Prevu is a discount real estate brokerage operating in 12 states and Washington, D.C. It offers two things most buyers and sellers want: a 2% listing fee for sellers and a homebuyer rebate of up to 1% on eligible purchases. Reviews are mostly positive, with customers praising responsive agents, clear guidance, and smooth transactions from offer to close.
If you're buying, Prevu's Smart Buyer Rebate is the main attraction. It returns up to 1% of the purchase price after closing, the largest rebate among the brokerages we track.[1] If you're selling, Prevu charges 2%, which is the same as Redfin and a half point more than Clever.
Compare Prevu with 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.
Prevu review highlights
- What it is: A brokerage with salaried in-house agents, built around a buyer commission rebate.[2]
- What you'll pay: Sellers pay a 2% listing fee. Buyers pay nothing and can receive up to 1% of the purchase price back.[3]
- Best for: Buyers purchasing above roughly $1 million in one of Prevu's 13 markets.
- Not ideal for: Sellers shopping on price. For sellers, the 2% listing fee matches Redfin, and is higher than other competitors.
- The rating: 5.0/5 across 686 online reviews, compared with 4.9/5 across 5,036 for Clever.
Prevu reviews: What real customers say
Prevu averages 5.0/5 across 686 reviews, which is the highest rating in this comparison. Agent quality and customer service are the two most-mentioned themes.
Aggregate reviews
Ratings and review counts from trusted review platforms across the web.
| Review source | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 686 | |
| 671 | ||
| Yelp | 15 |
Theme breakdown
Click on a theme to see what reviewers said.
Reviewers describe their agent as skilled, professional, and a step above.
Sample reviews
“We had the pleasure of working with sara at Prevu in purchasing our co-op in nyc. Sara is truly the nicest person you will ever get the pleasure of meeting but also a true professional - responsive and knowledgeable of the ins and outs of nyc real estate.” View on Google
“We used Prevu and worked with greg cumings to shop for and purchase a condo in the boston metro area recently. Greg was awesome to work with, very knowledgeable, and assisted us in putting in an offer that was ultimately accepted, quite the feat in the red hot boston housing market.” View on Google
“Nicole lockhart from Prevu was a superb agent. She was quick to follow-up and using her superior knowledge, guided us through the fairly complicated co-op process. She was very easy to work with and a big plus to our transaction.” View on Google
Reviewers highlight responsive, helpful support throughout the sale.
Sample reviews
“We had an outstanding experience with Prevu while purchasing our second home in the hamptons. From start to finish, the team was incredibly responsive, professional, and always available to answer our questions.” View on Google
“I am thrilled to share my outstanding experience working with sarah gladstone from Prevu.com during the purchase of my dream apartment in manhattan. Sarah's professionalism and responsiveness transformed what could have been a daunting process into a seamless and enjoyable journey.” View on Google
“⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had a fantastic experience with Prevu. Their team is highly professional, knowledgeable, and incredibly responsive throughout the entire process. They made everything simple and stress-free with clear communication and expert guidance at every step.” View on Google
Reviewers describe prompt responses and proactive updates at each stage.
Sample reviews
“We just closed on our co-op working with blair and sara at Prevu and would absolutely recommend them. We are first-time buyers and blair was incredibly helpful during our (long!” View on Google
“We recently closed on a co-op in queens and had a fantastic experience working with prakash at Prevu. Buying a co-op comes with a lot of moving parts, from the offer and negotiations to the board package and closing, and our agent was knowledgeable, responsive, and patient every step of the way.” View on Google
“It's easy to be a good broker when everything in a process goes well, but rich really stepped up and helped us navigate a complicated closing that included a seller who's behavior was truly ridiculous at some points.” View on Google
Reviewers felt they got full-service support, not a stripped-down experience.
Sample reviews
“My boyfriend and I just bought a condo in brooklyn using Prevu. The rebate is a real thing and its awesome - buying a condo is a painfully costly experience in nyc, but this rebate really helps for the first few mortgage payments, furniture, moving costs, you name it!” View on Google
“Prevu is an outstanding and professional company. We recently purchased our home in brooklyn, ny, our realtor macie was fierce and negotiated everything we wanted and much more.” View on Yelp
“Recouping closing costs and benefitting from full-service realtor support is a fantastic combination. Rich gibbons provided guidance and support when we needed it and ensured that our recent transaction progressed at a steady pace.” View on Google
Reviewers describe meaningful commission savings without giving up service.
