Clever Real Estate is a nationwide discount brokerage that connects home sellers and buyers with top-rated, vetted agents while offering significant savings.
With a 1.5% pre-negotiated listing fee – lower than the national average of 2.74% - Clever guarantees savings without compromising service quality, making it our top choice for low-commission real estate services.
Clever stands out for its strict agent vetting process, partnering only with experienced agents with a proven track record. The company has earned stellar customer reviews, with an average rating of 5.0/5 across over 3,200 reviews and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
Clever Real Estate a top low commission real estate brokerage because of its guaranteed savings, strict agent vetting requirements, and solid customer reviews. You can get instantly matched with top-rated agents who only charge a 1.5% listing fee by answering a few simple questions.
Read on to determine whether Clever is right for you.
Listing Fee
Buyer Savings
Active Since
Overview
Locations
Editor's Take
What it is: Clever Real Estate offers a lower commission without sacrificing quality. Through its free service, you can find top-rated agents in your area and sell for just a 1.5% listing fee (much lower than the average realtor commission rate).
How it works: You take a short online quiz (five questions) to help Clever understand your situation and preferences. Then Clever matches you with vetted, top-performing agents in your market who are a good fit, including realtors from major brands like Compass, Century 21, and Coldwell Banker. If you don’t like the agents Clever recommends, you can request more matches until you find the right fit — or simply walk away.
Customer reviews: 5/5 (3,200+ total reviews)
- Better Business Bureau: 5/5 (100+ reviews). Accredited; A+ rating.
- Google: 4.8/5 (300+ reviews)
- Trustpilot: 5/5 (3,100+ reviews)
Locations: Clever is available nationwide.
Clever vs. other discount brokers
Clever Real Estate stands out from competitors by offering a competitive 1.5% listing fee, similar to Redfin, but with a larger agent network and stricter agent vetting standards.
Unlike Redfin, which primarily uses its own agents, Clever partners with top agents from leading brokerages like Keller Williams and RE/MAX, giving you access to a broader selection of highly qualified realtors.
Is Clever right for you?
Clever Real Estate is best for sellers and buyers who want to save on real estate commissions while working with a top agent.
Clever's 1.5% listing fee is nearly half what you'd pay with a traditional agent, but you still receive full support from your agent. It also has a strict vetting process for agents, so you get matched with realtors with strong sales records and great customer reviews.
Clever might not be the best choice if you want to avoid paying a listing fee entirely and don't mind handling most of your sale alone. In this case, you could sell your home for sale by owner or work with a flat fee MLS company.
⚡Compare all the vetted realtors in your zip code who work for just a 1.5% listing fee.
Our Clever rating
| ⭐️ Clever: Overall score | 4.8 🟢 |
| Service quality | 5.0 🟢 |
| Savings | 4.5 🟢 |
| Customer experience | 4.8 🟢 |
| Agent expertise | 4.7 🟢 |
We gave Clever high marks for service quality and customer experience. Its agents offer full service and support. The brokerage has a solid history of positive customer ratings, with most reviewers praising their real estate agent and Clever's customer service team.
Clever also offers guaranteed listing fee savings. When you find an agent through Clever, you pay a 1.5% listing fee — compared to the 2.83% average listing fee realtors charge nationwide.
Finally, Clever has clear vetting requirements for its agents. To join Clever's network, a real estate agent must the following requirements:
- 5+ years of experience;
- Demonstrate extensive local market knowledge;
- Have positive reviews from past sellers.
Unlike agent-matching services that allow any realtor with a valid license to join their network, Clever guarantees you'll be matched with an experienced, top-producing agent.
How does Clever Real Estate work?
Clever’s agent matching service is fast and easy to use. Here’s how it works:
- Sign up by filling out a simple form on Clever’s website. Provide some basic info about your sale or purchase (e.g., timeline, estimated price, what you’re looking for in an agent) to help inform your agent matches.
- A fully licensed Clever Concierge reaches out via phone, usually within a few minutes. They'll learn more about your needs and preferences and answer any questions you might have (note: you can opt to skip the phone call if you prefer).
- Clever’s team uses your information, along with data-backed insights from its matching algorithm, to handpick the best local agents to suit your situation and needs.
- You can receive your agent matches via text message, email, or both. You can also view and contact them in your Clever dashboard.
- Once your agent matches arrive, you can set up interviews with your agents to compare your options and choose the best fit. You can also request additional matches or simply walk away.
- If you’re selling, once you choose your agent, you sign a listing agreement and hit the ground running. Your agent will provide the same full-service experience for half the typical rate.
- If you’re buying, once you choose your agent, they’ll provide full service and support throughout your purchase. If you qualify, you can get cash back after closing.
