Homefinder is an online listing company offering various services for buyers, sellers, and brokers along with rental options on properties. They have a lot of tech-driven solutions for brokers, mortgage lenders, and agents.
Aside from these features they also deal in foreclosure properties and create advertising options for real estate professionals or individual home sellers.
If you’re looking to sell your home, Houzeo’s flat fee packages can get you on the MLS for a nominal amount.
What is HomeFinder?
The Homefinder Group LLC, previously known as “homescape.com” is based in Irvine, CA. They re-branded themselves as Homefinder and changed their domain to homefinder.com in the year 2018. Since 1999 Homefinder has been serving the real estate needs of the people. They have evolved to optimize more solutions for investors and agents over the years.
Furthermore, homefinder.com specializes in serving rental property wants mainly. They offer smart search tools and resources for rentals.
Alongside this, their exclusive feature is that some unique properties are rent-to-own. Meaning, If you rent this kind of specific property, after paying the rent consecutively until the property value is reached, you can literally own the said property.
Is HomeFinder Legit?
Homefinder offers some unique features which no other company offers. Their efficiency in finding rental properties and other rental requirements is plausible.
Homefinder reviews on the internet have mixed situations stated by real estate brokers and customers alike. Reviewing thoroughly will land you in the perfect judgment state of mind.
Both negative and positive comments crowd around Homefinder. Hence, we advise you to not make a rash decision instantly and instead do in-depth research & analysis of the property you are interested in, the sale circumstances, and the company.
To find the legitimacy of Homefinder.com and Homefinder reviews we will further inspect and form a detailed bias around this company.
How does Homefinder Work?
The Homefinder Group LLC deals mainly in 4 sectors of real estate. The types of properties include:
- For Sale Properties: Homefinder offers a wide variety of properties from around the United States open for direct purchases.
- Rentals: The perfect option for people who haven’t settled in life yet, and just want to find a temporary space.
- Foreclosure Properties: Bank-owned, distressed properties are a little cheaper on your pockets compared to homes for sale.
- Rent-to-Own Properties: The most special feature of HomeFinder, is exactly what the type of property is named after. The depth of this feature is discussed further.
Homefinder.com has a very smart system of displaying properties. When you search for properties in the city or state you want to live in, Homefinder displays multiple options of homes with all the types of properties you could get in that city. To help you understand better we will give you an example.
Supposedly you want to find property options in Florida. When you search “Florida” on Homefinder.com you get all the available listings with an extended results including the 4 types of properties mentioned above.
You can also set your specific requirements for a home such as the budget, no. of beds & baths, and the accommodation type of the property. This will help narrow down your search for a faster process.
Finalizing a Property on Homefinder.com
When you choose a property, Homefinder provides further details of the property. These details are necessary information one requires before buying a home.
The first information is about the homeowner or the broker who has listed the home. Next, you get exact property and local info. Finally, you will come across Schools available in the locality.
Homefinder.com reviews say that it also gives you a personalized mortgage calculator for a home loan and other financing options.
Hereafter, If you are sure about buying a property, Homefinder.com gives you the local agent’s contact number for you to get in touch and an E-mail option too. After submitting the necessary documents and financial proof to the agent, you can proceed with closing the deal.
For selling a home, Homefinder does not provide a direct process of listing a home which they did previously. Instead, they connect you to a local agent or your local county through which you can list a property.
HomeFinder for Buyers
Homefinder.com reviews say that it gives you ease of access and buying a home through them is easy, fast, and feasible. When you search for properties in the area you want to live in, Homefinder displays all the essential details for you to easily buy a home equipped with all the knowledge.
Further, when you finalize a home you are expected to get in touch with the local agent who has the responsibility of selling that specific home. Also If the home you want to buy has a tag of “For Sale By Owner” then you will directly get in touch with the homeowner.
HomeFinder claims that it has a very high first-time buyer pool with a large number of sellers who received 99% of the sale price at least. Also, a buyer can find distressed and foreclosure properties from a wide number of options Homefinder.com has.
