Help-U-Sell is a franchise real estate broker that advertises full service for home buyers and sellers and discounts on realtor commission. But we don't rank it as a top low commission real estate brokerage. It has inconsistent pricing across locations and lacks transparency about services and savings.
Listing Fee
Buyer Savings
Active Since
Editor's take
Overview
Locations
Help-U-Sell is a riskier choice than other discount brands. Its service quality and pricing vary across local offices, and in many locations, the company isn't transparent about its fee structure.
We recommend trying other discount brokers first, or at least comparing Help-U-Sell with other brokers. Call your local Help-U-Sell office to get details about its services and pricing.
Pros
- Potential savings on realtor commission
- Option for full-service support
- Positive customer reviews in most locations
Cons
- Little or no savings for homes at lower price points
- Lack of transparency around commission rates
- Company encourages sellers to do a lot of work themselves
We recommend comparing Help-U-Sell to other discount real estate brokers so you can make an informed decision. In this article, you'll learn about Help-U-Sell's fees, services, reviews, and agent quality — key features you can use to see how the company stacks up against alternatives.
Our Help-U-Sell rating
| ⭐️ Help-U-Sell: Overall score | 2.7 🔴 |
| Service quality | 3.3 🔴 |
| Savings | 2.0 🔴 |
| Customer experience | 4.0 🟡 |
| Agent expertise | 1.7 🔴 |
We gave Help-U-Sell the highest rating for customer experience, since almost all recent customer reviews are positive.
The second-highest rating was for service quality. The local websites we reviewed advertise full service from agents, but we noticed some red flags. The brand encourages sellers to accept offers from buyers with Help-U-Sell agents, which could cause sellers to miss out on better offers.
Our lowest ratings were for agent quality and savings. It's unclear what Help U Sell's agent vetting requirements are. And the company's tiered flat fee pricing means you could pay a rate that's well over the national average listing fee of 2.74%.
Is Help-U-Sell right for you?
Help-U-Sell may be worth looking into if your local office has good customer reviews and significant discounts.
But Help-U-Sell may not have the lowest realtor fees or the best agents out of all the discount brokers in your area.
We recommend interviewing multiple agents from different companies to find the best combination of quality and savings. Remember that you have no obligation to sign a contract with a realtor when you interview them.
A company like Clever Real Estate can help you compare vetted agents from local brokerages, including from brands like Help-U-Sell. All agents you find through Clever offer just a 1.5% listing fee.
⚡ Compare all the vetted realtors in your zip code who work for just a 1.5% listing fee.
Help-U-Sell vs. alternatives
It's important to compare your options to ensure you find the right real estate agent. Here are our top alternatives to Help-U-Sell.
Listing Fee
Buyer Savings
Active Since
Editor's Take
Pros & cons
Overview
Clever Real Estate is the best option for most sellers looking for an agent. The company matches you with multiple experienced, full-service agents so you can find the right fit, and it offers a low 1.5% listing fee no matter which agent you choose.
Listing Fee
Buyer Savings
Active Since
Editor's Take
Pros & cons
Overview
Redfin is a reputable discount real estate brokerage that offers significant savings, particularly if you buy and sell with the brokerage. But watch out for high minimum fees, which vary by market and can be high in some areas. Redfin's agents also work with a lot of clients, and they don’t always have time to provide as much hands-on service as you may need.
Read the full Redfin review.
Listing Fee
Buyer Savings
Active Since
Editor's Take
Pros & cons
Overview
Prevu is a solid option if you're buying an expensive property. You can receive up to 2% of the home's purchase price as a rebate; the full 2% is only available on properties over $1.25 million. Sellers will pay a 1.5% listing fee (about half the traditional rate). But watch out for minimum fees that vary by market and can be high, limiting your actual savings.
Read the full Prevu review.
How Help-U-Sell stacks up
Service quality
| 📊 Our rating: 3.3/5
|
On its main home page, Help-U-Sell says that it's a "full service real estate agency."[1]
Sellers can expect full-service support throughout the entire home sale process,[2] including:
- Comparative market analysis (CMA) to help price the home
- Staging advice
- Marketing (e.g., for-sale sign, flyers, MLS listing, photos, virtual tour)
- Showings
- Help evaluating offers and negotiating with buyers
- Coordination through the inspection process and closing
Although full service is available if you want it, Help-U-Sell encourages you to market your own home — including posting on social media, handing out flyers, and holding open houses — and find your own buyer in order to pay a lower realtor fee.[3]
The brand also pushes you to save money by accepting an offer from a buyer represented by Help-U-Sell. But you could miss out on the best offers if you limit your buyer pool like this.
If you're a buyer, you can also get full service from Help-U-Sell. Many local offices have dedicated buyer's agents who can help you get financing, find the right home, and negotiate with sellers.[2]
We weren't able to confirm whether the company usually provides a dedicated agent or a team. Many customer reviews mention dedicated support from specific agents, but others mention help from the staff as a whole.
Exact service models vary by location. Call your local office to verify which services it provides and who you'd work with.
How does Help-U-Sell work?
- Call your local office, and ask about its services and fees.
- If you decide to work with Help-U-Sell, sign a contract.
