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If you’re looking to sell your house and save on realtor commission fees in Boston, Massachusetts, you may want to consider a discount real estate brokerage. A good discount realtor provides the same general services and support as a conventional agent, but charges a fraction of the price.
We identified and ranked 9 discount real estate brokers active in Boston. These are the 5 best low commission brands in Boston right now, according to the data.
Our Team spends hundreds of hours each month researching discount real estate brokerages and agents across the country so you don’t have to. We look at a wide range of factors to calculate our rankings including:
- Customer ratings: Does the company consistently deliver good outcomes and experiences for customers?
- Pricing & fees: Are the rates and potential savings competitive with other options in the area?
- Service scope: Do you get the same, more, or fewer services than listing with a conventional realtor?
We continually refresh existing data, add new companies to our library, and look for new ways to make our pages more useful. See our full methodology.
At a glance: Low-fee real estate companies we recommend in Boston, Massachusetts
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Best Overall
Clever Real Estate
Agent Marketplace⚡ Compare Agents -
Runner-up
Redfin
Discount Real Estate BrokerView details -
Also Great
Prevu Real Estate
Discount Real Estate BrokerView details -
Also Great
Simply Sell Realty
Discount Real Estate BrokerView details -
Also Great
Our Property Team
Discount Real Estate BrokerView details
Our take: Most home sellers should try an Agent Marketplace like Clever before reaching out to individual discount brokerages. Clever’s free platform lets you compare multiple agents from different brokerages — discount and conventional, like RE/MAX and Compass — and you pay a pre-negotiated 1.5% listing fee at closing, regardless of who you choose. That’s up to 50% of the agents’ typical rates.
- Why this matters: Thanks to the wider selection of agents and pre-negotiated low rates, you can focus on hiring the best agent for the job without worrying about the price tag. It’s faster, easier, and safer than reaching out to individual discount brokers yourself. Plus it’s free with no obligation.
Top 5 low commission real estate companies in Boston, Massachusetts
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Best Overall
⚡ Compare AgentsAgent Marketplace
Clever Real Estate
Claimed ✔Listing fee*1.5%Est. actual cost*$12,000Est. savings*$7,520SummaryPros & ConsFull ratingsCompany InfoClever Real Estate is a agent marketplace based in St. Louis, Missouri, with agents available in Boston, Massachusetts. It advertises a very competitive listing fee of 1.5% with a minimum fee of $3,000. Clever Real Estate has very good 4.9 average customer rating based on 3,675 reviews. It has strong recent performance, with 454 new reviews and a 4.9 average rating over the past 6 months. Read more
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Runner-up
Discount Real Estate Broker
Redfin
Listing fee*1.5%Est. actual cost*$12,000Est. savings*$7,520SummaryPros & ConsFull ratingsCompany Info -
Also Great
Discount Real Estate Broker
Prevu Real Estate
Listing fee*1.5%Est. actual cost*$12,000Est. savings*$7,520SummaryPros & ConsFull ratingsCompany Info -
Also Great
Discount Real Estate Broker
Simply Sell Realty
Listing fee*1%Est. actual cost*$8,000Est. savings*$11,520SummaryPros & ConsFull ratingsCompany Info -
Also Great
Discount Real Estate Broker
Our Property Team
Listing fee*$3,999Est. actual cost*$3,999Est. savings*$15,521SummaryPros & ConsFull ratingsCompany Info
What to know about discount real estate agents in Boston, Massachusetts
- Boston discount real estate brokers offer a similar range of services and support as conventional realtors for a lower price.
- If you work with a conventional Boston realtor, you’ll typically pay a listing commission fee of about 2.4%
- Discount realtors typically deliver savings by charging lower listing fees at closing. The average listing fee among discount brokerages in Boston is 1.0% as of October 2024.
- That’s an average savings premium of $11,520 based on the median home sale price in Boston ($800,000), according to the latest available data (October 2024).
- Consider a discount realtor 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.
- We recommend sellers with more complicated properties or circumstances stick with conventional realtors with experience that fits their needs. (Try Clever: list with top full-service realtors, get up to 50% off their typical rate.)
- That being said, discount brokerage service models and customer experiences vary widely, which is why thoroughly interviewing and vetting any agent is so important.
- 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 minimums — some companies don’t make these easy to spot.
- 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.
- Clever Real Estate gets you special discounted rates from top, conventional realtors representing major brokerages like RE/MAX, Century 21, and Compass. Take our simple quiz to get personalized agent recommendations and save up to 50% on listing fees.
- You can try to negotiate a lower commission rate with a conventional realtor yourself, but this can be difficult to do (only about 22% of sellers who try to negotiate are successful). Negotiating is easier if you have a pricier home, are selling in a particularly hot market, or already have a buyer lined up.
- If you're selling for sale by owner and just want a marketing boost, a Boston flat fee MLS service may be a better fit. Basic flat fee MLS plans get your listing on the local MLS for around $150. Premium plans include more services, like pro photography, but can cost well over $1,000.
- If you want to sell your house fast or are listing a home in poor condition, consider a Boston cash home buyer company. Cash home buyers will purchase almost any home in any condition. You typically don't have to pay realtor commissions and many will actually cover your closing costs. And because they pay cash, they can usually close in a matter of days.
The Boston housing market has cooled since this time last year, according to the latest data (August 2024)
- Boston is currently in a seller’s market, with buyer demand outpacing the inventory. At the end of September, there were 1144 active listings (5.7%, year over year), with 395 new properties listed over the course of the month (-4.6%, year over year).