👉🏻Buy a House Without a Realtor: How to Buy a House Without a Realtor
HomeFinder for Sellers
Sellers do have a direct viable option for listing their homes through the listing service of HomeFinder.
This is because Homefinder.com does not offer Single Enhanced Listings anymore. Rather, Homefinder.com asks a seller to fill in their details on a form and in turn connect to a local agent for listing their home.
This local agent will eventually list your home on the local MLS. So basically, HomeFinder doesn’t play a key role to sell your house.
👉🏻Flat Fee MLS: Everything You Need to Know
HomeFinder for Rentals
This is an important feature HomeFinder offers. They specialize in providing homes available to rent throughout America. This option helps common people who are unsettled and have a low budget.
Even HomeFinder advises you to be aware of tenant rights and other rental laws in the city you want to live in. To aid you more, financial/real estate experts insist you allocate a budget of 36%(max.) from your salary to housing costs.
Apart from normal renting options, Homefinder.com has a very unique feature called “Rent-to-Own”. We will give you a better insight in the next section about this option.
👉🏻For Sale by Owner Websites: 12 Best For Sale By Owner Websites in 2023
How HomeFinder’s “Rent-to-Own” Works?
If a person opts for this type of property, then that person comes to an agreement with the owner. Under this contract, the tenant is committed for a certain fixed period of time where he has to pay a minimal down payment along with the monthly rent till the term of the contract is fulfilled.
After consecutive payments of rent, a person can own the house themselves and gain the title of the house when the worth of the home is paid in the form of ‘premiums’.
HomeFinder gives an example for a better understanding of its website itself. If you were to opt for this type of lease, theoretically you get ownership of the house. After this, the house is considered as mortgaged to the previous owner.
For instance, the purchase value of the home is $200,000. To own the house fully you have to first pay a down payment known as a premium. The previous owner can decide on this premium.
Further, you pay the rent for a certain period of time as a partial payment towards the full value of the home.
Once you as a tenant and buyer have paid the required substantial value of the home, the mortgage value of the home decreases. Over time after continuous payments gradually, you will own the home.
Homefinder Coverage
Homefinder covers the following states in the USA:
| Regions | States |
| Northeast | Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont |
| Midwest | Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, North Dakota |
| South | Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, District of Columbia |
| West | Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Wyoming |
HomeFinder Reviews
If you do a vigorous background check on HomeFinder.com reviews, you will find that HomeFinder reviews point more in the negative direction.
Most complaints registered by people are due to their careless customer service system. Hidden fees and information are other problems regarding their services.
Consumer Affairs gives a rating of 3.1 stars out of 5 to HomeFinder. Out of the 13 HomeFinder.com reviews on their website, only 3 of them found the services of HomeFinder.com satisfying. Consumeraffairs.com have researched Homefinder itself and concluded that they collect listings from partner newspapers, realtors, and the MLS with tools for buyers, renters, and real estate professionals.
Trustpilot rates Homefinder only 2.8 stars out of 5. Only 4 customer reviews are available on this reviewing platform. No proper knowledge is available on Trustpilot regarding HomeFinder.com reviews.
Eight highly unsatisfied individuals have given very low ratings to HomeFinder on RevDex. An average rating of only 1 star out of 5 suggests that one should take all the precautions before doing any business with HomeFinder.
HomeFinder Customer Reviews
Positives
✅Efficient Location Demographics and Complete Details
Christie is impressed by the interface of HomeFinder which has a live display of home locations with price quotations. Up-to-date information about properties with ample photos to describe the property is an add-on.
✅Highly Optimized Website with User Interface
Caroline found it very easy to navigate the website of HomeFinder. She also considers that HomeFinder.com is a good place to sell your property since they provide and let you provide accurate information. Continuous updates on property attributes can result in a larger buyer pool.
✅Wide and Huge Options of Properties
Tiffany states that no matter what your specifications are, HomeFinder.com has that exact home you need. This is because of the vast number of listings and options HomeFinder offers.
