Prevu Review

Prevu is a discount real estate brokerage. While it is especially known for its home buyer rebate, it provides discounts for sellers too. Customer reviews are highly positive, praising the range of services Prevu agents offer and the customer support.

Compare Prevu to some other low commission real estate brokerages to make sure you choose the option that’s best for you. Read on to find out how Prevu ranks and how it works.

Our Prevu rating

Prevu is known for its discounts and savings, with a listing fee of 1.5% for sellers (up to half the average commission rate) and a home buyer rebate worth up to 1% of the home sale price. Those savings are especially impressive considering that Prevu offers a full range of realtor services — from both seller’s and buyer’s agents — and gets good marks for customer support.

However, Prevu falls a bit short in terms of agent expertise. While many Prevu reviews from customers highlight the high quality of the agents, they also note that those agents tend to be more hands-off than traditional agents. If you prefer an agent who provides more personalized support throughout the entire process, you may want to consider an alternative service.

Is Prevu right for you?

If your top priority is saving on realtor commission fees, Prevu is worth considering. While the savings do vary, most Prevu Real Estate reviews suggest customers are happy with them. Plus, Prevu agents offer the full range of services as a traditional agent.

However, you’ll be working with a real estate agent who may not be as actively involved with your real estate transaction during the initial stages as you may expect. That setup works fine for some people, but it’s not right for everyone, and other brokerages offer discounts while providing more personalized service.

To make sure you get the agent who’s the best fit for your real estate needs, you should compare your options. A service like Clever Real Estate lets you choose from multiple full-service agents, so you can choose the one who’s right for you, all while paying a listing fee of just 1.5%.

⚡ Compare your local Prevu agent with other top, vetted realtors in your zip code.

Prevu vs. alternatives

Make sure you compare all your options when looking for a real estate agent so that you find the best fit for you. Here are our top alternatives to Prevu.

How Prevu stacks up

Service quality

📊 Our rating: 5/5 Both buyers and sellers get full service, like a conventional brokerage. You get a dedicated agent providing in-person support. Extra services, like 3D virtual tours, are also included.

Prevu gets top marks for the real estate services it offers both home buyers and sellers. As a full-service broker, you’ll get the same range of services with Prevu as you would with a traditional agent. Unlike some discount brokerages, you’ll receive dedicated support from a single agent.

For sellers, services should include:

• A comparative market analysis (CMA)
• Pricing guidance
• Staging advice
• Professional photography
• MLS listing
• Lawn sign and lock box

Additionally, your agent will assist with due diligence (such as help with appraisals), negotiations, and closing. Unlike some discount brokerages, Prevu also offers 3D virtual tours, social ad campaigns, and they’ll conduct showings and open houses.

If you’re using a buyer’s agent, they will also provide full service, such as assistance with preparing offers and negotiating with sellers.

Savings

📊 Our rating: 4/5 Prevu’s 1.5% listing fee offers solid savings for sellers.Buyers can also get a rebate worth up to 1% of the purchase price.Sellers have to pay $99 per month to list their property on Prevu.

Prevu offers good savings for both buyers and sellers. Its listing fee is 1.5%, which is less than the 2.74% average commission fee that traditional realtors charge. On a $700,000 sale, for example, you’d pay a listing fee of $10,500 with Prevu compared to the $21,000 you’d pay with an agent charging 3% — a savings of $10,500.

However, Prevu does charge minimum fees, which you’ll want to be aware of before signing with them. High minimum fees can negate the savings otherwise provided by a supposedly discounted rate. Unfortunately, Prevu doesn’t appear to publish its minimum fees online.

Furthermore, sellers have to pay a $99 per month “subscription plan” for listing a property on the Prevu website. This fee kicks in after a three-month trial period, so if your home sells within that trial period you presumably don’t have to pay. However, if you’re selling multiple properties, be aware that the $99 fee applies to each property.

As the seller, you may also provide a concession for the buyer’s agent commission, which is about 2.58%% on average. Offering a concession makes your home more attractive to buyers, which can increase competition and help you sell for a better price.

