Compared to last year, the number of houses sold in Houston dropped by 22% in July 2022. In this somewhat competitive market, finding the right discount real estate broker in Houston, TX can help you save thousands of dollars in commissions and make the sale hassle-free.
Rankings: Best Discount Real Estate Brokers in Houston, TX
| Rank | Discount Real Estate Broker / Company | Listing Fee | Additional Charges | Max Savings | 100% Online | 5-Star Reviews* | Mobile App |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Houzeo | $349 Flat Fee | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| 2. | Leslie Lerner Properties | $4500 Flat Fee | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| 3. | Creekstone Real Estate | $1095 upfront fees or 1% at closing. | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| 4. | ListingSpark | 0.5% of the closing fee | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| 5. | SimpleShowing | 1% of the sale price | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Reviews: Best Discount Real Estate Brokers & Companies in Houston, TX
1. Houzeo
🔥 BEST OVERALL
Houzeo.com
- Listing Fee: $349 Flat Fee
4.9/5
(4001 reviews)
4.9/5
(4001 reviews)Why Houzeo is #1: Houzeo is an online tech company that offers real estate solutions. It provides an unbeatable combination of maximum savings, cutting-edge technology, and 5-star customer support.
Houzeo for Homesellers
- Affordable Flat Fee: Houzeo’s plans are typically a small flat fee. This will save you thousands. If your buyer is unrepresented, you also save the buyer agent commission.
- Listings on MLS: Listings get syndicated to the MLS, Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, Trulia, and hundreds of other websites. Houzeo also has nifty social media sharing tools. No other platform gives you this much exposure.
- Fully Virtual Service: Houzeo is 100% online. Listing is easy and changes are fast. So you can focus on what is most important – your sale.
Houzeo for Homebuyers
- Access to Listings without Agents: Houzeo lets buyers get access to all the nearby listings on MLS without working with an agent.
- Closing Costs Calculator: Houzeo’s unique Closing Costs Calculator lets buyers get an accurate final cost at the end of the buying process.
👉 Our Take: Houzeo.com is our top pick because it delivers an unbeatable combination of savings, tech features, and service of any flat fee MLS listing service website we’ve reviewed.
» Houzeo Reviews: Houzeo is 100% online. You can finish the listing formalities in less than 60 mins.
- Near Nationwide Coverage: Houzeo covers 47 states + DC.
- No Listing Agent Commission: With Houzeo, you only pay a small flat fee to get access to the MLS and all the Houzeo tech
- 100% online: Easy listing, fast changes, online showings, and online offers
- Max Exposure: Listings get syndicated to Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, Redfin, and 100s of other real estate sites
- Fast Listing: Rush listing option gets you listed within a business day with Houzeo Concierge. This is best to sell your house fast.
- Real Estate On the Go: Houzeo Mobile App mimics most functionality of the Houzeo web platform, including Offers and Showings
- 5-Star Customer Service: Superb support that minimizes Houzeo complaints
- No Hidden Fees: There are no Houzeo hidden fees
» Is Houzeo Legit: Learn more about Houzeo.com’s locations and services
Houzeo has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 on Google & Trustpilot.
Houzeo is available nationwide.
2. Leslie Lerner Properties
🌟WELL ESTABLISHED IN THE INDUSTRY
Leslie Lerner Properties
- Listing Fee: Starts at $4500 Flat Fee
- Not enough credible sources
Why is Leslie Lerner Properties #2?
Leslie Lerner Properties is a flat fee full-service company that has been around since the 1990s. They charge a starting flat fee of $4500 on properties priced at $200,000 – $799,999 and provide full service to their clients. This flat fee changes as the price range go up.
Leslie Lerner Properties for Home Sellers
- Flat Fee Service: They provide full-service transactions which include listing, marketing, and additional features to make the job of the seller smooth and cost-effective. They list properties on Realtor.com, Homes.com, Trulia, Zillow, Google, and more.