- The company provides full service to help you sell or buy a home. You can also choose to find a buyer yourself and then have the company step in to help through closing.
- If you're a seller, you don't pay realtor commission until your house sells. The commission rate is specified in the contract. If you're a buyer, you don't pay any commission.
Savings
| 📊 Our rating: 2/5
|
Savings vary significantly across locations and home sale prices.
Here's an example of the listing fees that an office in Arizona offers. The fees are flat rates that a seller pays based on how much their home sells for. We included the effective percentage so you can compare the flat rates to the typical 2.5–3% listing fee.
| Flat fee | Home sale price | Effective rate | Savings* |
|---|---|---|---|
| $4,950 | $100,000 | 5% | –$1,950 |
| $5,950 | $300,000 | 1.9% | $3,050 |
| $8,950 | $600,000 | 1.5% | $9,050 |
Savings for $300,000 and $600,000 homes are in line with what you'd save with a top low commission real estate brokerage. But for a $100,000 home, you wouldn't save any money on the listing fee. You'd actually pay almost $2,000 more than the average rate.
Your local office may have a fee structure that's significantly different from the Arizona office we used as an example. Most local websites aren't straightforward about pricing, so we recommend calling your area's Help-U-Sell office to verify its rates.
Remember that as the seller, you may also need to pay the buyer’s agent fee (2.58% on average); this fee is negotiable between sellers and buyers.
If you're the buyer, Help-U-Sell may also help you save money. In some locations, the company offers home buyer rebates. For example, an office in San Francisco gives eligible buyers a check after closing that's worth 25% of the buyer's agent commission.[4]
Commission rebates have a lot of rules and restrictions, so speak with a local Help-U-Sell representative to make sure you qualify before you sign a purchase agreement.
» Learn more about average real estate commission rates by state.
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!
Customer experience
| 📊 Our rating: 4/5
|
Help-U-Sell has positive customer reviews overall, with an aggregate rating of 4.7/5 from over 470 reviews across Google (~20 locations) and Yelp. On the Better Business Bureau, the company has an A rating and zero customer complaints, although it isn't accredited.
Positive reviews tend to highlight specific agents. Customers mentioned that their agent knew the market well, communicated in a prompt and friendly manner, and helped ease their stress.
We found only a few recent negative reviews, which focused on bad experiences with realtors the customers thought were shady.
Some locations have only one or two reviews, and others have no reviews at all.
Agent expertise
| 📊 Our rating: 1.7/5
|
Each Help-U-Sell agent has a real estate license and is a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR),[5] which means they must follow NAR's Code of Ethics.
However, it's unclear if Help-U-Sell has additional vetting standards for agents. Other companies, like Clever Real Estate, require their agents to have several years of experience, a certain number of recent transactions, and a high customer rating.
If you're considering hiring a Help-U-Sell agent, we recommend vetting them yourself. Look at the agent's Zillow profile, social media, and personal website. Also read their customer reviews, and check their transaction history to see if they closed deals in your area in the last year.
» MORE: How to choose a realtor to sell your home | How to find a buyer's agent
Help-U-Sell locations
Help-U-Sell is available in the following states:
| Alabama Arizona California Colorado Florida Idaho | Michigan Minnesota Missouri Nevada North Carolina Oklahoma | Oregon Pennsylvania Texas Utah Virginia |
» FIND: Help-U-Sell offices in your state
Next steps: Should I use Help-U-Sell?
Help-U-Sell could be a good option if your local office has (1) an agent you like and (2) a fee structure with significant savings for sellers with homes in your sale price range. There's no harm in contacting the office and interviewing agents, since you have no obligation to sign a contract during an interview.
However, we recommend starting with a company that has the same low listing fee and vetting standards across all the agents in its network (like Clever or Redfin). If you find an agent you like, you'll save thousands of dollars on realtor fees. If you don't find the right fit, you can always sign up for Help-U-Sell.
If you're weighing your options for buying or selling a house, Clever can help!
Our fully licensed concierge team can answer your questions and provide objective advice on getting the best outcome with your sale or purchase.
When you enter your info below, we'll ask you a few questions about your situation via a short form. Then our concierge team will be in touch shortly to help.
This service is free, and there’s never any obligation to move forward with us.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Help-U-Sell charge?
Help-U-Sell often charges a flat fee based on home price range, but each location uses its own pricing structure. A lot of sellers will find lower fees — and bigger savings — with another low commission real estate company.
Is Help-U-Sell worth it?
That depends. Each Help-U-Sell office is independently owned and operated, and some offer better service and lower fees than others. That said, a lot of Help-U-Sell's locations have shut down over the past 15 years, which suggests the company isn't delivering as much dollar-for-dollar value as other discount real estate brokerages.
Related reading
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 quality (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, MLS listing, for-sale sign, and lockbox. We also consider whether agents provide hands-on support throughout the sale process (in-person home visits, guidance through due diligence, 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 its listing fee, 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 we filter out spam reviews to determine our rating.
Company responsiveness. Negative reviews are part of doing business; however, we take note of whether a company is actively involved in resolving customer complaints.
Agent quality
Vetting requirements. We compare the company's vetting requirements to those of its competitors. We also take into consideration the size of the agent network to determine whether customers will have multiple options to choose from.