Best Discount Real Estate Brokers in Florida

» Jump To: Rankings | Reviews | Discount Brokers to Avoid | Everything to Know about Discount Real Estate Brokers in Florida | Ways to get Discounted Realtor Fees | Alternatives | Why Discount Brokers? | How Houzeo Works | Final Word | FAQs

Compared to last year, the number of houses sold in Florida dropped by 25.8% in July 2022. In this difficult market, finding the right discount real estate broker in Florida can help you save thousands of dollars in commissions and make your sale hassle-free.

Rankings: Best Discount Real Estate Brokers & Companies in Florida

Reviews: Best Discount Real Estate Brokers & Companies in Florida

1. Houzeo.com

2. Redfin

3. SimpleShowing

4. Houwzer

5. Redefy

» How To Sell My House Fast In Florida: Check out the best options to sell your Florida home fast

Discount Real Estate Brokers to Avoid

Some agent-matching websites advertise themselves as “free”, but in reality they keep a portion of the commission received by the discount real estate brokers. Since you pay the commission, this amount technically goes from your pocket.

For example, List With Clever promotes itself as a real estate educational website that matches sellers with discount realtors in Florida. Even though Clever claims to be “free”, 25% to 40% of the commission you pay will be directed to Clever as a “Referral Fee”.

» Clever Real Estate Reviews: Read our full review of Clever Real Estate

Everything You Should Know About Selling with Discount Real Estate Brokers & Companies

What are Discount/ Low Commission Real Estate Brokers & Companies?

Discount real estate brokers or low commission real estate agents are real estate agents that provide specific services for a discounted fee. Instead of charging the seller a standard agent commission of 3% (listing agent commission), a low cost realtor will work for less (such as a 1%-2% commission or a pre-defined flat fee) and provide restricted services. The reduced fee can easily save sellers a good amount of money.

Discount real estate brokers typically offer the same services as full-service brokers. The key difference is in pricing.

Types of Low-Cost Realtors

Low commission real estate agents come in 4 distinct flavors.

1. Flat Fee MLS Brokers

A flat fee MLS listing company or service is nothing but a registered real estate agent with a low commission or discounted broker/that lists your home on the MLS for an upfront flat fee.

The seller and the broker agree on a la carte services, and the broker takes a flat fee instead of a percentage of the home’s sale price. Say you want to sell a $500,000 home. A traditional agent will charge you between 2% and 3% of the sale price for selling a house in Florida. That’s 15 grand!

With a flat-fee model, you’ll pay an average of $300, which includes listing and marketing. Even if you choose to add services like pricing and buyer negotiations, you will still save money.

» Best Flat Fee MLS Companies in Florida: Top 7!

2. Virtual Full-Service Agents

Think of everything a traditional agent does, from listing your property, marketing it, pricing it, negotiating with buyers, and closing it.

An online discount broker- full service does all that – online. Because of their cloud-based presence, they have many advantages such as lesser fees, discounted commissions, and much better management and marketing support. Many MLS listing companies like Houzeo, also provide full service options that are 100% online.

✍️ SAVE: A virtual full service company will not provide any in-person agent support, meaning, you will have to take over most of the groundwork. It may not be the best option for a first time seller.

3. Flat Rate Low Commission

You can choose a low commission (flat rate) agent in some markets. For a flat fee of $3,000 to $6,000, the agent will sell your home. The flat rate is usually based on how much the house is worth and how well the agent does their job. In this case, there is no percentage listing fee. Everything has a fixed price. Homie is one of the best examples of a real estate broker with a flat rate listing of $3500 and a low commission rate. Since Homie doesn’t offer as many services as a full-service real estate agent, it can easily make up for the lower prices it charges.

Think about the following situation: The price on the list is $450,000. With a flat rate model, the agent’s commission fee stays the same no matter what happens, even if you agree to sell your home for less money. This is because it is a flat rate that doesn’t depend on how much the house is sold for.

Before you opt for a flat fee realty in Florida, you should find out what kind of service you can expect from the company. Make sure you’ve read the contract all the way through before you sign it. Some services, like consultation, professional photography, yard signs, and other marketing materials might be included in the flat fee, but this is not guaranteed.

So, if you don’t include them in your budget, you may have to pay a lot of money out of your own pocket. Any contract with a flat-fee agent needs to be read carefully, especially the small print. Also, keep in mind that even if you use a flat-rate agent, you will still have to pay the buyer’s agent fees, which will be between 2.5 and 3 percent.

4. Discounted Commission Full-Service Real Estate Agents

Full-service discount brokers offer many of the same services as traditional realtors for a low listing fee or flat rate, but they don’t charge as much. When a house is sold, they give the seller money back in the form of a discount on their commissions. This is why flat real estate brokers in Florida are one of the best options for sellers, as they offer a range of services at a great value.

For example, if a full-service discount broker charges 1.5 percent of the sale price instead of the standard 2.5 percent of the sale price on a $450,000 house, you will save $4,500 in commissions. There are many discount real estate brokers, but they are not all the same.

Some have a lot more value and a lot less risk than others. But in most businesses, you have to take what you can get. All of these things could happen if there aren’t many services, if there’s less support, if agents don’t have much experience, and if there’s not much to choose from.

Discount Real Estate Brokers in Florida Cities & Counties

We reviewed some of the best discount real estate brokers offering full service in cities and counties of Florida. As these brokerages are based in the respective cities or their counties, their expertise in those respective regions will help you sell your home fast in Florida. With a range of services available with each of these local flat fee listing Florida discount brokerages, you can ensure that your home-selling journey is as smooth as it would be profitable.

