What is HomeLight? | HomeLight rating | HomeLight reviews | Service quality | HomeLight Simple Sale | Savings | Top competitors | Next steps | Methodology
HomeLight is a real estate company that matches sellers with real estate agents. HomeLight uses its own technology to analyze sellers’ needs, then connects those sellers with a few potential matches from its nationwide network of 28,000 agents.
HomeLight doesn’t charge sellers directly for its services. The company makes its money by taking a 33% cut of the listing agent’s commission, known as a referral fee.
HomeLight also doesn’t provide savings on the listing agent’s commission. Sellers pay the market rate of 2.5–3% of the sales price as a listing fee plus a 2.5–3% buyer’s agent fee.
If you don’t know any local agents and are willing to pay market rate for the agents HomeLight recommends, this company could fit your needs. However, if you’re interested in working with a top real estate agent and you want to pay only a 1.5% listing fee, consider a company like Clever.
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HomeLight at a glance
| Our rating | 4.1 (out of 5) |
|---|---|
| HomeLight reviews | 4.4 |
| Service quality | 3.7 |
| Cost | 4.2 |
HomeLight reviews
| Company | Average rating |
|---|---|
| Google (535 reviews) | 4.6 |
| BBB (87 reviews) | 4.25 |
| Sitejabber (260 reviews) | 4.3 |
| Yelp (33 reviews) | 3.0 |
| Weighted average | 4.3 |
HomeLight real estate reviews are mixed across the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Google, Sitejabber, and Yelp. Customers mostly report very positive experiences or very negative ones.
Positive themes of HomeLight reviews
HomeLight reviews on Google are largely positive. Customers say they’re pleased with their agents and appreciate the opportunity to choose among good options.
Happy HomeLight customers describe their agents as professional and kind, especially those customers who sold their homes quickly and at the list price. On Yelp, one customer says they appreciated receiving super high-quality service for free.
Negative themes of HomeLight reviews
Many of HomeLight’s negative reviewers flock to Yelp and the BBB. More than one person said that if they could give the company zero stars, they would.
Some disappointed HomeLight customers are unsatisfied with their recommended agents. On Google, a customer complained about getting matched with agents who were unhelpful, only to be told by HomeLight that no other options were available. In another situation, a HomeLight-recommended agent allegedly went silent on a seller after visiting the property simply because they forgot.
Others described incompetent agents who mispriced properties multiple times only to have the sale process draw out over many months.
Several customers across review platforms complain HomeLight spammed them with unsolicited emails. HomeLight apparently pitched them irrelevant services or flooded them with calls from real estate agents. On BBB, the company typically responds to these complaints and agrees to remove these individuals from their system.
Some users complain about the company’s registration process, saying it leaves them vulnerable to sales calls. HomeLight has also provided limited details on the agents they recommend, which leaves some customers scratching their heads.
HomeLight’s service quality
Pros
- Can choose among several agents
- Get local agents who know the market
- Fast and simple process when everything works well
Cons
- Limited number of agents in some areas
- Customer service isn’t always responsive
- May share a seller’s contact information with too many agents
HomeLight meets some of our standards for basic services for sellers.
HomeLight boasts a network of more than 28,000 real estate agents, so you have a good chance to get multiple agent matches in your area.
When you enter basic information about your home on HomeLight’s website, HomeLight will respond with at least two qualified local agents to choose from. You can interview the agents HomeLight selects for you and choose the best fit.
Where HomeLight doesn’t meet our service standards
HomeLight doesn’t offer any discounts on commission for sellers. If you use a HomeLight agent to sell, you’ll pay the market rate of 2.5–3% of the sales price in commission. You’ll also pay a 2.5–3% buyer’s agent fee.
With HomeLight you also run the risk of getting low-quality agent matches. HomeLight’s automated matching system may not provide the same quality of agent matches as a real estate company that manually picks top options based on your needs.
HomeLight’s nice-to-have services
HomeLight offers an automated home-value estimate based on publicly available information in as few as two minutes. You have to provide the condition of your home, the type of property, and other information. It’s a service that’s nice to have, but it’s not critical.
HomeLight Simple Sale
HomeLight Simple Sale is a service that aims to sell your home to an investor.
You share information about your property with a HomeLight consultant. HomeLight then taps into its investor network to find you a buyer. You don’t have to worry about getting your home in tip-top shape or spending on repairs. You don’t even need to show the house.
You’ll get a cash offer. If you accept, you’ll see the money in your account within 10 days. You don’t need to pay anything upfront.
HomeLight Simple Sale could be a convenient solution if you’re willing to take a cut on the full value of your home in exchange for a quick offload. Cash offers are usually significantly lower than the market value of the home.
If you’re not interested in low-ball offers or desperate to sell quickly, HomeLight Simple Sale doesn’t offer much value.
HomeLight savings
Pros
- No up-front charge for sellers
- It’s possible to sell your home quickly
Cons
- No discounts or rebates
- Your home will likely sell for less if you use HomeLight Simple Sale
HomeLight real estate will connect you with an agent for free. There’s no up-front cost for sellers. You’ll still have to pay a listing fee of 2.5–3% to your agent.
HomeLight offers no discounts or buyer rebates to sellers, unlike its competitors. Clever Real Estate, for instance, will match you with an agent who’ll list and sell your house for a 1.5% commission ($3,000 minimum). Ideal Agent and Upnest are also competitive, charging 2% and about 2.2% commission, respectively.
HomeLight costs for buyers
HomeLight doesn’t offer any rebates to buyers.
Clever Real Estate, which specializes in matching sellers and buyers with the best agents, does offer buyers a rebate of $250, or $500 if you’re buying and selling.
Upnest also offers a buyer rebate. The amount varies based on the sale price.
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HomeLight vs. top competitors
| Listing fee | Buyer rebate | |
|---|---|---|
| Clever | 1.5% (min. $3,000) | $250–500 |
| HomeLight | 2.5–3% (no discount) | None |
| Ideal Agent | 2% (min. $3,000) | None |
| Upnest | 2.2% on average | 0.3–0.75% of the sale price |
Next steps
If you’re looking for a qualified agent to sell your home, we don’t recommend HomeLight. You’ll pay the listing agent a 2.5–3% commission, and you may not get to work with the best possible agent.
Clever, on the other hand, will match you with a high-quality agent for only a 1.5% listing fee.
» LEARN: 4 Expert-Approved Ways to Find the Best Real Estate Agent Near Me
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Methodology
We evaluated each company that can match you with an agent based on three core criteria:
Customer experience
Our evaluation:
- Aggregated customer reviews from across the web and created a weighted average rating
- Checked for complaints with the Better Business Bureau
- Checked how easy the company app or portal was to use, and how easy it was to upload and manage the listing.
Service quality
Companies should provide basic services, including:
- Multiple agent matches for you to choose from
- A large agent network in your area
- High standards for agent quality
Savings
We compared the discounts and cash back offerings of this company and other brands.