Home prices in Maryland have increased by 7.3% Y-O-Y and are now at a whopping $387,800. Simultaneously, mortgage rates have witnessed a sharp decline from 7.79% in Oct 2023 to 6.63% in Jan 2024. The market is booming for both sellers and buyers. If you want to sell your home or buy a new one, NOW is the time to do so!
Real estate companies can help you get access to the MLS quickly. Whether you use a Flat Fee MLS company or a discount brokerage, you will receive a quick and affordable real estate transaction.
Top 6 Maryland Real Estate Companies:
-
For Home Sellers
- Houzeo: Best Technology
- Redfin: Best Full Service Discount Brokerage
- Simple Choice Realty: Expert Assistance
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For Home Buyers
- Zillow: Best For Residential Properties
- Coldwell Banker Realty: Best for Investment Properties
- eXp Realty: Best for First Time Home Buyers
Best Real Estate Companies for Home Sellers in Maryland
Discover the best home-selling companies in the Free State. From lively Annapolis to beautiful Baltimore, we have found the 3 best companies for you.
1. Houzeo
#1 Flat Fee MLS Service
Houzeo.com
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 maximum photos.
- Silver Package – $399+: This includes everything that home sellers typically look for.
- Gold Package – $429+: It is Houzeo’s signature MLS package and includes all the technology Houzeo is known for Houzeo Showings, Houzeo Offers, and DigiTransact.
- Platinum – $449+: 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 the 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:
- Max Exposure: Houzeo MLS packages give you access to the MLS, Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, Redfin, and 100s of other websites.
- 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. This is rare in today’s world.
- 100% Online: Houzeo is high-tech. For you, this means easy listing, fast changes, online showings, and online offers. Houzeo mobile app is also very powerful.
- 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? 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.
Houzeo.com is Maryland’s #1 real estate company, as it provides an unbeatable combination of max savings, 5-star customer support, and Advanced technology.
Houzeo provides affordable listing packages to Maryland FSBO home sellers. Also, its offer management and showings tool will help you ace your real estate journey like a pro.
2. Redfin
BEST TECH-ENABLED BROKERAGE
Redfin.com
Redfin does not disclose its pricing on its website. Sellers will have to pay common closing costs.
- It offers 0.5% buyer’s rebate. To avail this, you’ll have to buy and sell with them.
👉 Our Take: Redfin offers 1 rebate option. They have a strict clause for this rebate. There are other real estate companies, who are willing to offer a higher rebate.
» Redfin Reviews: The reality of the buyer’s rebate.
Here are some advantages of choosing Redfin:
- Advanced Technology: With 3D walkthroughs and 40+ filters to narrow down your search, the Redfin app makes it easy to find the right home from anywhere.
- Paired With Local Agents: Local agents know their market better. This can help you secure a good deal.
- Home Tour: You can see updated listings every 5 minutes on their website. You can also schedule a home tour for the same day.
- Nationwide Coverage: Redfin covers 80+ markets in the US.
Here are some limitations we found with Redfin.
- Strict Rebate Criteria: Clients who sell and buy with Redfin within one year get a rebate of 0.5%.
- No Freedom in Agent Selection: You get an agent assigned automatically without having a 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.
- Poor Customer Reviews: Customers have complained that agents are often unreachable and unprofessional.
Redfin has an average rating of 1.5 out of 5 stars from 130+ reviews on Consumer Affairs.
» Redfin Reviews: The Reality of the 1% Fees, Pros, Cons, and Alternatives!
Redfin is primarily known for its advanced tech platform and mobile app. It covers 80+ markets in the US.
However, Redfin’s listing agreement states they will list your property on the MLS in 18 days. Services like Houzeo will list you on the MLS within 24 to 48 hours.
3. Simple Choice Realty
ONE HOLISTIC PACKAGE
Simple Choice Realty
Helmed by Chris Carr, Simple Choice Realty provides services to home sellers and buyers in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware.
Simple Choice Realty offers 2 packages:
- MLS Package – $399: It includes a listing period of 6 months with 25+ photos. The package also includes a yard sign, and required disclosures. Your listing gets syndicated to Realtor.com, Zillow & Trulia, and other real estate websites.
- Contract Review Plan – $749: This is a full-service plan where an agent will assist you throughout your home selling process.
👉 Our Take: Simple Choice offers a single MLS package that covers all the basic requirements of a home seller. You can customize the package as per your needs for an additional charge.
» Chris Carr Simple Choice Realty: Chris Carr and Simple Choice Realty have 5 out of 5 stars from Houzeo home sellers.
Listing with Simple Choice Realty has certain advantages.
- Market Exposure: Your home gets listed on popular websites like Realtor.com, Zillow, and Trulia.
- Free Listing Changes: You can make changes to your listing without paying any additional fees.
