Sold.com claims to connect you with the best real estate service for your needs, but it seems to funnel nearly all customers to full-service real estate agents. The company offers no built-in savings and has questionable customer service, so you may find better value with a low commission real estate brokerage.
Our Sold.com rating
| Overall score | 2.7 🔴 |
| Service quality | 3.0 🟡 |
| Customer experience | 3.0 🟡 |
| Agent screening | 2.0 🔴 |
| Coverage | 4.0 🟢 |
| Savings | 0.0 🔴 |
Sold.com offers an easy-to-use interface that quickly connects you with local agents. The company's concierges are typically fast to make contact and very responsive. But they can sometimes be overly aggressive.
Customers and our mystery shoppers described Sold.com concierges as being too pushy, insisting on contacting clients even after they expressed disinterest. Sold.com also doesn’t seem to screen its agents, has spotty coverage outside dense urban areas, and offers no built-in savings.
Customer reviews for Sold.com are mixed. While some customers had smooth experiences, some negative reviews reveal poor customer service and questionable business practices.
» See how our Sold.com review breaks down.
Is Sold.com right for you?
Sold.com could be right for you if you just want to find a real estate agent and don’t mind paying full commission. The company is effective at connecting people with agents in their area.
But Sold.com might not be a great fit if you want to save money or you have specific needs that require a certain type of agent. Sold.com doesn’t vet its agents very well, and it seems to recommend agents who are the closest to you geographically or who have paid to be featured on Sold.com, rather than agents who have any measurable expertise.
Most sellers would likely be better off using another agent finding service. For example, Clever Real Estate can match you with vetted, highly experienced agents from top brokerages like Keller Williams and RE/MAX. And you'll pay only a 1.5% listing fee, which is around half the typical rate.
» Compare vetted realtors in your zip code who work for just a 1.5% listing fee.
How does Sold.com work?
- You sign up on Sold.com’s website by entering some basic information about your sale or purchase.
- Sold.com asks you additional questions, such as whether you prefer to sell as fast as possible or get the most money possible. These questions presumably help Sold.com determine what type of service to match you with, such as a traditional agent or a cash investor.
- You’ll instantly get a Home Seller/Buyer Report via your customer dashboard, where you can view your agent matches.
- A Sold.com concierge will call and text you (usually a few minutes after you receive your report) to schedule a free home consultation, which is essentially an interview between you and an agent.
- You can choose to interview any of the agents Sold.com suggests, request more agents, or simply walk away.
- If you decide to work with one of Sold.com’s partner agents, you'll sign a listing agreement. Sold.com claims that its concierges will keep in touch with you throughout the process.
- Many reviews suggest that even if you opt not to work with Sold.com, it will continue selling your info to agents.
» MORE: Learn how Sold.com works for realtors
Sold.com vs. top alternatives
We recommend these companies as top alternatives to Sold.com. All three can connect you with full-service agents, and they tend to provide better service. Clever Real Estate and UpNest can even offer you commission savings.
Listing Fee
Customer Rating
Editor's take
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. Read our full Clever Real Estate review.
Pros
- 1.5% listing fee (half the usual rate)
- Guaranteed matches with top local agents
- Large agent network; great selection compared to competitors
Cons
- No guarantee you’ll get matched with a specific agent or brokerage
- Add-ons like professional home staging and drone photography may cost extra
Listing Fee
Customer Rating
Editor's take
Overview
UpNest lets you choose from multiple vetted agents, so there’s a good chance you’ll find a realtor that fits your needs. But it falls short on savings and customer service. Read our full UpNest review.
Pros
- User-friendly dashboard
- You can choose from multiple agents
- Agents bid for your business, which may lead to lower realtor fees
Cons
- No guaranteed savings on realtor fees
- Customers report problems with customer service
- No clear agent vetting requirements
Listing Fee
Customer Rating
Editor's take
Overview
HomeLight may be worth trying if you're in a rural or small market and can't find a local realtor through other platforms. But most people will find better value with a company that vets agents for you and offers savings on realtor commission. Read our full HomeLight review.
Pros
- You get a list of agents in minutes
- Large agent network means you'll likely find a local agent
Cons
- No commission savings
- No guaranteed matches with top realtors
» MORE: Want to compare more options? Check out our guide to the best low commission realtors and companies.