Negatives
⛔Miscommunicating and Careless Customer Care
Fredrick requested to unsubscribe from the services of HomeFinder but they claim to have never gotten the request in the first place. This carelessness caused Fredrick to pay extra charges unnecessarily without a proper reimbursement either. This negligence from their customer service should not be acceptable.
⛔False Representation of some properties through Third-Party Listing Agents
Ginger’s experience with HomeFinder is notable. A rental property was listed on ‘Zillow’ indicating that HomeFinder is a direct rental app. But this was not the case when she proceeded by paying $129.00 thinking this is the registration fee to rent a home. When she found out later on HomeFinder.com that, this involves even more procedures simply to rent a home, she backed out. But her money wasn’t refunded at all.
⛔Incorrect portrayal of Foreclosure Properties
Sue Monroe came across the real problems regarding the Foreclosure properties which HomeFinder sells. Apparently, HomeFinder.com provides all the information only in some situations whereas they don’t provide complete details about Foreclosure properties. If you want to know about Foreclosure properties they ask you to sign up just to see the information about said property.
⛔Wrong Communication about Rent-to-Own Feature
Even though HomeFinder hypes up its “Rent-to-Own” feature, that is not really the case. Most homes that are tagged under this feature aren’t actually rent-to-own and instead are For Sale by Owner homes. Basically, you are supposed to buy these properties directly from the owner and not rent it till you can own them.
HomeFinder.Com Reviews: Pros & Cons
✅Multiple Varieties of Properties Available
✅Highly Optimized User Interface of the Website
✅A Unique Rent-to-Own Feature for Unsettled People
⛔False Depiction of giving Accurate Property Information
⛔Negligent Customer Service
⛔Most Rent-to-Own Properties turn out to be For Sale By Owner Properties
⛔Foreclosure Properties do not have Sincere Details
⛔No Direct Property Listing for Sellers
Top HomeFinder Alternatives
If you aren’t specifically looking for rental properties and rather want to sell or buy a house, then you should consider Houzeo.com. You can list your property for free on Houzeo and pay a Flat Fee for listing your property on the MLS. Also, you get to browse through multiple property options at no charge.
1. Houzeo
🔥 BEST FLAT FEE MLS LISTING SERVICE
Houzeo.com
- Listing Fee: $349+
- Available nationwide
4.9/ 5.0
(4,351 reviews)
4.9/ 5.0
(4,351 reviews)Why It’s #1: Houzeo has thousands of 5-star reviews. It offers the best combination of maximum savings, advanced technology, 5-star customer support, and listing exposure.
Packages: Houzeo typically offers 4 Flat Fee MLS packages.
- Bronze Package – $299+: It is the best for selling a lot. Your listing gets syndicated to Zillow, Trulia, Realtor, Redfin, and more.
- Silver Package – $349+: This includes everything that home sellers typically look for.
- Gold Package – $399+: It is Houzeo’s signature MLS package and includes all the technology Houzeo is known for Houzeo Showings, Houzeo Offers, and DigiTransact.
- Platinum – $999+: It includes the assistance of a licensed broker to help you with negotiations, disclosures, and closing.
👉 Our Take: We recommend the GOLD plan. You’ll have all the access to Houzeo tech, making managing showings and offer negotiations easy!
» Houzeo Reviews: Houzeo is 100% online. You can finish 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 list on MLS and get access to 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.
- 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 4.9 out of 5 stars on Google & Trustpilot.
» Houzeo Reviews: Check out what customers have to say about Houzeo.
Houzeo is available nationwide.
2. Redfin
BEST TECH-ENABLED BROKERAGE
Redfin.com
- Listing Fee: 1.5% of sale price
- Available in 80+ U.S. Markets
- 3.3/5
(372 Reviews)
3.3/5
(372 Reviews)Redfin is one of America’s top discount real estate brokerages. This low-commission broker specializes in home buying. Redfin.com’s technology is what sets it apart from all other platforms.
- Redfin Full-Service Agent – 1.5% Commission: This is a full-service package. This includes pricing assistance, listing paperwork, negotiation support, etc.