- Full-Service: Leslie Lerner Properties takes care of everything from social media exposure & contract negotiation, to photography, lockbox, “For Sale” signs, closing assistance, and more.
- Agent Support: Qualified agents here help sellers through the entire sale process.
Leslie Lerner Properties for Home Buyers
- Buyers Rebate Program: Leslie Lerner Properties offer rebates to buyers from their own buyer agent commissions. The exact value of the rebate ranges from 1.5% (from the total of 3%) to none, depending on the number of houses shown to you by the brokerage.
- Additional Services: The brokerage also helps you with drawing contracts, repairs negotiation, and assistance at closing.
👉 Our Take: Leslie Lerner Properties is a great option for your real estate experience as they offer significant features and benefits for both home buyers and home sellers.
» Low Commission Real Estate Agents: Click here to find all about the best low commission real estate agents.
- Well-established in the market.
- Qualified Agents
- Exposure on HAR.com, Chron.com, Realtor.com, Homes.com, Cyberhomes, Trulia, Zillow, Google, and the Galveston Daily News.
- Photography
- Social media marketing.
- Contract Negotiation.
- Closing assistance.
Not enough data was available to provide the information.
Leslie Lerner Properties covers the city of Houston, Texas.
3. Creekstone Real Estate
👨💼GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE
Creekstone Real Estate
- Listing Fee: $1,095 upfront fees or 1% at closing.
- Not enough credible sources.
Why Creekstone Real Estate is #3?
Creekstone Houston, TX is a full-service flat fee listing service. They offer sellers 2 packages that can help them sell their property without compromising on quality service.
Creekstone Real Estate for Home Sellers
- Discount Packages: Creekstone Real Estate offers packages that can help sellers to save a substantial amount by the end of the sale process. The $1,095 flat fee package includes a 6-month listing, YouTube marketing, negotiation, listing on multiple platforms, yard sign, lockbox, digital documentation, and more. The 1% commission package includes all of the above along with professional photography, upgraded yard sign, and supra lockbox.
- Agent Support: Low commission real estate agents at Creekstone are highly qualified and are known for their customer-centric attitude.
Creekstone Real Estate for Home Buyers
- New Listings: The brokerage’s website includes information on new listings which home buyers can search through.
👉 Our Take: Creekstone Real Estate is a good option if you are looking for discount real estate brokers in texas offering full service for home sellers at a reduced fee. For home buyers though there aren’t enough significant features.
» Best Discount Real Estate Brokers Texas: Click here to find all about the best discount real estate brokers in Texas.
- Two packages offering specific features.
- Listing on HAR.com, Zillow, Trulia & More.
- Email support and marketing.
- A basic lock box and yard sign are included in both packages.
- Seller-supplied photograph is not chargeable, but photography is chargeable if the seller wants a professional photo. (only for Package A)
- An upgraded yard sign, professional photography, and electronic lockbox. (only included in the Package B)
Not enough credible sources were found to provide the information.
Creekstone Real Estate offers its services in Houston and other surrounding areas in Texas.
4. ListingSpark
🌟 GREAT FEATURES
ListingSpark
- Listing Fee: 0.5% of the sales price
- 5/5
(288 reviews)
5/5
(288 reviews)ListingSpark is one of the top discount real estate brokerages with its seller-centric all-in-one platform. With the help of its basic technology and strong support team, it guides sellers from listing to closing.
ListingSpark for Home Sellers
- Packages: ListingSpark has a ‘Pay as you go’ package where you need to pay just $7 on a per-day basis to get listed on the platform and access other features. The other is the ‘Pay at closing’ package where you pay 0.5% of the sales price at closing.
- Agent on Demand: You can hire one of their real estate agents for $975. The agent will help you with negotiations, pricing review, and contract compliance.
- Additional Features: ListingSpark offers title insurance and escrow services under Spark Title. Additionally, it also provides professional photography services, a lock box and a yard sign. ListingSpark also has a strong suite of optional features including agents-hosted open houses and transaction coordinators.