- State Disclosures: Simple Choice Realty provides all required listing disclosures.
- Buyer Lead Forwarding: All buyer leads are directly forwarded to you with no agent involvement.
- Add Open House to MLS Listing: You can add 2 open house ads on the MLS for no extra cost.
In our research, we found no red flags with Simple Choice Realty. Chris Carr has a stellar reputation within the broker community.
Simple Choice Realty however has a significant number of upgrades that can add up to your overall spending. If you’re opting for their MLS plan we suggest you budget for these.
» Simple Choice Realty Reviews: Check out what Houzeo home sellers have to say about working with Simple Choice Realty.
Simple Choice Realty has 5 out of 5 stars from 40+ reviews on Zillow.
Chris Carr is a top flat fee Realtor. He is the owner of Simple Choice Realty. Simple Choice provides Flat-fee MLS services in Maryland.
Additionally, Chris’ team is well-known for its responsiveness. Customers have also praised Chris for his professionalism and real estate market knowledge.
Best Real Estate Companies for Home Buyers in Maryland
Explore the top home-buying companies in Maryland. From Ocean City to Rockville, you can discover affordable homes.
1. Zillow
Largest Marketplace
Zillow
Zillow is the most visited real estate website. Zillow provides an exceptional home buying, renting, and selling experience.
- Zillow Premier Agent: You can connect with an agent representing a particular property and get their commission rates on request. Typically, a buyer agent charges a 2%-3% commission on the sale price.
👉 Our Take: Zillow lets you list your property for free and is great for exposure, but your information is stored as a lead in their marketing funnel. Essentially, the bargain is your confidential data in exchange for Zillow’s “free” listing.
» Zillow Offers Reviews: Everything you need to know about Zillow
Key Features of Zillow:
- Your Listing is Updated in Real-Time: On Zillow, you do all the listing changes which reflect immediately, instead of waiting for a listing agent to do it for you.
- Free Listing: Zillow provides free For Sale By Owner listing. But, all FSBO listings on Zillow are hidden in the ‘Other Listings’ tab. This has lowered the success rate of free Zillow FSBO listings drastically.
- Zestimate: Zillow’s home value estimate is a tool for pricing your home. It incorporates data from the MLS, market trends, location, etc. to give you an accurate property value.
Zillow has some major drawbacks that home sellers should be aware of.
- Unsolicited Calls From Listing Agents: Your information will become an FSBO lead for Listing Agents. You will get numerous unsolicited calls from these agents asking you to list with them.
- Inaccurate Tool: Many users have faced inconveniences in selling their homes due to Zestimate’s inaccuracy.
- Poor Customer Reviews: A staggering number of customers have complained regarding their disappointing experience with Zillow.
Zillow has a rating of 1.1 out of 5 on Consumer Affairs.
Zillow is the most popular real estate website in America. It was founded in the year 2006 and is headquartered in Seattle.
Moreover, Zillow extracts data from top MLS platforms. It helps buyers view the listings directly on the platform.
2. Coldwell Banker Realty
MOST SUCCESSFUL INVESTORS
Coldwell Banker
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
Established in California, Coldwell Banker has changed the way people buy homes. They offer buyers financing options to ensure they have their financial ducks in a row when preparing to buy a house.
It’s advised you conduct due diligence on an agent before you appoint the agent to represent you.
3. eXp Realty
Global Online Brokerage
eXp Realty
eXp Realty is one of the top US real estate companies that provide a variety of services to buyers. To help their clients, agents use cutting-edge technology from the cloud-based platform and database system.
- Traditional Agent: eXp Realty has agents with experience and expertise in real estate. They can help you get the best value for your property and sell it faster. Typically, real estate commission is 5 -6% of the home’s sale price
👉 Our Take: The real estate agents of eXp Realty are experienced professionals. We recommend going for this company if you want to work with a traditional real estate agent and are a first-time home buyer.
Key features for eXp Realty are mentioned below:
- Local Expertise: eXp realty agents have expertise in local real estate market data. Their market insights will help you in your real estate transactions.
- Investment Advice: Their agents guide you in your financial and investment decisions.
- Assistance with Negotiation: Whether it is about negotiating home offers, inspection amounts, repairs, or legal agreements, you will get a negotiator to do it on your behalf.
Here are a few red flags we found about eXp Realty:
- Agent Experience: Agent-to-agent experience differs and few customers had issues with their agents.
- Mortgage: Few customers also had issues with lenders and mortgage companies they have associations with
eXp Realty has a rating of 2.7 out of 5 on Google Reviews.
eXp Realty is headquartered in Washington. It has local agents with expertise and they will help you in the real estate transaction. If you are a first-time home buyer, you can choose eXp Realty to guide you throughout the real estate transaction.
Agent-to-agent experience might differ. Read agent reviews online and try to get a recommendation from a reliable source.