4 Best Discount Real Estate Brokers in Iowa (2024)

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By Jamie Ayers Updated June 14, 2024
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Edited by Chelsi Hewitt

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We ranked 4 discount real estate brokers in Iowa. Read on for the full list of companies, or use our free matching tool to compare top discount realtors near you.

What is a discount real estate broker? (more)
  • Iowa discount real estate brokers offer a similar range of services and support as conventional realtors for a lower price.
  • The average home seller in Iowa pays 2.91% in listing fees.
  • Discount realtors typically deliver savings by charging lower listing fees (e.g., 1.5%) at closing.
  • You should still expect to offer a competitive seller concession, usually 2-3%, to help buyers cover the cost of hiring an agent.
How to choose a discount realtor (more)
  • Stick with companies that offer in-person representation and "full service" (including an on-site comparative market analysis and professional photography). Avoid brands that only provide "remote" or "virtual" broker support.
  • We recommend brands with success-based fees (you only pay at closing) and transparent pricing models. Watch out for upfront, nonrefundable fees and high minimum fees.
  • Don't just rely on the advertised commission rate. Calculate your actual estimated commission fee based on your estimated home value. This is especially important for companies with flat fee models or high minimum fees to avoid paying more than advertised.
  • Customer ratings are generally more important than small differences in pricing models. Look for companies with high average ratings based on large numbers of reviews.
  • Be sure to interview the specific agent you'll be working with and evaluate them based on the same criteria you'd use to choose a conventional realtor.
Should I sell with a discount realtor? (more)
  • Consider a discount real estate broker if saving on real estate commission fees is a top priority but you still want a real estate agent to guide and support you through the process.
  • Discount realtors sometimes handle more customers at once to offset their lower rates. Some sellers say this can lead to less hands-on, personalized service compared to a conventional realtor. (Try Clever: list with top local realtors, save up to 50% on listing fees.)
  • We recommend sellers with more complicated properties or circumstances stick with conventional realtors with experience that fits their needs.
  • That being said, discount brokerage service models and customer experiences vary widely, which is why throughly interviewing and vetting any agent is so important.
Discount real estate broker alternatives (more)

Top discount real estate brokers in Iowa

📍Filter by city: Des Moines | More cities

Company
Customer Rating
Our Rating
Upfront fee
Listing Fee
Minimum fee
Est. total fee*
Active Since
4.8
257 reviews
80
🟢 Great
None
$3,900
None
3.31%
2014
4.4
13 reviews
63
🟣 Good
None
$2,495
None
3.52%
2016
N/A
No verified reviews
52
🟡 Fair
None
1.50%
$2,000
4.00%
2007
4.5
92 reviews
24
🔴 Limited
None
Unverified
None
Unverified
2019
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Explore all discount real estate brokerages in Iowa

🟢 Great value

FSBOHOMES Cedar Rapids

Visit site
4.8
257 reviews

Our Rating

80

Upfront fee

None

Listing Fee

$3,900

Est. total fee*

3.31%

At a glance

Pricing & services

Reviews

Company info

Things to know: 11 reviews and 4.8 average rating in past 6 months | Available in 5 Iowa markets | Active since 2014 | Most competitive rates

Potential concerns: None found

Flat fee at closing$3,900

RatingTotal reviews
Overall4.8257
Google4.8257

Plan Availability: Bettendorf, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City, Waterloo

Business Address: 576 Boyson Rd NE #102, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

Website: fsbohomes.com

Phone: (319) 373-8150

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🟣 Good value

Space Simply

Visit site
4.4
13 reviews

Our Rating

63

Upfront fee

None

Listing Fee

$2,495

Est. total fee*

3.52%

At a glance

Pricing & services

Reviews

Company info

Things to know: Locally operated in Des Moines | Active since 2016 | Most competitive rates

Potential concerns: None found

Flat fee at closing$2,495
Buyer's agent fee3%

RatingTotal reviews
Overall4.413
Google4.413

Plan Availability: Des Moines

Business Address: 10306 Douglas Ave, Urbandale, IA 50322

Website: spacesimply.com

Phone: (515) 423-0899

Is this your business? Claim your profile here.