ListingSpark for Home Buyers
- Property Search Feature: Home buyers can search for properties based on price range, property type, along with many other filters.
- No Other Feature: ListingSpark does not have any other feature for home buyers as it is a seller-centric platform.
👉 Our Take: ListingSpark is a good option as it offers a range of features for home sellers at a reasonable price. Its seller-centric approach though does leave more to be desired for home buyers.
» ListingSpark Reviews: Is the $7/day fee worth it?
- No big upfront fees
- Documentation for the whole selling process
- Thorough market analysis
- Availability of closing calculator
- Slow listing speed due to manual intervention
- Limited coverage
- A La Carte items are a bit expensive
- Involving a closing expert through the transaction process is expensive
ListingSpark has an average rating of 5 out of 5 on BirdEye.
ListingSpark covers properties only in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Waco, Bryan/College Station, Corpus Christi, and Killeen/Temple in Texas.
5. SimpleShowing
⛔ LIMITED SAVINGS
Simple Showing
- Listing Fee: 1% of sale price
- Restricted coverage
- 4.9/5.0
(335 reviews)
SimpleShowing, like any other low-cost real estate broker, matches sellers with real estate agents.
For Home Sellers
- Agent Matching: The hi-tech brokerage matches sellers with local Realtors and charges a 1% listing fee instead of the traditional 3%. This may be a benefit for the firm but it surely is a compromise on quality.
- Self-Tour Lockbox: For an additional $995, lets verified buyers tour your property without a buyer’s agent. With an unrepresented buyer, you save the buyer agent commission as well.
- Additional Services: With SimpleShowing you get access to various services like listing on MLS, professional photographers, home valuation, and much more.
For Home Buyers
- In-person Support: From recommending suitable properties to carrying out negotiations, SimpleShowing offers all the services that a traditional agent does.
- Buyer Refund: If you hire SimpleShowing as your buyer agent, you will get half of the buyer agent’s commission as closing cost credit. This reduces the amount that you are expected to pay at closing.
Mobile App: Yes
👉 Our Take: SimpleShowing is not at all a cost-effective discount for real estate brokerage. The additional charges for a premium lockbox increase the seller’s cost instead of decreasing it.
» Flat Fee MLS: Sell your house with a Flat Fee MLS company instead!
- Qualified agents
- Low listing fee when compared with competitors
- Mobile App
- Marginal savings
- Limited real estate agents
- Compromise on quality because of less number of agents
- Average customer support
- Restricted coverage
SimpleShowing has an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 on Google.
SimpleShowing offers its services in the regions of Florida, Texas, and Georgia.
Here’s a quick recap of the best discount real estate brokers in America:
America’s Best Discount Real Estate Brokers (2023)
We’ve reviewed the best discount real estate brokers in 2023
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 Houston. 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: Read our full review of Clever Real Estate
Everything to Know about Discount Real Estate Brokers in Houston, TX
Discount real estate brokers are licensed individuals who help clients to buy and sell their property at a flat rate or low commission. Some low-cost brokers offer full-service whereas, others offer limited services that may just include access to flat fee MLS in Houston, TX. Before choosing a low-cost broker, ensure that they include all the features you require to sell your property.
There are 4 distinct types of discount realtors in Houston, TX and each has its benefit. Let’s try and understand the different types:
Types of discount realtors in Houston, Texas
| Types | Description | Why It's Unique? | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Fee MLS | Flat fee MLS lets seller list their property on the local MLS from a list of packages. Each package consists of unique benefits. | 💰 Multiple Services | Houzeo |
| Flat Rate | Flat rate brokers charge a flat fee for full service that includes everything from MLS listing to price negotiations, etc. | 💲Cost - Effective | Redefy |
| Low Commission | With low commission, sellers can list and sell their homes with a listing fee as low as 1% commission. This helps sellers save thousands of dollars at end of the sale process. | 💵 More Savings | HomeLight |
| Virtual Full-Service | Sellers who want to list and sell their property from the comfort of their homes can opt for virtual service. Each step right from listing to negotiation is carried out virtually. | 💻 100% Online | Houzeo |
Why choose a discount real estate broker/company over a traditional agent?