Sample reviews
“We selected Prevu for its commission rebate feature and saved a little over $50k on the purchase of a brooklyn brownstone. It amazes us that the traditional full 5% or 6% commission model still dominates in the presence of this clearly superior alternative.” View on Google
“Just bought my second home and found Prevu randomly online. Was definitely hesitant about the "rebate check" but after signing up and reading everything it seemed pretty legit.” View on Google
“Really can’t say enough good things about Prevu. All the help you’d expect from a professional broker, and then a huge rebate that defrayed closing costs. Couldn’t quite believe it! Thanks to rich and the whole team!” View on Google
Reviewers point to strong local market knowledge and pricing guidance.
Sample reviews
“It was a super awesome experience buying our first house with Prevu and kelly. Highlight: kelly is super great at negotiating, and was able to persuade the buyer to reduce over 80k in total house price!!” View on Google
“Buying my first home in nyc was definitely not a straightforward task, but my agent prakash was extremely helpful, knowledgeable, patient, and professional. He made a world of a difference in the process.” View on Google
“Rich gibbons (and team) just sold our apartment in nyc! We couldn't have been happier with his professionalism, expertise and market savvy. His experience and knowledge in the market showed in every aspect of the listing, sale and closing!” View on Google
Reviewers describe an easy, low-stress experience from first contact to closing.
Sample reviews
“We used Prevu to purchase an apartment in manhattan this spring and we could not be more pleased with our choice.” View on Google
“Very smooth experience with the Prevu team! After reading all the positive reviews, I decided to give it a try. The platform is very easy to use and they are super efficient!” View on Google
“⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had a fantastic experience with Prevu. Their team is highly professional, knowledgeable, and incredibly responsive throughout the entire process. They made everything simple and stress-free with clear communication and expert guidance at every step.” View on Google
Reviewers felt the pricing and fees were clear and reasonable.
Sample reviews
“Prevu is an outstanding and professional company. We recently purchased our home in brooklyn, ny, our realtor macie was fierce and negotiated everything we wanted and much more.” View on Yelp
“We selected Prevu for its commission rebate feature and saved a little over $50k on the purchase of a brooklyn brownstone. It amazes us that the traditional full 5% or 6% commission model still dominates in the presence of this clearly superior alternative.” View on Google
“They did a fantastic job selling our property and at a much lower cost than traditional brokers (e.g., 3-d renderings, multiple open-houses, always available to show). We ended up getting a substantially higher bid amount than our initial asking price.” View on Google
Sentiment analysis summary
Sentiment is overwhelmingly positive and has held steady across 686 reviews. Reviewers surfaced eight recurring positive themes and have no significant concerns. Praise is centered mainly on agent quality, customer service, and communication.
Nearly all of it is Google: 671 of the 686 total sit there at 4.97, on a platform anyone can post to without being invited.
Are these Prevu reviews current?
One number is worth knowing before you read too much into it. Our analysis of Prevu reviews found that it has earned 17 reviews in the past 12 months, compared with a lifetime total of 686. That's 2.5% of its reviews arriving in the last year. For comparison, Homie earned 15% of its base in the same window.
A quiet year doesn't mean the company is in trouble, however, and recent reviews are all 5-star. But it does mean the 5.0/5 rating mostly describes Prevu's past rather than the Prevu you'd hire this month. Most of the people behind the review figures bought years ago, when Prevu was a New York buyer-rebate startup rather than a 13-market brokerage.
So ask two questions when you talk to an agent: how many homes have you personally closed in the past 12 months, on either side, and can I read your reviews from this year instead of the lifetime average?
Prevu fees: What you'll pay
If you're selling: 2%
Prevu charges sellers a 2% listing agent commission.[3] Against the national average listing fee of 2.76%, that saves you about three quarters of a point. Against a 1.5% service, it costs you a half point more. There's nothing wrong with 2%: It's just not the reason to pick Prevu, because there are cheaper options elsewhere.
If you're buying: up to 1% back
Prevu rebates up to 1% of the final purchase price to the buyer after closing, and it says the average rebate runs north of $20,000.[3]
If you do the math, a $20,000 rebate at 1% of the purchase price means the average Prevu buyer is spending $2 million on their home. So the rebate scales with your budget, and Prevu's markets are the expensive ones: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Boston, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, Miami, D.C.
How the NAR settlement impacts Prevu
Prevu's rebate is a portion of your agent's commission, returned after closing. That only works if somebody is paying your agent a commission in the first place.