- The median home sale price in Boston last month was $800,000, up 5.3% from $757,895 last year.
- Boston properties spend a median 27 days on market — that’s 4 days slower than last year
- The average Boston home sells for 99% of its original list price, down 0.3% year over year.
- Boston houses are experiencing more price drops compared to last year. 18% of properties dropped their price last month. That's a 0.3% increase compared to this time last year.
- The bulk of home seller costs is made up of realtor listing fees and closing costs:
- Listing fee: Boston home sellers pay their agents an average listing fee of 2.4%, based on the median home sale price. That’s 143% more than the nationwide average discount listing fee of 1.0%.
- Seller closing costs: Boston home sellers typically pay an additional $5,748 in closing costs, based on the median home sale price. That’s 69% more than the nationwide average of $1,773.
All low commission real estate companies in Boston, Massachusetts (9)
What it is: Low commission realtors charge lower listing fees than conventional realtors but provide the same general range of services and support.
Who this is for: Any home seller interested in saving money on realtor fees but still wants a skilled agent to help guide them through the process.
How to choose: The average low commission real estate company in Boston charges a 1.0% listing fee and has a 4.9 out of 5 customer rating, 631 verified reviews, and at least 7 years of verified activity. These can be useful baseline criteria to help guide your search.
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Best Overall
⚡ Compare AgentsAgent Marketplace
Clever Real Estate
Claimed ✔Listing fee*1.5%Est. actual cost*$12,000Est. savings*$7,520SummaryPros & ConsFull ratingsCompany InfoClever Real Estate is a agent marketplace based in St. Louis, Missouri, with agents available in Boston, Massachusetts. It advertises a very competitive listing fee of 1.5% with a minimum fee of $3,000. Clever Real Estate has very good 4.9 average customer rating based on 3,675 reviews. It has strong recent performance, with 454 new reviews and a 4.9 average rating over the past 6 months. Read more
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Runner-up
Discount Real Estate Broker
Redfin
Listing fee*1.5%Est. actual cost*$12,000Est. savings*$7,520SummaryPros & ConsFull ratingsCompany Info -
Also Great
Discount Real Estate Broker
Prevu Real Estate
Listing fee*1.5%Est. actual cost*$12,000Est. savings*$7,520SummaryPros & ConsFull ratingsCompany Info -
Also Great
Discount Real Estate Broker
Simply Sell Realty
Listing fee*1%Est. actual cost*$8,000Est. savings*$11,520SummaryPros & ConsFull ratingsCompany Info -
Also Great
Discount Real Estate Broker
Our Property Team
Listing fee*$3,999Est. actual cost*$3,999Est. savings*$15,521SummaryPros & ConsFull ratingsCompany Info -
Discount Real Estate BrokerFlat Fee MLS 4 Free
Listing fee*1%Est. actual cost*$8,000Est. savings*$11,520SummaryPros & ConsFull ratingsCompany Info -
Discount Real Estate BrokerBest Choice Flat Fee
Listing fee*0.01%Est. actual cost*$699Est. savings*$18,821SummaryPros & ConsFull ratingsCompany Info
⚡️ Find top-rated low commission realtors in Boston, Massachusetts
Related guides and resources for Boston, Massachusetts home sellers
How we research and rank discount real estate brokers
Data sources
Our research team identified and ranked 9 full-service, low commission real estate brokerages available in Boston. We compiled and analyzed hundreds of publicly available data points tied to customer reviews, pricing models, and services to assess each company, determine our rankings, and choose our top picks in Boston.
Methodology
Our team used public business directories to identify 9 discount real estate services nationwide. We then manually verified pricing and services details for every company, categorizing them as either “full-service” or “limited-service.”
We did our best to ensure that only brands and product offerings that meet our minimum full-service criteria made it onto these pages. Limited-service brokers appear in our Flat-fee MLS Services Guides.
We fed pricing, services, customer ratings, and credibility data for each verified low commission real estate brokerage into our localized ranking methodology. We evaluate each company across three core areas, including:
- Customer Score measures how customers feel about their experiences and outcomes with the company over time. It’s primarily powered by average customer ratings across reputable, third-party review platforms. We weight our customer scores to account for sample size (e.g., 4.7 rating with 500 reviews is a stronger signal than a 4.9 rating with 5 reviews) and recency (e.g., reviews in the past few months matter more than reviews from 5 years ago).
- Pricing Score measures the company’s fee structure and price point relative to other discount real estate brokerages. We score pricing models using a proprietary “cost index” we derive by averaging the fee at five price points, anchored around a local median home sale price. This lets us score non-apples-to-apples fee structures (e.g., flat fee vs. percentage-based) and ensures scores reflect local market conditions (e.g., flat fee models will offer better value in pricier markets).
- Services Score measures the level of services and support you get for what you pay. If a company everything we’d expect from a full-service brokerage, they get a 4.0 (80%) services rating. A company will lose points in this category for each “expected service” we verify they don’t include with the base fee. A company will receive additional points for each “non-standard” service we can verify they do include with the base fee. If we confirm a company offers all expected and non-standard services with a base fee, they will get a 5.0 (100%) services rating.
We then combined these individual scores into a single Overall Score, which determined our top picks and general company rankings in Boston, Massachusetts. Customer Score is 50% of the overall score, because we think it’s the most important factor. Pricing Score and Services Score are each 25%.
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