Our in-depth Sold.com review
Service quality
📊 Our rating: 3/5
|
Agent matching process
Sold.com uses your questionnaire responses to match you with an agent, cash buyer, or other service, though it seems to heavily favor agents that have paid to be featured on Sold.com.
Sold.com’s "Guaranteed Display" feature allows agents to "sponsor" zip codes in exchange for getting matched with more customers in those zip codes. In other words, if you live in a zip code that’s been bought by an agent, that agent will likely end up in your results — even if they aren’t a good fit for you.
When we tested Sold.com’s agent matching process, our top result, which had a red “Recommended” banner above the profile, had done significantly fewer transactions than the second agent on the list. This suggests that agents can simply pay to appear at the top of user search results in their area.
Customer service
Sold.com’s customer service reps, or “concierges,” are very responsive. They’ll contact you soon after you sign up and aggressively attempt to set you up with agents. They’ll also keep in touch throughout the sale process.
Where Sold.com’s customer service falters is how it sells your info to agents for months or even years after you sign up — even if you don’t want to work with the company or want to sell FSBO.
Customer experience
📊 Our rating: 3/5
|
Customer reviews
Sold.com reviews are mixed, with an average customer rating of 4.1 out of 5 across Trustpilot, the Better Business Bureau, and Sitejabber. Many reviewers were happy with the agent they met through Sold.com, though some had an unsatisfactory experience.
| Rating | # of reviews | |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 4.5/5 | 294 |
| Sitejabber | 2.1/5 | 28 |
| Better Business Bureau | 1.6/5 | 13 |
✅ Customer service is responsive
Happy sellers generally reported that Sold.com was good at guiding them through the process of finding an agent.
“Had a friend suggest I check SOLD.com as I was getting ready to explore selling my home. I've owned this house for over 20 years, and moving was honestly terrifying. It was really refreshing to find that SOLD.com's concierges held my hand through the process of finding the right company to help me sell.” — Stacey W. Sitejabber, September 2023
✅ Agents can be high quality
Even though Sold.com doesn’t vet its agents, users can sometimes connect with good agents.
“Our agent was knowledgable about the process and walked us through every step. She did what she said she would in a very professional manner and it feels like we have made a new friend.“ — Barbara, Trustpilot, March 2024
“The experience of selling our house was great due to the professionalism and knowledge of our [agent]. He was great from the beginning to the end. He was so helpful in guiding us step by step with every aspect of selling the home. He communicated with us daily if needed and always responded in a timely fashion.” — Lynette, Trustpilot, April 2024
❌ Agents can be low quality
Sold.com doesn’t have a solid vetting process, so sellers who find an agent through Sold.com could get stuck with an inexperienced or less-than-competent agent.
“Realtor was not experienced at selling a million dollar+ home. Was not happy with the overall experience with realtor or agency. Would not recommend them to anyone.” — Henry A., Trustpilot, October 2022
❌ Some customers were confused about how Sold.com's service works
Many negative reviews (and even some positive ones) note that people who signed up on Sold.com simply didn’t understand how their information would be used. Even if there’s a happy ending (as in the review below), this recurring theme suggests Sold.com needs to be more transparent with customers.
“The client initially didn't understand how I got connected with her but upon explaining the services SOLD.com provides and how it allows me to connect with more sellers, she was excited to get the process of selling her home underway.” — Victoria, Trustpilot, March 2023
Ease of use
Sold.com offers a user-friendly experience, with a fast, easy-to-use dashboard that allows you to compare agents easily.
Inputting your address into Sold.com brings up a list of agents. The dashboard also shows how many transactions the agents closed recently and how many years of experience they have in the industry. Selecting an agent is also easy, and Sold.com will contact you soon after you select one to meet.
Agent screening
📊 Our rating: 2/5
|
Sold.com claims it only allows high-performing, pre-vetted agents to join its network, but this doesn’t appear to be the case.
Our research showed that any agent can join the Sold.com network. Also, agents can pay an extra fee for “guaranteed display,” which puts them at the top of search results for clients in their zip code. While Sold.com says it has performance requirements for “guaranteed display” agents, it doesn’t disclose what those requirements are.
