Door Real Estate Reviews

What is Door Real Estate? | How it works | Door.com listing fees | Door vs. other discount brokers | Find Door.com reviews from real customers

Door.com is a discount real estate broker available to home sellers and buyers in Texas.

Selling with Door is cheaper than listing with a traditional agent. But it costs less for a reason.

Door manages the entire process remotely. That means you'll get zero in-person support throughout your sale or purchase, which is a huge drawback!

The bottom line: Door's model is risky and doesn't offer great value. Other low commission brands offer better service and fewer risks for the same price or less. Compare discount realtors from a few local companies to find the best fit for your needs and budget!

» MORE: Compare the best low commission brokerages of 2022

Door, at a glance
💲 Listing fee	1.5% (min. $5,000)
💰 Avg seller savings	$4,825*
⭐ Customer rating	4.8 (438 reviews)
📍 Locations	Texas
*Compared with a 3% listing fee at four different price points

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What is Door Real Estate?

Door Real Estate is a discount real estate brokerage in Texas that can help you sell or buy a home. Somewhere else? Find discount brokers near you.

Unlike traditional agents and full-service discount brokers, Door handles the entire process remotely via its web platform and a team in-house, salaried agents.

Door doesn't provide in-person support, which allows it to handle a higher volume of customers and charge lower prices than traditional brokerages.

But if your sale gets complicated, the lack of hands-on service could set you up for additional stress and a poor outcome.

How much can you save with Door Real Estate?

Selling with Door will cost you up to 25% less than listing with a conventional real estate brokerage.

You'll pay 4.5% of the home's sale price in total commission fees: a 1.5% listing fee to Door and 3% to cover the buyer's agent fee. Selling with a traditional brokerage typically costs 5-6%.

However, since Door offers limited service, there's a greater risk you'll struggle to sell your home for the best price possible. If you fail to maximize your home's potential value, that could wipe out what you "saved" on realtor commission.

» MORE: Which real estate company charges the lowest commission?

Is Door Real Estate legitimate?

Yes, Door Real Estate is a legitimate licensed brokerage. But it appears to be facing some major business headwinds:

• Door tried to raise up to $30 million from investors, but the funding fell through.[1]
• Door planned to expand into all 50 states by mid-2020. Instead, it shrunk its operations from nine states to one — Texas.[2]
• After at least one round of layoffs, Door's workforce size declined by more than 50%.[1]
• Door made major changes to its business model, including completely overhauling its pricing structure.

All of this corporate instability should be a red flag for potential customers. It suggests Door is struggling to turn a profit and provide value to its customers. That makes it riskier than other discount services, many of which have proven business models.

» MORE: Top alternatives to Door Real Estate

How does Door Real Estate work?

Selling with Door is up to 25% cheaper than listing with a traditional realtor. So why is Door able to charge so much less than the other guys?

Currently, Door cuts costs in two ways:

• Managing home sales via an online platform and offering no in-person agent support
• Handling a MUCH higher volume of customers per agent than most brokerages

You won't meet your Door agent in person

Although Door agents are available to answer phone calls, texts, and emails, you'll NEVER meet them in person. They won't even come to your home to help you decide on a listing price or give advice on how to get your home ready to hit the market.

Door's hands-off customer service model is the crucial factor in why it's able to offer discounted rates.

By limiting the amount of time they spend with each customer, Door agents can theoretically handle a higher volume of sales. According to Door's website, their agents manage "10x more home sale transactions" compared with a traditional realtor.

Door agents outsource tasks to a back-office team

Another reason Door agents can handle more sales than the average realtor is that they outsource many day-to-day tasks to other team members.

When you list with Door, you'll interact with three types of Door employees:

• A market advisor
• A listing agent
• Back-office staff members

Before you list your home for sale, you'll consult with a virtual "market advisor." The market advisor will provide guidance on pricing and home prep during a video chat — but they won't tour your home in-person.

Your listing agent will oversee the actual sales process. They'll support you as you evaluate offers, negotiate with buyers, and prepare contracts — all via the company's online portal, of course.

Other staff members will handle your home's marketing strategy. Their responsibilities include scheduling a professional photographer to take pictures of your home and advertising your listing on the MLS, Zillow, etc.

How much does Door Real Estate cost?

When you sell a home with Door Real Estate, you'll be responsible for covering two different fees:

• Door's listing fee: 1.5% of the sale price
• Buyer's agent commission: 3% of the sale price

Note that Door charges a minimum fee of $5,000, which means the advertised 1.5% listing fee doesn't actually apply unless your home sells for $335,000 or more.