How Clever stacks up
Service quality
📊 Our rating: 5 / 5
- Agents offer all the same services and support as traditional realtors
- It's easy to compare top agents in your area
- Each member of Clever's customer service team is a licensed realtor
Clever expects all of its partner agents to offer full service and support to their clients. For sellers, that means your agent will provide the following services:
- Pricing guidance, including a comparative market analysis (CMA)
- Professional photography
- Comprehensive marketing
- Professional photography
- Advice for home staging
- Showings and open houses
- Home inspection and negotiation support
- Help to review offers and make counteroffers
- Title transfer assistance
- Help with paperwork and closing
When you buy with Clever, you'll receive all the services you’d expect from a traditional buyer’s agent — like showings and help with offers, negotiations, paperwork, and closing. You’ll also receive:
- Real-time MLS alerts: Instant notifications when a home matching your criteria is listed on the MLS.
- On-demand showings: Tour any home listed on the MLS whenever you’d like. You can see a property in as little as one hour.
- Clever Cash Back™: If you buy in a qualifying state, Clever will give you money back to help cover your move.
Finally, every Clever’s Concierge Team member is a fully licensed real estate agent. Sellers and buyers can use their concierge as a secondary resource for expert guidance and advice throughout the entire sale or purchase.
Savings
📊 Our rating: 4.5 / 5
- Guaranteed 1.5% listing fee, no matter which agent you work with
- Eligible buyers receive $250-$500 in cash back
Clever Real Estate pre-negotiates a 1.5% listing fee with all the agents in its network. That's much lower than the average listing fee of 2.74%.
Unlike some other discount real estate brokers, Clever is transparent about its minimum fee of $3,000. This means you'll pay a flat $3,000 rate on any home less than $200,000.
Clever Real Estate also offers a home buyer rebate of $250 to eligible buyers, or $500 if the customer uses a Clever agent to buy and sell. Clever Cash Back is available in 42 out of 50 US states.
🤔 What about the buyer's agent commission?
As a seller, remember that you might need to pay the buyer's agent a commission.
Previously, sellers set this commission rate, but after the NAR lawsuit and settlement, buyers now negotiate it directly with their agents. They must sign a buyer's agency agreement before touring homes, which outlines the commission rate.
However, sellers may still be responsible for covering this commission depending on negotiations. The average buyer's agent commission nationwide is 2.58% of the home's sale price, though it varies by location and may decrease following the settlement.
Customer experience
📊 Our rating: 4.8 / 5
- Reviewers praise experienced, responsive agents
- Homes sell quickly and above asking price in many situations
- Customer service team responds quickly to negative reviews
Clever Real Estate has an excellent overall rating: 5 out of 5 based on over 3,200 total reviews between Trustpilot, Better Business Bureau, and Google. The company is accredited and has an A+ rating through the BBB. Many reviewers praise the expertise of their agents and the speed at which their homes are sold.
Positive themes. Most Clever reviewers say their agent was responsive and easy to work with. Numerous reviews report multiple offers and sales well above the asking price within days or weeks of listing. Customers also frequently highlight how much money they saved on real estate commissions through Clever's model.
Negative themes. Most negative reviews center around dissatisfaction with a specific agent, feeling they provided subpar service, lacked expertise, or failed to market their home effectively.
Overall, positive reviews far outweigh the negative ones. We've also noted that Clever's customer service team follows up within 2-3 days to any review that is less than 5 stars. They quickly remove any agent from their network who behaves unprofessionally or receives multiple negative reviews.
Clever also states that their concierge team checks in with customers regularly until their home sells to evaluate their satisfaction with the agent and the overall experience.
Here's what customers had to say about their experience with Clever:
Agents get top marks for service
Most Clever customers praised the agents they were matched with. Reviewers consistently pointed out that their agents were communicative, proactive, and hardworking and made their real estate transactions smooth.
One customer said, “The realtor that contacted me was absolutely fantastic. She made this whole experience easy and enjoyable.”
Others were happy that they got all the perks of a traditional full-service agent. Many customers even worked with agents from trusted name-brand brokerages.
As this person noted, “I really liked getting to select our agent. Although most of his listings don’t come from Clever, he assured us we would have all the same benefits as if we did not find him through Clever.”
Savings are great and don’t impact service quality
Many Clever customers were happy that they got a great agent while still paying less than traditional real estate commissions. Clever’s listing fee is 1.5%, half of what realtors traditionally charge. Many customers were surprised that they got these savings and a top agent.
For example, this customer said, “This was an extremely easy and smooth process. We signed up and within an hour we had one of the top agents in our very hot Silicon Valley market. We got him at an extremely great rate, and I was shocked that we were able to get him.”
Clever’s Concierge Service is knowledgeable and responsive
Several reviews mention that Clever’s Concierge Team was extremely helpful throughout the process. Customers appreciated that their Concierge worked hard to ensure they were matched with the right agent.
As one reviewer said, “I talked to a few agents and made a decision from that. I think I was lucky to find someone quickly, but I like that Clever would keep sending me agents until I was set.”
Many customers especially appreciated that the Concierge Team checked in throughout the real estate transaction to ensure everything with the assigned realtor was going well.
As this home seller said, “Clever was always great about communicating with me and they were very helpful throughout my home selling process!”
