What Is UpNest? | Is UpNest Legit? | UpNest Reviews | Home Seller Reviews | Home Buyer Reviews | How It Works | Fees | Home Buyer Rebates For Real Estate Agents
UpNest is a licensed real estate brokerage that connects home buyers and sellers with local realtors. But unlike other low commission real estate brokerages, UpNest doesn’t guarantee any realtor fee savings.
To work with UpNest, home buyers and sellers provide information about their needs, and agents compete for their business by providing proposals. Each agent can set their own rates, and many realtors charge close to the average real estate commission. UpNest is free and consumers aren’t obligated to use one of the proposed agents.
If you’re struggling to find a good real estate agent and don’t mind paying full price, UpNest is a good way to meet agents in your area.
If you want to save on realtor commission, we recommend starting with a brokerage that pre-negotiates savings on your behalf. Most discount real estate companies charge around 1.5% in listing fees — about half the commission that most realtors charge.
📥 Want to save on realtor fees? Get matched with agents in your zip code who charge a 1.5% listing fee. Compare vetted agents from the best discount brokerages and top-rated brokers including RE/MAX and Coldwell Banker.
What Is UpNest?
Since 2013, UpNest has helped home buyers and sellers find experienced real estate agents in their area.
Once you submit your preferences online, UpNest finds agents that match your criteria. You’ll receive three to five quotes from local real estate agents within 24 hours.
From there, you’ll review the agents’ qualifications, commission rates, free services, and reviews. You can choose to sign with an agent, or simply walk away, since there’s no obligation.
The company primarily earns revenue by collecting referral fees from real estate agents in exchange for matching them with potential clients. Agents can join the partner agent network, sign a referral agreement, and then only pay an UpNest referral fee when a deal closes.
Is UpNest Legitimate?
UpNest is a legitimate real estate company that has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
While UpNest is a licensed broker in California and Indiana, its online platform does not provide traditional real estate broker services. UpNest’s customer service representatives are not licensed in the real estate industry.
Instead, UpNest acts as an agent matching service that encourages competition among real estate agents — which can result in savings for home sellers and buyers in some cases.
Because UpNest’s model allows agents to set their own commission rates, be aware that savings are not guaranteed. While UpNest advertises that the average user saves $8,000, commission discounts are inconsistent between agents and may not be offered at all.
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UpNest Reviews From Recent Customers
| Review Site | Customer Rating |
|---|---|
| Shopper Approved (6,600+ reviews) | 4.6 / 5 |
| Google (290+ reviews) | 4.7 / 5 |
| Better Business Bureau (30+ reviews) | 4.4 / 5 |
| Weighted Average | 4.6 / 5 |
UpNest has accumulated more than 6,900 reviews from customers across multipel platforms. Reviews generally skew positive, with a weighted average of 4.6 out of 5 stars.
UpNest Reviews From Home Sellers
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Some agents in UpNest’s network offer discounted commission rates | ❌ No guaranteed savings |
| ✅ Lets sellers compare multiple agents | ❌ Agent quality and customer service may vary |
| ✅ Opportunity to find both buyers agents and listing agents within the platform | ❌ Agents receive a reduced commission due to UpNest’s fees, which may impact service |
Satisfied UpNest sellers love that the platform matches them with experienced local agents, something that is especially valuable for people selling a home out of state. Positive seller reviews also highlight that UpNest makes it easy to sell their home and find a new one to purchase with the profits.
Still, negative reviews touch on one of UpNest’s downsides. The platform doesn’t provide any broker services and takes a portion of the agent’s commission. This can lead to dissatisfaction and reduced service quality among participating realtors and frustration from homeowners.
| “Helpful and Consistent” Seyedeh S., ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I can not begin to say how pleased I am to use UpNnest and their services. They were very helpful and consistent and wanted to make sure that you are happy with your choice of agent. Their services were very valuable to me because I not only wanted to sell my house in one state, but also wanted to buy a house in another state at the same time. I am very grateful to them and strongly recommend them to everybody. Source: BBB |
| “Everything was handled” Toria A., ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I used UpNest to find a realtor to sell my condo and help me find a home that I could buy with the cash left over from sale. She did a great job. Everything was handled… even with issues, not on realtor’s end, in an efficient and proper manner. Source: BBB |
| “They did nothing” Tim B., ⭐ I simply googled “realtor + city name”, I got an email with a picture of 2 people. Contacted 1 of the people and then UpNest got $1,600 of our realtor’s commission from a Google search after our home sold. They did nothing to help sell our home, crazy that this is legal. I feel bad for our realtor that worked his butt off and then these crooks take half his paycheck? Source: BBB |
UpNest Reviews From Home Buyers
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Helpful for buyers with little local knowledge | ❌ Agents are busy and may not provide adequate support |
| ✅ Lets buyers compare multiple agents | ❌ Agents may be difficult to reach |
| ✅ Provides eligible buyers a cash rebate at closing | ❌ Buyer rebates are not available in all states |
Buyers are generally pleased with the services offered through UpNest. Not only do reviewers find the agent matching process helpful, the quality of agents provided through UpNest also receive high marks.