As with a traditional agent, you don't have to pay these fees until after your sale is complete.

» SAVE: Sell with a top local realtor for just 1.5%

Door sellers may overpay on buyer's agent commission

Be aware that depending on where you're selling, you may overpay on buyer's agent commission if you list with Door.

Although most brokerages allow sellers to choose what buyer's agent commission rate to offer, Door mandates that sellers offer 3%. This is higher than the average buyer's agent commission rate in Texas, which is closer to 2.8%.

While offering an above-average buyer's agent fee will incentivize realtors to show your listing to their clients, it might not be necessary if you're selling in a hot market.

Door sellers pay about $4,800 less

Door sellers generally pay quite a bit less compared with selling with a traditional realtor, unless they're selling a cheaper home.

Here's how much less you could expect to pay in listing fees, depending on your home's sale price:

Note that although Door's pricing compares favorably to old-school real estate brokerages, the overall value is relatively middling compared with other discount services.

Depending on where in Texas you're selling, it's likely that you can find a better option.

» LEARN: How can Clever's agent matching service help me save on realtor fees?

How good are Door agents?

Every Door agent is fully licensed. With the support of a back-office team, they'll provide many of the same basic services as traditional realtors.

But there are several key differences that could affect your experience and outcome.

Door agents can't provide much hands-on service

If you list with a Door agent, you should be aware that you'll receive less hands-on service than with a traditional realtor.

Door's approach might be OK for straightforward sales in a hot market. But if your sale is more complex or you encounter problems, there's a greater risk you'll experience miscommunications, delays, and mistakes that could cause you to have a bad outcome.

Salaried agents have less direct incentive

Compared with realtors at a conventional brokerage, Door agents have less direct incentive to hustle to get you the best deal AND deliver first-class customer service.

In addition, traditional agents rely on reviews and referrals from past customers to generate future business. If they provide poor customer service, they'll struggle to get new clients.

That's not necessarily the case at Door. The brand advertises and attracts new customers for its agents, meaning they don’t rely on their own individual reputation to generate business.

Always compare multiple agents

Door may end up being a fit for your needs and budget. But it's worth taking a look at other options — especially considering Door's baked-in risks. Interview agents from at least 2-3 different companies to compare rates, experience, and service offerings.

Selling a house is a high-stakes, high-stress endeavor. It pays to invest the time to find the BEST choice for your situation and goals.

How does Door compare to top alternatives?

Door offers WAY less support than other discount brokers

Door isn't the only discount broker to use a team-based approach to close a higher volume of transactions with a smaller team.

However, to put it bluntly: Door takes this to another level with its 100% online customer service experience and lack of hands-on support.

Many discount brokers rely on back-office staff members to increase efficiency. But most of them still provide sellers with a dedicated agent who provides in-person guidance for crucial home-selling steps like pricing and negotiations.

Door is cheap — but you'll find better value elsewhere

Door is about $4,800 cheaper than a traditional real estate brokerage. But depending on your price range and priorities, other discount services likely offer much better bang for your buck.

Door could be MORE expensive than a traditional realtor

If you're selling a less expensive home, Door could end up costing more than listing with a conventional, full-service realtor.

Although Door advertises a 1.5% listing fee, it charges all sellers a minimum of $5,000. Unless your home sells for $165,000 or more, your effective commission rate will actually be larger than the 3% traditional realtors often charge.

This means you could end up overpaying on realtor commission and STILL getting limited service.

Sellers with expensive homes will find better savings elsewhere

Door doesn't offer the best savings if you're selling at higher price points, either.

Redefy, for example, offers a flat $3,500 listing fee for homes worth less than $1 million. So, if you're selling a $750,000 home in Texas, Redefy offers an additional $7,750 in savings compared with Door.

Additionally, several discount services will list more expensive homes for just 1.5%, plus they come with fewer service-level trade-offs.

» SAVE: List with a top local realtor for just 1.5%

Flat fee MLS listing services offer MUCH greater savings

If you're comfortable selling your house without hands-on support from an agent, you should consider going the DIY route and using a flat fee MLS listing service.

For a few hundred dollars, one of these companies will:

• List your home on the MLS
• Give limited pricing support
• Provide downloadable contracts and other documents

Door does offer a few services that most flat fee MLS companies don't.

But considering that going with a flat fee MLS service will likely cost thousands of dollars less than Door, you'll still come out WAY ahead if you purchase any extra services you need a la carte.

