» Jump To: Rankings | Reviews | What is a Discount Real Estate Broker? | Why Choose a Discount Real Estate Broker? | Discount Real Estate Brokers to Avoid | Conclusion | Frequently Asked Questions
The Westchester real estate market has experienced a rise of 6.5% in the median home price over the past year. Whether you want to sell your home or buy your dream house, opting for a discount real estate agent or a low commission broker can help you save money.
Here are the best discount real estate brokers in Westchester, IL!
Rankings: Discount Real Estate Brokers in Westchester, IL
| Rank | Discount Real Estate Broker / Company | Listing Fee | Additional Charges | Max Savings | 100% Online | Mobile App |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Houzeo.com | $399 Flat Fee | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| 2. | HomeLight | 2.5% Commission | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| 3. | UpNest | 2.5% Commission | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| 4. | Redefy | $3500 Flat Fee | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| 5. | Ideal Agent | 2% Commission | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Reviews: Discount Real Estate Brokers & Companies in Westchester, IL
1. Houzeo.com
🔥 BEST OVERALL
Houzeo.com
- Listing Fee: $349 Flat Fee
4.9/5.0
(4,055 Reviews)
4.9/5.0
(4,055 Reviews)Why Houzeo is #1: Houzeo.com, a tech company, provides an unbeatable combination of maximum savings, cutting-edge technology, and 5-star customer support. It offers exposure to MLS, Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, Trulia, and hundreds of other websites.
Houzeo for Home Sellers
- Flat Fee Packages: Houzeo offers various plans with a typical small flat fee. This will save you thousands on the seller agent commission and even more if your buyer is unrepresented.
- Cutting Edge Technology: Houzeo’s Intellilist Management System is designed to simplify the complex process of listing management. Some other tools Houzeo.com offers are the Seller’s Closing Cost Calculator, Houzeo Showings, and Houzeo DigiTransact.
- Fast Listing & Changes: Houzeo is 100% online. This makes listing a home easy and quick. Moreover, contracts are auto-generated, and turn-around-time is less, especially with their 5-star customer support.
Houzeo for Home Buyers
- Directly Connect with the Seller: Buyers can explore For Sale By Owner properties on Houzeo and directly make an offer, avoiding the hassle of involving realtors.
- Substantial Savings: Since no broker commission is involved, the closing cost for buyers is reduced. This can help them save more money.
- Tools: Houzeo’s closing Cost Calculator is also available to buyers. Additionally, buyers can schedule visits to the open house through the Houzeo mobile app.
👉 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: Testimonials and Overall Satisfaction Rating!
- 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.com has a 4.9 out of 5 rating on Google & Trustpilot.
Houzeo.com is available nationwide.
2. HomeLight
🤵 GOOD AGENT COVERAGE
HomeLight
- Listing Fee: 2.5% of sale price
- Good agent coverage
- 4.45/5
(212 reviews)
4.45/5
(212 reviews)HomeLight has a network of thousands of successful sellers, best real estate agents, and brokers. They help to create tailored guides and resources in the process of selling a house.
HomeLight for Home Sellers
- Free Agent Matching: The agent matching services at HomeLight are free for home sellers. HomeLight furnishes details of the best real estate agents in your selected neighborhood for both full and limited service plans. Depending on the agent, the traditional 5%-6% commission still applies.
- Off-market Restriction: Registering on HomeLight will get you offers from agents instantly. Although the process is fast, only homes that are off-market are allowed.
- Estimators and Calculators: HomeLight offers Home Value Estimator, Best Time to Sell Calculator, Agent Commissions Calculator, and Net Proceeds Calculator to home sellers.
HomeLight for Home Buyers
- Free Agent Matching: HomeLight also offers agent-matching services to home buyers. They connect you with local agents, who are excellent negotiators, and have the know-how to get you the best possible offer.
- Home Search Feature: Buyers can search for homes by city, zip code or address.
- Estimators: Homelight also offers estimators like Home Affordability Calculator, Down Payment Calculator, and Closing Costs Calculator for home buyers.
👉 Our Take: HomeLight offers decent agent-matching services. However, you may be matched with a listing agent who charges 3% commission, meaning zero savings for you. HomeLight doesn’t do much for sellers looking to save on real estate agent commissions.
» HomeLight Reviews: The Truth You Need To Know
- Good technology
- Good agent coverage
- Digital listing packages
- Average listing speed based on agent selection
- No savings on agent commission
- Inconsistent agent quality
On Sitejabber, HomeLight has an overall consumer rating of 4.45 out of 5.
HomeLight has coverage in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Sarasota, and Seattle, among other major U.S. cities.