There are, however, some concerns that agents offered via UpNest are often busy and may not have time to provide a one-on-one home buying experience. Some buyers also received an onslaught of unsolicited calls that felt spammy.
| “Will absolutely recommend” Jessica E., ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We were new to the area, with ZERO references for a buying agent. UpNnest filtered our results & found us a great agent! We were offered an incentive through our agent & an incentive with Upnest! Will absolutely recommend to friends & family! Source: BBB |
| “Friendly and available” Kerowin S., ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I feel amazingly fortunate to have come across UpNest whilst in the early process of house buying. They put me in touch with a wonderful realtor…who was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and available whenever we had a question, or requested a viewing. I would recommend everyone who is looking to purchase their next home to contact UpNest before doing anything else! Source: BBB |
| “Spammy” Laura F., ⭐ I got 6 calls right after making an account. Seems very inappropriate to me that they just give all of your contact info out to spammy realtors instead of having them contact you on the website until you offer certain realtors your number. Source: Google Reviews |
How Does UpNest Work?
UpNest matches buyers and sellers with local realtors by gathering basic information from the consumer and then finding relevant providers within its network of agents.
Follow the steps below to find and hire a real estate professional through UpNest.
- Submit Your Information: Start by providing your location, and then follow the agent matching wizard to indicate whether you’re buying or selling, your timeline, estimated price range, and other relevant details.
- Receive Commission Quotes: UpNest sends up to five commission quotes that match your criteria within 24 hours.
- Compare Proposals: Once you receive agent proposals, compare your options based on qualifications, services, commission rates, and reviews. Pay close attention to whether each agent actually offers commission discounts, rebates, or other savings.
- Interview Top Agents: If there are multiple realtors who meet your needs, interview them to narrow it down to the best option. Keep in mind that it may be difficult to get in touch with — or find time to meet with — some of the agents.
- Hire an Agent — or Walk Away: There is no obligation to use an agent recommended by UpNest. However, if you find a realtor who meets your needs, begin the home search or listing process.
UpNest Fees and Commissions
UpNest’s agent matching service is free, with no hidden fees. But keep in mind that home sellers who hire an agent through UpNest will still be responsible for paying their agent’s commission.
When a home buyer or seller sends UpNest their preferences, the platform compiles several competing proposals from local agents. Each proposal details available discounts or free services offered by the realtor — if any.
Some agents may offer discounted fees and other savings in their proposals, but these savings are not pre-negotiated by UpNest or guaranteed. Worse, some realtors are misleading or do not provide any discounts at all.
By contrast, our friends at Clever Real Estate offer a similar agent matching service and guaranteed, pre-negotiated savings on listing fees. If you find a seller’s agent through Clever, you’ll pay just 1.5% in listing fees (or a $3,000 minimum).
On a $400,000 home, you’d save $6,000 in commission — while getting the the full service and support of a top local realtor!
👋 Get your free, no-obligation agent matches through Clever and compare to them UpNest today!
Does UpNest Provide Home Buyer Rebates?
If you live in a state where home buyer rebates are legal, UpNest guarantees a minimum rebate of $150.
🚨 Note: Eight states don’t allow home buyer rebates. These include Alaska, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Tennessee.
In general, a home buyer rebate occurs when the buyer’s agent shares a portion of their commission with the home buyer. Because UpNest’s model pits agents against one another, some agents offer more generous rebates in an effort to win clients.
It’s important to note that home buyer rebates are often applied to closing costs — so it’s unusual to receive a cash payment, with no strings attached. If you receive UpNest’s guaranteed rebate, it will arrive as an Amazon gift card.
FAQ
What is UpNest?
UpNest is a real estate company that matches home buyers and sellers with local real estate agents. The platform encourages agents to compete against one another for business, and some real estate agents may offer discounted rates as a result. However, UpNest doesn’t guarantee savings. Learn how to find the best local real estate agents and save thousands on commission!
UpNest maintains a qualified network of real estate agents by only charging agents for leads. Agents can join the partner agent network, sign a referral agreement, and then only pay an UpNest referral fee when a deal closes.
UpNest also lets real estate professionals include video greetings in client proposals to better showcase their skills and achievements.
How much does UpNest cost?
UpNest offers a free, no-obligation service that allows home buyers and sellers to receive up to five proposals from local real estate agents. The company claims that home sellers save $8,000 on average — but savings are inconsistent between listing agents and some agents don’t offer any savings at all. Learn more about UpNest fees, plus UpNest reviews from recent customers.