Selling to Opendoor works best when you want to sell your house with minimal hassle. You don't have to worry about repairs or showings, you can choose your close date, and you can complete the transaction entirely online (except for an external home inspection).
But Opendoor's convenience comes at a cost:
- Our analysis of 200 recent property records found that Opendoor paid an average of ~$23,000 less than it eventually resold them for
- Many sellers complain of high repair costs further lowering their net proceeds
- Adding in Opendoor's 5% service fee, you may get substantially less money from Opendoor than you were hoping for
"Before you sign anything, get a second opinion," advise realtors Barry and Rebecca Richards, who have both represented homeowners in transactions with iBuyers. "You're going to get the most money when you have people competing against each other."
A company like Clever Offers can save you a ton of time getting offers and figuring out your best option — which is why it's our top-rated iBuying competitor. With Clever, you can compare fair cash offers from iBuyers, investors, and more to the sale price you'd get with an agent. You can sell in as little as 7 days with the assurance that you're getting the highest possible price. Learn more.
How much are Opendoor fees for selling a house?
| Service fee | 5% |
| Closing costs | ~1% |
| Repair costs | Vary |
| Late checkout fees | $100–400/day + $2,000 security deposit |
When you sell your house to Opendoor, you pay a 5% service fee, plus typical closing costs of about 1%. Closing costs include title fees, transfer taxes, and prorated property taxes.
You also pay for any repairs that Opendoor thinks are necessary after its home inspection. Repair costs can vary widely from seller to seller. We talked to Opendoor customers who paid around 1–3%, while this Reddit user claims he was quoted $30,000 for repairs — about 5% of the $640,000 final offer.
Additional costs include charges for late checkout. If you need to stay in your house past the close date, you pay a daily rate based on your home's market rental value. Opendoor also withholds a $2,000 security deposit from your sale proceeds until you move out.
Opendoor vs. realtor fees
Opendoor's 5% service fee is comparable to the 5–6% realtor commission you’d pay in a traditional home sale — although you can generally save a lot on realtor fees with a reputable low-commission brokerage. However, the most important factor isn’t fees, but the overall profit you’ll get from your home sale.
You’ll usually make more money selling with a realtor than selling to Opendoor. Even if your house needs work, listing with a realtor is the best way to get buyers competing for your house, which leads to a higher selling price. When you sell to Opendoor, the transaction is a lot faster, but the offer is usually lower than your home’s fair market value.
Our team's analysis of more than 200 property records sourced from Bright MLS revealed that Opendoor resold homes for an average of 7% more than it paid in 2024 (compared to 5% in 2023). On a home bought for Opendoor's median purchase price of $536,922, sellers lost out on a potential $25,235 in profit — on top of service fees and repair deductions.
Here’s an example of how selling a $500,000 home to Opendoor might compare to selling with a traditional or low commission real estate agent. These figures are mostly estimates, and costs will vary for each sale.
Opendoor fees vs. competitors
| Opendoor fees | Offerpad fees | |
|---|---|---|
| Service fee | 5% | 5% |
| Cancellation fee | None | 1% |
| Repair costs | Vary | Vary |
| Closing Costs | ~1% | ~1% |
Opendoor’s main competitor is Offerpad. Offerpad charges a 5% service fee in line with Opendoor's 5%. It also charges a cancellation fee of 1% if you back out of the contract more than 4 days after signing.
But whether you'd sell for more with Offerpad or Opendoor depends on a variety of factors, including local market conditions and repair costs.
We talked to Bradley Carpenter, a seller in Kansas City, who got offers from both companies. He told us, “Offerpad's initial offer was higher, but they dropped it $40,000 after an inspection; Opendoor only came down $7,000 after a less thorough inspection.” Despite Offerpad's higher initial offer, the repair costs made Opendoor the better choice for him.
One thing to note is that iBuyers like Opendoor have stricter purchase criteria than a typical cash buyer. If your home is in less-than-ideal condition, another company that buys houses for cash may be a more suitable option.
Like iBuyers, cash investors can close fast, purchase your property as-is, and help you avoid traditional realtor fees. Unlike iBuyers, they don’t charge service fees, but their offers are often at least 20–30% lower than market value — that's because they target distressed properties that need to be offloaded quickly.
Curious where to start? Here are the best companies that buy houses for cash in 2025
Does Opendoor charge hidden fees?
Opendoor doesn't have hidden fees. The company prides itself on transparent pricing.
However, repair costs might be significantly higher than you anticipated — and Opendoor's final offer could be much lower than your original estimate.
For example, homeowners Jesse Zappia told us that Opendoor’s “initial offer was somewhat closer to the 600,000 number. ... And then when they came back and gave me an offer it was $566,000. So it was a significant jump.”
Similar scenarios are also mentioned in several Opendoor BBB customer complaints.
While the cost of selling to an iBuyer can be unpredictable, some sellers have found ways to leverage that to their advantage.
For example, homeowner Bradley Carpenter explained to us via Zoom that Offerpad initially offered $3,000 more than Opendoor. However, they then came back with $40,000 in repairs fees. So decided to contact Opendoor to see if they would match Offerpad's initial offer. “I sent [Opendoor] the Offerpad offer, and I said, ‘Hey, Offerpad offered me $3,000 more than you. Are you guys willing to come up a little bit?’” Opendoor ultimately increased its offer, which Bradley accepted.
| ✍️ Editor’s note: There’s no penalty for walking away from an Opendoor offer. If the final offer isn’t what you expected, you can say no and find a listing agent instead. |
Bottom line: Are Opendoor's fees worth paying?
Whether Opendoor's fees are worth paying depends on how much profit you're willing to sacrifice in order to avoid the traditional listing process.
Jesse Zappia, who sold his home to Opendoor in 2022, said this about the trade-off:
"We were in a position where taking ... less money was worth it for us. If you go in with that mindset, it's great. But if we were in a scenario where we weren't as timebound, I think going the traditional route is probably the way we would go, just to get the better profitability out of it."
If you're considering selling to Opendoor but worried about losing equity, you should compare multiple cash offers against a realtor's estimate of what you'd get selling as is on the open market.
In a seller's market, where there's high demand for homes, you might be able to sell without making repairs or offering concessions. In other cases, you can use an initial cash offer to negotiate a higher price with a competing buyer.
FAQ about Opendoor fees
How much does Opendoor charge to sell a house?
When you sell to Opendoor, the company charges a 5% service fee. When you list with Opendoor, the company charges a 5% commission rate. Read our in-depth Opendoor review to learn more!
Is Opendoor more expensive than selling with a realtor?
Opendoor's 5% service fee is about the same as standard realtor commission rates. However, you probably won't net as much as you would selling with a realtor. And you can pay a lot less in fees with a discount brokerage. The best low commission realtors match the service and support of a traditional agent, but they charge a fraction of the price.
Can you negotiate fees with Opendoor?
No, Opendoor’s service fee is non-negotiable. You may be able to negotiate with Opendoor on its offer price, but you'll likely need proof that it missed something important — such as home improvements that aren't noted in public records.
Does Opendoor charge closing costs?
Yes. If you sell to Opendoor, you still have to pay traditional closing costs, which average 1% of the sale price. These costs include title fees, transfer taxes, and prorated property taxes.