3. UpNest
💵 TRADITIONAL COMMISSION FEES
UpNest
- Listing fee: 2.5% of the sale price
- 4.8/5.0
(1,291 Reviews)
UpNest is a discount realtor marketplace that allows buyers and sellers to compare and connect with the best local real estate agents in an area.
UpNest for Home Sellers
- No Obligation Service: Within 24 hours of signing up, UpNest offers a list of multiple agents to choose from. Moreover, the agent proposals provide a lot of information to choose a discount real estate broker. Nonetheless, there is no obligation to choose a broker from the list.
- High-quality Agents: UpNest has a very selective recruiting policy for partner agents, which is followed rigorously. Partner agents must meet UpNest’s performance criteria to get recruited.
- Marginal Savings: As per UpNest’s model, agents compete for listings, incentivizing them to offer low commissions. However, since there are no pre-approved commission rates, in the end, the negotiation is up to the seller. Consequently, the seller may end up paying more commission as compared to other low cost real estate agents.
- False Claims: UpNest claims to have facilitated billions of dollars in home sales and saved consumers millions of dollars in commissions, but that is inaccurate.
UpNest for Home Buyers
- Buyer Rebate: While offering a buyer rebate completely depends on the buyer agent, UpNest promises a rebate of $150.
👉 Our Take: UpNest only connects buyers and sellers to local agents who can quote their commissions. This does not guarantee savings. On the other hand, Houzeo.com offers custom-made packages with no hidden costs, increasing savings!
» UpNest Reviews: Everything You Need To Know
- No obligation service
- High-quality agent network
- User-friendly customer dashboard
- No savings on agent commission
- Average listing speed
- No guarantee of agent quality
- Poor customer service
UpNest has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5.0 on Google.
UpNest has nationwide coverage.
4. Redefy
IN-HOUSE SUPPORT
Redefy
- Listing Fee: $3,500 flat fee
- In-person support
- 4.5/5
(37 reviews)
Redefy offers its services for a flat rate or commission based on your home sale price.
- Full Service: Redefy charges a flat rate of $3,500. When a house is sold for more than $1 million, the platform gets more expensive. In this case, the listing fee is 1% of the total sale price.
Coverage: Redefy covers Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
👉 Our Take: Redefy works on the multiple agent model. They have a field agent who meets clients and an in-house agent for customer service. Since there is no single point of contact, the quality of service is severely affected.
Redefy is a full service real estate brokerage that aims to make the real estate process cost-effective and transparent for home sellers and buyers.
- Decent Listing Fee for Low-Value Homes: If your home value is below one million the flat rate option is a good bargain.
- In-House Support: You are provided in-house support with accurate pricing and other features like home staging.
- Mortgage Calculator: Redefy’s Mortgage Calculator allows you to estimate your overall mortgage, inclusive of insurance and taxes.
In our research, we found some drawbacks of Redefy.
- No Refund Deposit: You have to pay a non-refundable deposit of $500.
- Inconsistent Agent Quality: Redefy has limited agents who cater to a large volume of customers which poses a risk to service quality.
Redefy has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 from 37 reviews on Yelp.
» Redefy Reviews: Check out the customer reviews for Redefy on Yelp.
5. Ideal Agent
👨💼 QUALITY AGENTS
Ideal Agent
- Listing Price:2% commissions
- 4.9/5.0
(4,950 Reviews)
Ideal Agent, a discounted real estate broker, helps the sellers find quality agents when compared with their competitors.
Ideal Agent for Homesellers
- Top Agents: Ideal Agent has built a reputation of working with only the top 1% of agents. The agent matching service is free of cost, and there is no obligation to work with the recommended realtors.
- Marginal Savings: Ideal Agent charges a commission of 2%. This means marginal savings for the sellers against the average traditional listing agent commission of 2.5%.
- Delayed Processing: This creates a delay in the selling process. The sellers must talk to the concierge on the phone before the agent is assigned. This creates a delay in the selling process.
Ideal Agent for Homebuyers
- Not Buyer Focused: Ideal Agent offers no significant benefits for home buyers. Buyers can hire an agent, but they need to get in touch with their customer service to set up a call with the concierge. The agent will contact the buyers only after these steps have been completed.
👉 Our Take: A major drawback of Ideal Agent is that it does not make the process of home buying easier or beneficial for the buyers. Moreover, having to speak to a concierge increases the amount of time it takes to list a property. On the other hand, Houzeo.com helps sellers list their property in 8 business hours.
» Ideal Agent Reviews: Read This BEFORE You Choose Them!