Prevu also provides a home buyer rebate, called the Smart Buyer Rebate, which is issued as a check after closing. The amount of the rebate varies, but can be as high as 1%, with Prevu claiming the average rebate is over $25,000. The rebate amount is usually included in the property listing on Prevu’s website. There are also numerous terms and eligibility requirements for the buyer rebate, including lender approval, minimum commissions, and restrictions on eligible properties.[1]

Customer experience

📊 Our rating: 4.5/5 Customers are overall very happy with Prevu’s service. Positive Prevu reviews focus on the buyer rebate and customer support. Some customers may prefer a company that provides more hands-on support.

Prevu has excellent customer reviews overall: 5 out of 5 based on 627 total reviews between Google and Yelp. Positive reviews tend to highlight the buyer rebate program and the quality of the agents.

For example, one home buyer says:
“We've used Prevu to purchase a home and found both buyer agent and the platform to be helpful. In particular the smart buyer rebate program really helped us offset some of the cost.” - Steven M., Google, 5 stars

Similarly, another customer found Prevu’s agent made their real estate transaction smooth and stress-free, even when potential issues arose:

“I recently worked with Sara to sell my apartment in NYC, and despite some unexpected challenges, she went above and beyond to ensure the deal went through. From the start, Sara demonstrated exceptional professionalism, dedication, and resilience. She was proactive in addressing every hurdle, always keeping me informed and offering solutions to keep the process moving forward.” - Peng J., Google, 5 stars

Finally, this customer appreciated Prevu’s excellent service, while also pointing out that the company is a better fit for those who prefer not getting as much one-on-one attention from their agent:

“I highly recommend Prevu. It’s ideal for someone who wants to lead their search and be hands on. I equate it to being the kind of person who wants to plan their own vacation vs having a travel agent do everything. (Do travel agents still exist?) If you are the former, Prevu is perfect.“ - Dena M., Google, 5 stars

Agent expertise

📊 Our rating: 3/5 All agents are licensed and get good customer reviews. Agents tend to be more hands-off than traditional realtors. Compensation structure for agents may affect service quality.

Prevu’s agents are all licensed and provide the same range of services as traditional real estate agents. However, there are some unique aspects about Prevu’s agents that could affect your experience.

For one, Prevu’s buyer’s agents stay relatively hands-off during the early home search process, as Prevu argues that buyers prefer to do these early steps themselves. In the words of one customer:

“We attended open houses by ourselves. When we were ready to make offer, we contacted Prevu, who assigned Greg to assist us for further evaluation, negotiations, and closing.” - Chi J., Google, 5 stars

As a result of this hands-off approach, Prevu agents close a lot more deals than typical realtors.[2]

If you’re comfortable with doing more of the early stages yourself, then less one-on-one support could work for you. But if you want more guidance throughout your transaction, another real estate brokerage may be a better fit.

Also, like some other discount real estate brokers, real estate agents at Prevu earn a base salary.[3] This is unlike traditional realtors who earn their entire income through commission. There are pros and cons to this income structure. On one hand, since salaried agents get paid no matter what, you may feel like their advice is more trustworthy and that they’re less likely to pressure you into a deal.

However, the potential downside is that the very best agents know they can make more by working entirely on commission. For that reason, they’re less likely to want to work as salaried employees.

Prevu history and news

Prevu was founded in 2017 in New York City. The company has had two funding rounds, the first in 2019 and more recently in 2023.[4][5] Investors include Citi, Winklevoss Capital, and others. In 2022, Prevu also acquired the mortgage technology assets of defunct startup Reali, which Prevu says will allow it to expand into mortgages.[6]

Prevu locations

Prevu is available in California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

Next steps: Should I use Prevu?

If you qualify for Prevu's full home buyer rebate, it could be a great option. Its 1.5% listing fee is competitive with other low commission real estate brokerages, making it a good choice for home sellers if you're happy with the agent near you.

If you're considering Prevu, we recommend comparing the Prevu agent in your area with a few other agents who charge the same 1.5% listing fee. 

Frequently asked questions

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, lock box. 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 listing fee, any minimum fees, and buyer's 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, sentiment, and 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 its competitors. We also take into consideration the size of the agent network to determine whether customers will have multiple options to choose from.