Let’s assume, a property costs $600,000. Through traditional real estate commissions in the US, the seller is required to pay 5% – 6% in commissions. Through a traditional process, the seller closing costs in Texas can be anywhere between $30000 – $32000 – that’s too expensive. A home seller can avoid these exorbitant commissions through low commission or flat rate brokers.
| Traditional Agent (2.5% commission) | Discount (1% commission) | Discount (1.5% commission) | Discount (2% commission) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seller's Agent | $15,000 | $6,000 | $9,000 | 12,000 |
| Buyer's Agent | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Total | $30,000 | $21,000 | 24,000 | $27,000 |
| Savings | ❌ | $9,000 | $6,000 | $3,000 |
Similarly, approaching a discount realty that offers a higher buyer rebate can make the house that much more inexpensive to buy. For instance, if the buyer agent offers a rebate of 1% on a property priced at $500,000, it will save you $5000. Please note that some realtors also offer non-cash incentives as buyer rebates.
» Buyer Closing Costs in Texas: Use this free tool by Houzeo to get an estimate on your closing costs.
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💡Make A Note: Sellers get discount on seller’s agent commission only, they still have to pay 2.5%-3% commission to the buyer’s agent at the end of the sale process.
Houzeo Helps You Save Thousands
| Package | Price | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| SILVER | $349 | 3-month listing, 24 photographs, syndication to popular real estate websites, and a few more additional services. |
| GOLD | $449 | 6-months listing, Maximum number of photos, syndication to popular real estate websites, and a few more additional services. |
| PLATINUM | $499 | 12-months listing + Virtual Full Service that includes everything you require to sell the property. |
Savings Calculator
Here’s how much you can save with Houzeo.com!
Alternatives to Low commission/ Discount 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 Houston, TX: If you want to hire a certified REALTOR, we have a list of options available in Houston. Choosing a good REALTOR is essential if you want full support.
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%!
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!
» iBuyer Reviews: Selling your home for cash in 2022!
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.
» For Sale by Owner Websites: Best for sale by owner websites in 2022!
Final Word
There are a number of low-cost discount real estate brokers in Houston, TX today that provide unique features at great value. For a seller, it is recommended to check on pointers like listing fees, listing time, services offered, customer service, coverage, and technology before selecting from discount realtors in Houston.
» Seller Closing Costs in Texas: ALL You Need to Know
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do real estate agents make in Houston, TX?
PayScale, a known data company found that the average salary of a real estate broker is $43,443 at the beginning of their career. A mid-level broker can earn a compensation of approximately $51,683 and the individuals with more than 10-19 years earn approximately $67,453. This salary is influenced by various factors such as location, level of experience, and condition of the company.
Can you negotiate realtor fees in Houston, Texas?
Yes, you can negotiate realtor fees if you know your property's worth. A seller can negotiate based on the condition of the house, and the location of the property. It is advisable to negotiate in the beginning because unaware sellers can end up paying high commission fees which they could have avoided. So, negotiate on the terms both parties can mutually agree upon.
Who pays closing costs in Houston, Texas?
Closing costs are borne by both buyer and seller. They pay based on the legal agreements and will have to pay separate amounts. The closing costs are higher for sellers because they have to pay the buyer and seller agent's commissions. Both buyers and sellers must be careful before doing the final closing and ensure they settle after a thorough check.
How much are closing costs in Houston, Texas?
Some of the common closing costs in Houston, Texas are loan origination fees, home appraisal fees, credit reports, home inspection, recording fees, transfer taxes fees, etc. All of these can be understood with the help of a broker. Closing costs differ from state to state, so it is advisable to research thoroughly before making any decision.
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