4 More Ways To Get Discounted Realtor Fees

Are you a good negotiator? In fact, commissions in the real estate industry can be negotiated. Even if the company is a flat-rate discounter, you can always ask for a few minor tweaks. You can lower the amount you pay by a wide range of factors, including the location of your property, its condition, and the brokerage. 

Houzeo, a low-cost real estate company, can save you tens of thousands of dollars in commissions while still providing excellent service. If you want to lower your commission, keep reading to learn how:

Average Area Commission

Know your leverage before negotiating. For example, Florida’s average real estate commission is 5.40% which is lower than the national average. Lowering your overall commission might not be possible but once you know your reference point, negotiating can be a lot easier.

Buying and Selling With the same Discount Brokerage

Using the same discount realty in Florida to buy and sell has its own set of advantages. It makes you more likely to be repeat customers, giving you more chances to get refunds and cheaper commissions. For example, Landfall Properties, an MLS listing company, offers a rebate that can only be applied to your next purchase with the same company.

Pick the right type of discount broker

For example, picking a flat rate discount broker may not be the best option if your house is priced on the lower end. You will wind up losing more, instead, for maximum savings, you can pick a flat fee MLS company. 

Buyer Agent Fees

Almost all buyers work with an agent. For maximum savings, offer a competitive buyer agent commission. Once you cut out the risk factor of selling the house, your listing agent will be more comfortable with lowering their fee. This can further help lower seller closing costs in Florida.

» Seller Closing Costs in Florida: Use this free tool by Houzeo to get an estimate of your closing costs.

How to choose a Low commission/ Discount Real Estate Broker, Brokerage, or Company?

To find a low-commission real estate agent or a discount realtor, look for a low-commission brand. Check for services and top companies. You will be assigned a low-commission real estate agent based on brokerage policies. As a seller, you can choose the right broker. Then you can use the chosen broker.

Low Commission Real Estate Agents/ Discount Realtors Who Offer Flat Fee MLS Near Me

Before opting for a flat fee realtor in Florida, you would want to know its coverage. All the low commission real estate agent providers do not have the same coverage. Some have nationwide coverage while some are restricted to a few states.

We’ve compiled a list of the best flat fee MLS Listing Services in each state. Click on your state to check them out!

Alternatives to Discount/Low Commission Real Estate Agents

Traditional Agent 

A traditional agent assists you in buying, selling, renting, and all other aspects of real estate. A listing agent and a buyer agent are two types of traditional agents. Agents operate for brokerages and companies or under the supervision of a qualified broker.

Let’s get down to business with their commissions. The average overall commission fee for selling a home is 5%. This is deducted from the seller’s proceeds and shared between the listing and buyer agents. The commission rate changes on a regular basis and is determined by the location of your property.

The listing agent assists the seller in the sale and marketing of their home. The buyer’s agent, on the other hand, brings in clients who buy the house. They each get 2.5 percent after closing for a total of 5%.

» Realtors in Florida: Top 10 You Need To Know About!

iBuyers

An instant buyer, often known as an iBuyer, is a corporation that buys houses for sale for a cash offer. Unlike the usual way, the major goal is to sell it swiftly and efficiently. They employ cutting-edge technology and provide you with complete closing flexibility.

They make reasonable offers, although with a large service cost. Most iBuyers charge additional closing fees, which can easily push your commissions up to 12%! For example, Redfin Now charges up to 13% in service fees, 3% in maintenance fees, and 1% in closing costs, which can potentially total up to a staggering 17 percent!

iBuyers have their own set of rules, with costs that aren’t necessarily in line with market norms. It is always better to pick a discount real estate broker instead and save thousands of dollars!

» Companies That Buy Houses For Cash In Florida: The top 13 companies!

For Sale By Owner

As the term indicates, a for sale by owner property is one that is sold by the owner without the assistance of a listing agent or real estate broker. It’s the most cost-effective approach to avoid commissions and selling your house quickly. FSBO is ideal for sellers with some experience with the selling process and marketing. The best way to FSBO is to list on the Multiple Listing Service. Their large database allows them to market your home to agents all throughout the country, allowing it to sell faster and with the most exposure possible.

» How To Sell A House By Owner In Florida: 2022 Updates!

Why Choose a Discount Real Estate Broker Over a Traditional Agent?

The simple answer is that whether you are buying or selling, working with a discount or flat fee realtor in Florida will help you lower the closing cost. Let’s look at an example.

Say, a property costs $500,000. Through traditional real estate commissions in the US, the seller is required to pay 5% – 6% in commissions. This means that as a seller, you can incur closing costs anywhere between $25,000 – $30,000, which is a considerable sum. To minimize this expense, you can try selling a house as is through discount realtors in Florida.

If the seller has to pay a lower sum in commission, they may reduce the overall price of the house, making the property that much more inexpensive to buy.

Savings Calculator

Here’s how much you can save with Houzeo.com!

Let’s Find Out How Houzeo Works

Real estate bargain brokers fall midway between a for-sale-by-owner and a full-service agency. With MLS listing packages starting at $349 and cutting-edge technology that allows you to manage your property, review offers, counter, and manage showings online and via their mobile app, Houzeo delivers the best of both worlds.

Eager to Know How Houzeo Works?

We’ve got you covered. Check out the following video to understand how Houzeo works and why it is one of the best For Sale By Owner websites in the U.S.

» NEED MORE CLARITY? Read these exclusive Houzeo reviews and learn why it is one of the best FSBO sites in America.

Final Word

There are a number of low-cost discount real estate brokers in Florida today that provide unique features at a great value. For a seller, it is recommended to look for pointers like listing fees, listing time, services offered, customer service, coverage, and technology before selecting a Florida discount realtor.

» Seller Disclosures in Florida: A Comprehensive Guide!

Resources for Selling Your Florida Home

Frequently Asked Questions

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