» FIND: The best flat fee MLS listing services in Texas

Selling a house with Door Real Estate

Door agents offer many of the same basic services as traditional realtors, with two big exceptions:

• They don't provide in-person support
• They won't host open houses

Door's assembly-line sales process may jeopardize your experience

The biggest trade-off with hiring Door is that the lack of in-person support could jeopardize your customer experience.

Door treats the home sale process a bit like an assembly line. Rather than provide you with a single point of contact who oversees all aspects of your transaction, Door "guides" you through the various steps using an online dashboard.

The company also divides tasks between different team members. While your listing agent will manage steps that require a real estate license, you'll work with other employees for activities like:

• Choosing a listing price
• Getting your house ready to sell
• Marketing your listing
• Various administrative tasks

In theory, Door's approach increases efficiency since each employee can specialize in one particular area.

However, selling a house is not like assembling a car. Every real estate transaction is unique. It's normal to encounter problems and other surprises that don't have an easy solution.

When issues arise, who do you want in your corner — someone who only handles part of your sales process and juggles 10x more clients than their peers, or a full-service realtor who's intimately involved in every step of your transaction?

» SAVE: Compare top local agents, save thousands on commission

Buying a house with Door Real Estate

Although Door's business model is currently focused on sellers, their agents can also help you buy a home in Texas.

Practically speaking, buying with Door should be a relatively similar experience to using a traditional realtor. If you buy with Door, your agent will accompany you on home tours.

But unlike many other discount brokers, Door does NOT currently offer a home buyer rebate.

While Door doesn't offer buyers any built-in advantages over conventional realtors, it does present them with unnecessary risks:

• The company has undergone major changes recently
• Door agents handle 10x more customers than their peers, limiting the personalized attention they can provide

Consequently, there's little reason to hire Door to help you purchase a home, unless you just happen to really hit it off with an individual agent.

Remember:

As a buyer, you DON'T pay your agent's fee out of pocket! If dedicated, in-person support is important to you, your best bet is to choose one of the top buyer's agents in your area.

Door customer reviews

Customer reviews of Door are generally positive, with an average customer rating of 4.8 out of 438 total reviews.

However, you should keep in mind that Door has undergone quite a bit of upheaval since many of these reviews were written:

• The company has completely changed its pricing model
• The company has shrunk dramatically — both in terms of its geographic presence and the size of its team.

As a result, what one customer loved (or disliked) about Door in 2019 may no longer apply in 2022.

So, what are past customers saying about Door Real Estate?

What customers like about Door Real Estate

My Door agent was an 'absolute pro'

Here's an example of a positive Facebook review from a home seller who says they had a "great experience" using Door.

They particularly called out the quality of their agent, who they said made every step of the process feel "easy."

Door helped us sell for 'top dollar'

This Google reviewer also had a positive outcome selling their house with Door. She said she was pleased with Door's ability to price her home remotely.

And although it took a bit longer to sell her house than she would have liked, she said the experience was "relatively painless."

What customers DON'T like about Door

You get what you pay for when you list with Door

Rodney L. had such a poor encounter with Door that he said he would "NEVER recommend them to anyone" looking to buy or sell a home.

He specifically mentioned that he was not impressed by the service quality. He concluded that Door is one instance in which you get what you pay for.

Door is a 'chaotic mess'

This Facebook reviewer came away from his experience with Door feeling like the company was a "chaotic mess."

After a series of problems, he ended up selling his house via a flat fee MLS listing service, which saved him thousands of dollars more than if he'd stuck with Door.

Just remember: as with any company, reviews can only tell you so much. That's especially true considering how much Door has changed over the past few years.

Your best bet is to reach out to Door directly — as well as a few other agents and discount services — to find the best fit for your situation.

Conclusion: Is Door Real Estate a good option for you?

Door Real Estate launched in 2015 with the goal of leveraging technology to disrupt the real estate industry. That's a pretty noble mission. But unfortunately, there's little evidence that it's succeeding.

Consequently, in its current state, we can't recommend that anyone use Door.

For the most part, its prices are comparable to other discount brokers — except many of those competitors have much fewer service-level risks.

Door's sweeping business model changes give us pause too. The company hoped to expand into all 50 U.S. states by mid-2020. Instead, it shrunk its presence and currently only services Texas.

Until Door can reach some level of operational stability, we believe it offers way too much baked-in risk relative to its run-of-the mill savings.

Selling a home is one of the biggest — and most complicated — financial transactions you'll ever make. Take the time to explore your options. We recommend interviewing agents who have experience and knowledge in your area — and at your price point — to find the perfect fit.

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