In the past, sellers advertised a buyer-agent commission on every listing in the MLS.[4] The settlement ended that practice, and Prevu's own fine print tracks the change: it rebates up to 1% "in cases when a seller pays the buyer's agent commission."[5]
In practice, most sellers still pay it, because covering your agent makes their house easier to sell.[4] So the rebate will usually apply. It just isn't guaranteed by the listing anymore; it's a term of your particular deal, and Prevu won't say what it charges a buyer whose seller pays nothing.
What to do: Get both numbers in writing before you sign a buyer's representation agreement. What's my rebate if the seller pays your commission, and what do I owe (if anything) if the seller pays nothing?
How Prevu works
Prevu calls its agents salaried on both the homepage and the seller page. If that holds, it's worth something: an agent on a flat salary takes home the same whether you close at $700,000 or $900,000, so nobody across the table from you earns a percentage of what you spend.
So ask your agent this: Does any part of your pay depend on what I spend? A salary with a bonus for bigger sales still means your agent earns more when you pay more. Get the answer before they start telling you what to offer.
The process, step-by-step
- Share your details. You enter your location, timeline, and price range on Prevu's site.
- Talk to a Prevu agent. Prevu calls you to match you with an agent, confirm it covers your area, and walk through what you get.
- Sign the agreements. Buyers sign a buyer-broker agreement before touring or making offers. Sellers get a free home valuation, then a listing agreement.
- Buy or sell. Sellers get professional photos, an MLS listing, syndication to Zillow and StreetEasy, open houses, showings, and a 3D tour, all for the 2% fee. Buyers search on Prevu's platform, which pulls from the local broker database, and their agent schedules tours and writes offers.
- Close. If the seller paid your agent's commission, your rebate arrives after closing, and Prevu suggests putting it toward closing costs. Get the exact figure confirmed in writing well before you reach the closing table.
The place to be careful is step 3. Your rebate amount and Prevu's minimum commission fee should both be written into the agreement before you sign it, not described to you over the phone.
Prevu vs. alternatives
Prevu's 2% listing fee is level with Redfin and Ideal Agent, and behind the other two. On a $600,000 sale that's $12,000 through Prevu, $9,000 through Clever, and $6,000 through Houwzer if you're in one of its 18 states.
Houwzer is the closest comparison on this page, because it's the only other company here that rebates 1% to buyers. It matches Prevu on the buy side and beats it on the sell side, so if you're doing both in a Houwzer market, start there. Prevu's edge is where it operates: it covers metros Houwzer doesn't, and a 1% rebate is worth most on the expensive homes its markets are full of.
Bottom line: Is Prevu worth it?
Pros
- The biggest buyer rebate we've found. Up to 1% of the purchase price back, which is $10,000 on a $1 million home and $20,000 on a $2 million one.
- The rating is earned on an open platform. 671 of 686 reviews are on Google at 4.97, not on an invitation-only site.
- Salaried agents. Your agent's pay doesn't rise with your purchase price, which removes one conflict of interest from the largest transaction of your life.
Cons
- 2% listing fee matches Redfin and costs more than competitors.
- The review base is mostly historical. 17 of 686 reviews arrived in the past year, so the 5.0 rating describes a longer track record than a current one.
- Only covers 12 states plus D.C., concentrated in expensive metros.
If you're buying above $1 million in Manhattan, Boston, LA, or D.C., get a Prevu quote and ask the two rebate questions above. If you're buying a $350,000 house, the rebate is $3,500 and worth having, but it shouldn't decide who represents you. And if you're only selling, price a 1.5% service against Prevu's 2% before you sign anything.
As for selling, its 2% listing fee is slightly higher than other low commission real estate brokerages; If you're considering Prevu, we recommend comparing the Prevu agent in your area with a few other agents who charge a lower listing fee.
FAQ
What is Prevu's buyer rebate?
Up to 1% of the home's final purchase price, paid after closing. Prevu says the average rebate exceeds $20,000, which implies its typical buyer is purchasing around $2 million.[3] The rebate applies when the seller pays your agent's commission.
How much does Prevu cost?
Home sellers pay a 2% listing fee in addition to potentially covering the buyer's agent commission. Eligible home buyers may receive a buyer rebate after closing, the value of which varies depending on several factors.
How does Prevu compare to a traditional realtor?
Prevu offers a lower listing fee than traditional realtors and eligible buyers can get a buyer rebate. While Prevu provides the same range of services as traditional brokerages, actual in-person support may be more limited, especially during the early stages of the real estate transaction.
Where is Prevu available?
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, D.C.[2]
Is Prevu legit?
Yes. Prevu is a licensed brokerage founded in 2017, it employs salaried agents, and it holds a 5.0/5 rating across 686 online reviews, nearly all on Google.
