the assistance of a licensed broker to help you with negotiations, seller disclosures, and closing.

👉 Our Take: We recommend the GOLD plan. You’ll have access to Houzeo tech, making managing showings and offer negotiations easy! Confirm all prices on your particular state’s pricing page before you list.

» Houzeo Reviews: Houzeo is 100% online. You can finish listing formalities in less than 60 mins.

Houzeo is America’s #1 Flat Fee MLS service because of 4 reasons:

1. Max Exposure: Houzeo MLS packages give you access to the MLS, Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, Redfin, and 100s of other websites.
2. 5-star Customer Service: Houzeo has a fully staffed customer service desk available 6 days a week. Chats and emails are open 7 days a week.
3. 100% Online: Houzeo is high-tech platform with its easy listing, fast changes, online showings, and online offers. Houzeo mobile app is also very powerful.
4. No Hidden Fees: In most states, you’ll be paying just a small flat fee to list on MLS by owner. And remember, all fees are disclosed upfront, so there are no Houzeo hidden fees. You get to bypass the listing agent commission.

There are no dealbreakers with Houzeo.

» Is Houzeo Good for You?  Houzeo addresses all Houzeo complaints from home sellers.

Houzeo is rated 4.9 out of 5 stars by thousands of home sellers on Google & Trustpilot.

» Houzeo Reviews: Houzeo is rated “Excellent“ by 8,000+ home sellers.

Redfin is the largest discount real estate company. Its premier agents, with years of experience, help you buy and sell high-end homes. 

• Listing Price: Redfin charges a 1% listing fee if you want to sell a house and buy your next one with them. It charges a 1.5% listing fee if you decide to just sell your house with Redfin.

👉Our Take: Redfin is a technology-based platform. You can expect transparency and an accurately managed database. However, you may not get complete attention due to their high customer volume.

» Is Redfin Legit? Check the legitimacy of Redfin’s discount broker services

Redfin offers:

• Competitive Pricing: You pay a listing fee of 1% if you decide to sell and buy with Redfin.
• Updated Technology: Redfin provides a mobile app, 3D walkthrough, relevant filters, etc. This makes the real estate transaction seamless.
• National Presence: Redfin covers 80+ markets in the US.

» Redfin Pros and Cons: Read about the advantages and drawbacks of Redfin services.

The disadvantages of using Redfin are:

• Pricing Inaccuracy: Many sellers have complained about certain factors like, lot area, a gated compound, or a city location not getting considered during valuation.
• Long Time for Listing: As per Redfin’s agreement, it takes almost 15-18 days to verify the seller’s property and list their house.
• Lack of Customer Service: There has been negative feedback about lack of personal attention by Redfin salaried agents.

Redfin has an average rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars on Yelp and average 3.7 out of 5 stars on Google.

» Redfin Reviews: The reality of 1% fees, pros, cons, and alternatives!

RE/MAX has its headquarters in Orlando, FL. The company does not disclose agent commissions on its website. However, based on reviews you may have to pay 3% to 6% as commission.

• No corporate fee is involved with RE/MAX referrals. You can choose the agents or vice versa and set the terms of your agreement.

👉 Our Take: RE/MAX is known for its reputation and credibility. The company’s agents will guide you throughout the entire selling process. However, the huge commission can be heavy on your pocket.

Key features of RE/MAX are:

• Global Reach: RE/MAX has 100,000 agents, and its network is spread over 100 countries.
• Competitive Home Pricing: Agents at RE/MAX will conduct an in-depth evaluation and a CMA of your property to price your home competitively.
• Additional Service: RE/MAX Collection and RE/MAX Commercial offer specialized tools and advertising programs to luxury and commercial real estate professionals.

Here is a drawback of RE/MAX:

• Poor Customer Reviews: RE/MAX has many customer complaints. Previous customers have also said that their home-selling process got delayed.

RE/MAX has a poor rating of  1.1 out of 5 stars from 300+ users on Consumer Affairs.

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 has been recognized as a real estate leader. However, it might prioritize transaction volume over personalized attention, which could be less ideal for first-time buyers or those needing more guidance.

Key features of Coldwell Banker:

• 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: 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:

• Inconsistent Agent Quality: Several clients of Coldwell Banker have complained of a lack of trust in the agents they had dealt with.
• Lapses in Transactions: Customer complaints include delays in transactions, laid-back attitude, misrepresentations, and the unresponsiveness of agents.

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

Zillow is one of the largest real estate marketplaces in the United States and has more than 40 million unique users every month.

• Buyers’ Agency Agreement: Typically, the buyer’s agent is paid by the seller from the proceeds of the sale transaction. However, if the seller does not pay the buyer’s agent then the buyer is responsible to pay the agent in accordance with the buyers’ agency agreement.

👉 Our Take: Despite Zillow garnering a name for being one of the largest real estate websites, we suggest you tread carefully after conducting the necessary due diligence.

Here are some advantages of choosing Zillow:

• Biggest Database: It has 135 million homes in its database. That makes Zillow the best website to start your home search on.
• Advanced Search: Its ‘Save Search’ feature stores your data from the search criteria. It provides more than 20 filters to narrow down an ideal property for you.
• Paperwork Assistance: Zillow agents can help you with all the paperwork involved in home buying process.
• Negotiation Specialists: It’s agents have expansive market knowledge and will negotiate the best deal for you.
• Financial Resources: Zillow’s certified loan officers can help buyers pre-qualify for a home loan. In addition, Zillow provides buyers with tools such as a mortgage calculator, affordability calculator, and refinance calculator.

Zillow has some major drawbacks that a user should be aware of.

• Poor Customer Reviews: Poor customer reviews and record-breaking debacles, as seen on Trustpilot.
• Incorrect Information: Customers looking to buy a house have complained about inaccurate and misleading information about properties listed on Zillow.

Zillow has a rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars on Sitejabber.