- Redfin Concierge – 2.5% Commission: The “Concierge” plan includes everything from the Full-Service package. Additionally, it includes services like professional cleaning, home staging, and more.
- Redfin Premier Agent – 1.5% Commission: This package is exclusively for luxury properties and includes everything that comes with the Full-Service package.
👉 Our Take: We recommend Redfin’s concierge service. This service enhances the value of your house with a professionally managed design plan and no upfront fees.
» Selling With Redfin: Is it worth selling with Redfin?
Here are some advantages of choosing Redfin:
- Advanced Technology: Redfin is primarily known for its advanced tech platform and mobile app.
- Full-Service Agents at Low Commission – 1.5%: Redfin’s full-service package is priced at 1.5%. It saves you thousands compared to the traditional 3% listing commission.
- Buyer Rebate – 0.5%: Clients who sell and buy with Redfin within one year get a rebate of 0.5% in the second transaction. However, this offer is available with the Full Service Plan.
- Detailed Paperwork: Redfin provides the necessary paperwork and an elaborate listing agreement with a marketing plan.
- Nationwide Coverage: Redfin covers 80+ markets in the US.
» What is Redfin? Is it truly a smart choice to choose them? Read the comprehensive review to know more!
In our research, we found some red flags of Redfin, that could make your experience less satisfactory.
- Lack of Personalized Services: Customers have often complained that Redfin agents are not able to give personalized service, as they serve a high volume of clients.
- Poor Customer Reviews: Customers have complained that agents are often unreachable and unprofessional.
- Slow Listing Process: According to Redfin’s listing agreement, a Redfin property takes 18 days to list on MLS. Services like Houzeo will list you on the MLS within 24 to 48 hours.
- Limited Agent Selection: As per customer reviews, Redfin lacks an array of agents. This means you get an agent assigned automatically without having any choice in the matter.
- Agents are Less Incentivized: Unlike traditional agents who work for commission, Redfin agents get a fixed salary. This can demotivate them from offering you additional services.
» Redfin hidden Fees: Check this out to learn more about their hidden fees.
Redfin has an average rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars on Consumer Affairs.
» Redfin Reviews: The Reality of 1% Fees, Pros, Cons, & Alternatives!
Redfin is a great realtor If you want to list and sell your property. On top of this, they charge really low commission rates compared to standard market prices.
3. OpenDoor
Best value
Opendoor
- Listing Fee: 5% service fees
- Available in 40+ cities
- Close in 14 days
In comparison to other iBuyers, Opendoor offers the best value because the fees are capped at 5% and they pay close to fair market value for homes. Sellers should be aware that Opendoor deducts repair costs from their final offer, and the company no longer allows home sellers to handle repairs on their own.
» Opendoor Reviews: Is This Your Best Option In 2023?
Pros
- Good for experienced sellers
- Convenient UI
- Sellers receive a no-fuss cash offer
Cons
- Hefty service fees
- The repair cost breakdown isn’t disclosed
- Not suitable for first-timers
- Sales process is rushed
Opendoor has a 2.2 out of 5 rating (10 total reviews) on the popular review site TrustPilot.
Cover 40+ cities.
A great option to directly sell your house for cash.
Should You Buy/Sell a House from HomeFinder?
Although HomeFinder offers a great number of properties for you to choose from, it is not the best option when you want to sell.
In conclusion, we would suggest you consider other platforms except when you are looking for rental properties.
Frequently Asked Questions about HomeFinder.com
Does Homefinder.com deal only in rental properties?
No, Homefinder deals in 'For sale by Owner' properties and foreclosure properties also.
Is Homefinder Legit?
Yes, Homefinder is a legit company, although, it is advisable to inspect every detail of the sale properly.
Does Homefinder have Government company reviews?
No, there are no government Homefinder reviews available on the internet.
What is the overall brand image of Homefinder.com?
Hundreds of Homefinder.com reviews are available on the internet, with mixed takes on the company. So on neutral grounds, we suggest you consider other alternatives before doing business with them.
Related: cash buyer, homefinder.com reviews
HomeFinder.com Reviews Real Estate Reviews
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