Why pay more in commission fees for less service? Clever offers you bigger savings without sacrificing the service you expect from a traditional realtor.
With Clever:
✅ You'll only pay 1.5% to list your home
✅ You'll work with a full-service realtor from a top broker
✅ It's free, with zero obligation — you can walk away at any time
Saving on realtor fees doesn't have to mean sacrificing service. Find a top local agent today!
Agent expertise
📊 Our rating: 4.7 / 5
- Strictest agent vetting requirements of any agent-matching service
- Agents are sourced from top brokerages
Clever's agent network includes agents from top regional brokerages and major brands, such as Keller Williams, Compass, and Berkshire Hathaway. To join Clever’s network, agents and brokers must meet the following minimum criteria:
- An active real estate license
- 5+ years of real estate experience
- Great reviews from past sellers and buyers
- A proven track record of success in their local market
- Excellent communication and responsiveness
Many discount brokers and agent-matching services fall short in agent quality and expertise. Companies like UpNest, for example, only require agents to hold active state and NAR licenses.
In addition, an analysis of Clever's online reviews shows that Clever's customer service team is quick to follow up with any customer who isn't 100% satisfied with their agent. Clever’s Concierge Team also continually monitors its Partner Agents’ performance. If they see or hear about a Partner Agent skimping on service or support, that agent is removed from Clever’s network.
Clever history and news
Founded in 2017, Clever Real Estate has rapidly expanded its services. It launched Clever Pro for mortgage lenders, Clever Title as a full-service title and escrow company, and Clever Offers, a platform for receiving cash offers.[1][2] In 2024, Clever also acquired Gravy Technologies to enhance its loyalty rewards program for first-time homebuyers.
Other key milestones include:
- HousingWire Insiders Award: Clever's CEO and head of account management were recognized for outstanding industry contributions at the HousingWire conference in October 2023.[3]
- No. 1 Real Estate Agency on Trustpilot.com: Clever was ranked the #1 real estate agent company by Trustpilot after achieving a perfect 5-star rating in June 2023.[4]
- Inc.’s List of Fastest-Growing Companies in the Midwest: In May 2023, Clever was ranked 65th on Inc.'s list, boasting 260% growth over two years.[5]
Is Clever Real Estate legitimate?
Clever is a reputable, nationwide discount real estate company and licensed brokerage based in Missouri. It has earned strong customer reviews, averaging 5.0/5 from over 3,200 reviews, and holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
Since its launch in 2017, Clever has partnered with over 19,000 real estate agents, assisted more than 23,000 people in buying or selling a home, and saved customers over $150 million in real estate fees.
Next steps: Should I use Clever Real Estate?
We recommend signing up for Clever to see which agents are available in your area. If you find an agent you like, you could save thousands of dollars on realtor fees. If not, you can always try a different discount brokerage or agent-matching service.
Enter your basic info below. Our Concierge Team will be in touch shortly to answer your questions, offer advice, and match you with top-rated agents in your area. Remember, this service is 100% free and there's no obligation!
Frequently asked questions
How does Clever make money?
When a Clever Partner Agent closes a deal for a Clever customer, Clever takes a portion of that agent’s commission on the sale. This is called a referral fee, and it's how all agent matching services make money.
As a consumer, you benefit from this arrangement because it allows Clever to offer its agent matching service for free.
Agents benefit because it’s a low-risk, low-cost way for them to boost their real estate transaction volume, reputation, and revenue stream.
Why do real estate agents work with Clever?
Finding new customers is one of the biggest expenses for real estate agents, and Clever helps agents by sending them a steady stream of motivated potential clients. Agents are then able to spend more of their time working with clients instead of searching for business.
Related reading
How to become a Clever Partner Agent
Methodology
We evaluate each low commission real estate brokerage based on four core criteria and create a weighted score:
- Service quality (30% of final score)
- Savings (25% of final score)
- Customer experience (20% of final score)
- Agent expertise (25% of final score)
Service quality
Essential services and support. We evaluate whether the brokerage requires its agents to offer basic services like a CMA, pricing and staging advice, professional photography, an MLS listing, a for-sale sign, and a lockbox. We also consider whether agents provide hands-on support throughout the sale process (in-person home visits, guidance through due diligence, and negotiation support).
Ease of use. We consider how easy it is to find an agent in your area, and we look at customer reviews to determine whether customers have issues with the platform or tools used by the brokerage.
Savings
Pricing model. We compare the company's pricing model (including listing fees, minimum fees, and buyer incentives) to its competitors to determine the overall value to customers.
Customer experience
Review analysis. We perform an in-depth analysis of all the available customer reviews to determine trends. We break down the reviews by customer type and sentiment, and filter out spam reviews to determine our rating.
Company responsiveness. Negative reviews are part of doing business; however, we note whether a company is actively involved in resolving customer complaints.
Agent expertise
Vetting requirements. We compare the company's vetting requirements to those of its competitors. We also consider the size of the agent network to determine whether customers will have multiple options.