🟡 Fair value

Redfin

Visit site
N/A
No verified reviews

Our Rating

52

Upfront fee

None

Listing Fee

1.50%

Est. total fee*

4.00%

At a glance

Pricing & services

Reviews

Company info

Things to know: 37 transactions in Iowa in past 18 months | Available in 4 Iowa markets | Active since 2007 | Most competitive rates

Potential concerns: No new verified customer reviews in last 6 months

Minimum fee$2,000
Listing fee1.5%

No verified reviews

Plan Availability: Ames, Ankeny, Urbandale, West Des Moines

Business Address: 1099 Stewart St #600, Seattle, WA 98101

Website: redfin.com

Phone: (877) 973-3346

Is this your business? Claim your profile here.

🔴 Limited value

Assist 2 Sell Buyers & Sellers Realty, Inc

Visit site
4.5
92 reviews

Our Rating

24

Upfront fee

None

Listing Fee

Unverified

Est. total fee*

Unverified

At a glance

Pricing & services

Reviews

Company info

Things to know: 10 reviews and 4.2 average rating in past 6 months | Available statewide in Iowa | Active since 2019 | No verified pricing details

Potential concerns: None found

Pricing details not verified. Contact company for more information.

RatingTotal reviews
Overall4.592
Google4.591
Realtor5.01

Plan Availability: Statewide

Business Address: 2019 Main St, Northampton, PA 18067

Website: yourlehighvalleyhome.com

Phone: (610) 837-7900

Is this your business? Claim your profile here.

Find Iowa discount real estate brokers near you

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Why trust us

Data sources

Our team evaluated 4 discount real estate brokerages serving Iowa. We analyzed over 34,117,044 data points tied to customer reviews, transaction history, pricing details, and more to determine the best Iowa discount real estate brokers.

Methodology

Using public business directories, our team identified companies and agents serving Iowa calling themselves discount real estate brokers or discount realtors. We ranked each company based on the following criteria:

Pricing: Does the company's pricing model offer significant potential savings?

  • We estimate the listing fee and total commission rate for each brand across four price points.
  • We use this universal "savings index" to compare non-apples-to-apples pricing models (percentage-based fees, flat fees, tiered pricing, etc.).
  • We also penalize companies for upfront, nonrefundable fees and other hidden costs.

Service model: Does the company provide full service and support?

  • We look to verify if each discount real estate brokerage offers full, in-person representation.
  • We're currently working on assessing the scope and quality of individual services discount brokers offer and will be adding this data to our rankings soon.

Customer rating: Does the company deliver good customer experiences and outcomes?

  • We continually gather and analyze customer reviews from as many public review sites as possible.
  • We look to assess each brand's average customer rating; total review count; % of local reviews; total years of review activity; number of reviews and ratings in the past 6 months; and more.

Sales performance: Does the company have a solid track record of successful sales?

  • We continually gather company sales and transaction information from as many public data sources as possible.
  • We look to assess the total number of sales closed; total years of sales activity; how many sales the company has closed in the past 6 months; % of local transactions; and more.

Glossary of terms on this page

  • ValueScore: Measures a discount broker’s overall value based on its fee structure and price point, services, and customer reviews.
  • Upfront fee: Nonrefundable fee you pay out of pocket at the time you hire the discount real estate brokerage.
  • Listing fee: Amount company charges upon successful sale. Expect to also cover the buyer’s agent commission. (Note: A * indicates listing fee is an estimate because the company advertises a total commission rate only.)
  • Minimum fee: Minimum listing fee company charges no matter the home’s value.
  • Estimated total fee: Total commission rate we estimate you’ll pay at closing based on the company’s advertised fee structure and/or average buyer’s agent commission rates.
  • Active since: Indicates how long the company has been active based on the date of the first customer review we have in our database.

✍️ Editor’s note: Limited or missing data doesn't disqualify a company from our list, but it does lower the company’s ranking. We base our rankings on objective measurements, and we can only measure what we can see. We regularly try to find missing data to update our rankings accordingly.

Editorial policy

Credible, primary sources power our pages. When you hire a service through a link on this page, we may earn a small commission. But this doesn't influence our advice or ranking methodology. Learn more about Clever here.

Authors & Editorial History

Our experts continually research, evaluate, and monitor real estate companies and industry trends. We update our articles when new information becomes available.

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