- Qualified agents
- No obligation to choose an agent
- Add-on services like professional photos and more
- Good customer service
- Minimal savings
- Single-agent match
- Inconsistent agent results
- No customer dashboard
- No buyer savings
Ideal agent has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
Ideal Agent is available throughout the U.S.
-
💡 Make A Note: Sellers only get discount on the seller’s agent commission. They still have to pay 2.5%-3% commission to the buyer’s agent at the end of the sale process.
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 Westchester, IL. 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
What Is a Discount Real Estate Broker?
Discount real estate brokers are licensed real estate agents who offer buyers and sellers their services at a flat rate or lower commission than traditional real estate brokers. Some flat rate or low commission realtors offer full-service whereas, whereas others offer limited services that may just include MLS listing. Before choosing a low-cost broker, you must ensure that they include all the features required to sell your property.
There are 4 distinct types of discount real estate brokers in Westchester, IL, and each has its benefit. Let’s try and understand the different types:
Types of Discount Real Estate Brokers in Westchester, IL
| 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 |
» Seller Closing Costs in Illinois: Use this free tool by Houzeo to get an estimate on your closing costs.
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 low commission realtor 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 the seller closing costs in Illinois are anywhere between $25,000 – $30,000, which is a considerable sum. To minimize this expense, you can try selling a house as is in Illinois.
| Traditional Agent (2.5% commission) | Discount (1% commission) | Discount (1.5% commission) | Discount (2% commission) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seller's Agent | $12,500 | $5,000 | $7,500 | $10,000 |
| Buyer's Agent | $12,500 | $12,500 | $12,500 | $12,500 |
| Total | $25,000 | $17,500 | 20,000 | $22,500 |
| Savings | ❌ | $7,500 | $5,000 | $2,500 |
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 Illinois: Use this free tool by Houzeo to get an estimate on your closing costs.
Houzeo Helps You Save Thousands
| Package | Price | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| SILVER | $349 | 6-month listing, 24 photographs, syndication to popular real estate websites, and a few more additional services. No hidden costs at closing. |
| GOLD | $429 | 6-month listing, Maximum number of photos, syndication to popular real estate websites, and a few more additional services. No hidden costs at closing. |
| PLATINUM | $449 | Plus $550 due at Closing. 1-year listing, maximum number of photos, virtual full-service with everything you require to sell the property. Unlimited term and changes included! No hidden costs at closing. |
Savings Calculator
Here’s how much you can save with Houzeo.com!
Discount Real Estate Companies That Offer Flat Fee MLS Near Me
Before opting for discount real estate brokerages, you should find out if they offer services in your desired area. All discount realtors in Westchester do not have the same coverage. Some have nationwide coverage, while some are restricted to a few states or cities.
We’ve compiled a list of the best flat fee MLS Listing Services in each state. Click on your state to check them out!
| Region | States |
|---|---|
| Northeast | Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont |
| Midwest | Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin |
| South | Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia |
| West | Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming |
- ✍️ SAVE: With Flat fee MLS, you will save thousands of dollars in listing fees. You also get the option of selecting the service you want and customizing the packages to your seller’s needs.
Conclusion
The sales-to-price ratio of homes in Westchester has fallen from 106.6% in May’22 to 99.7% in August’22. This means that homes are selling for less than the listing price, even as Westchester continues to be a seller’s market. If you are looking to sell a home in the city, discount real estate agents can help you get the best price while saving you a significant amount in commission.
If you are planning to buy a home in Westchester, discount realtors can help you take a step closer to your dream house without burning a hole in your pocket. Moreover, if a seller has to pay a lower commission, they are more likely to sell their property at a lower price.
Houzeo is one of the top real estate companies that offers 100% virtual service. It helps home sellers list their property without any hassle from the comfort of their homes, while also allowing home buyers to explore properties and make offers online. Additionally, Houzeo’s customer-centric approach, advanced technology, and flat fee packages make it an ideal choice for those looking to buy or sell their property in Westchester, IL, without paying high commissions.
» Seller Closing Costs in Illinois: ALL You Need to Know
Frequently Asked Questions About Discount Real Estate Brokers in Westchester, IL
How much are closing costs in Westchester, IL?
Not including the seller's agent commission, the seller contributes 3% of the sales price to closing costs. The buyer contributes 2-5%.
Who are the best discount real estate brokers in Westchester, IL?
Houzeo.com, HomeLight, and Upnest are the top discount real estate brokers in Westchester, IL.
What percentage do most realtors charge in Westchester, IL?
Traditional Westchester real estate brokers charge around 6%. On the other hand, discount real estate brokers in Westchester, IL, charge 3-5% as commission.
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