Most other agent matching services have an exhaustive vetting process to ensure they match clients with proven, experienced agents.
Sold.com's lack of vetting is apparent in Sold.com’s mixed online reviews. Clients who were matched with good agents generally had great experiences, while clients who were matched with subpar agents had negative experiences. Your Sold.com experience may come down to luck.
» MORE: How to choose a good seller's agent | How to choose a good buyer's agent
Coverage
📊 Our rating: 4/5
|
Sold.com generally has good coverage in urban areas but fewer agents in rural areas. However, even less-dense, semi-rural areas seemed to have experienced agents when we checked the service.
Sold.com’s concierges are pretty proactive about contacting leads, so prospective sellers can usually interview multiple agents until they find one they like.
Savings
📊 Our rating: 0/5
|
Unlike some of its competitors, Sold.com doesn't negotiate discounts on your behalf. Sold.com is free for buyers and sellers, just like all agent matching services. But you’ll still have to pay the standard rate of whatever service it matches you with.
For example, if you’re matched with a full-service realtor — and Sold.com matched us with full-service realtors every time we used it — you’ll still have to pay the average realtor commission, just as you would if you found an agent on your own.
If you’re a seller, that commission usually totals 5–6% of the sale price, with half going to the seller’s agent in the form of a listing fee and the other half to the buyer’s agent.
Other agent matching services offer full-service real estate agents along with significant built-in commission discounts. Plus, the customer service and agent quality are better.
Clever Real Estate, for example, offers a discounted listing fee of just 1.5%, compared to the 2.5–3% you’d likely pay with Sold.com.
If saving money is a top priority for you, consider using a discount broker instead of Sold.com.
What is Sold.com?
Sold.com is a free service that matches home buyers and sellers with various real estate services.
You can enter info about your real estate needs on its website, and the company will instantly recommend a particular service, such as:
- Traditional real estate agents
- Cash buyers
- Discount brokers
- Flat fee MLS companies
- Home trade-in services
Sold.com claims to recommend the best service based on your specific needs. However, the company almost always suggests using a traditional full-service real estate agent, even if a different service better suits your needs. For example, some agents report buying leads from Sold.com who turned out to be FSBO sellers who never asked for an agent.
For all practical purposes, Sold.com is just another agent matching service.
Like all its competitors, Sold.com is free to use, and you have no obligation to continue with any service it recommends. But its concierge team can be pushy, so you should be prepared for a hard sell. Reviews also suggest that it recycles leads, so you could be contacted for months or even years after you sign up — even after you sell your home.
Is Sold.com legit?
Yes, Sold.com is a legitimate company and a licensed real estate brokerage in California. All agent matching services must be licensed real estate brokers in at least one state to legally operate nationwide.
Sold.com isn't accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and it has several complaints filed against it. The company has an average BBB customer rating of 1.6/5.
Sold.com was founded in 2018 by executives from several major real estate companies, including Auction.com, Fizber, Realtor.com, and LendingTree.
While Sold.com is a legitimate business, it makes many misleading marketing claims and lacks transparency.
How does Sold.com work for real estate agents?
Sold.com is a low-risk way for real estate agents to increase their customer volume with little or no up-front investment.
While Sold.com has some optional features that cost money upfront, you can join its agent network for free and only pay when you close a deal.
However, because leads aren’t thoroughly vetted, many referrals may not be ready to buy or sell.
What is the Sold.com referral fee?
Like all agent matching services, agents pay Sold.com a referral fee upon closing. The referral fee is 35% of the gross compensation.
Sold.com also has a program called "Guaranteed Display" that allows agents to pay to appear at the top of search results in specific zip codes. Agents who opt for “Guaranteed Display” pay no referral fee on leads closed in their zip codes.
What are Sold.com’s minimum requirements for partner agents?
Sold.com has zero minimum requirements for agents. Any agent can sign up as long as they have a valid real estate agent license.
While you'll be asked about your experience during the sign-up process — such as your years in the industry and your number of closings in the past 12 months — this information isn’t used to qualify or disqualify you. It’s mainly used for making matches and for completing your Sold.com profile.
In our experience, Sold.com’s algorithm favors the most active agents in terms of recent closings or those who have paid for Sold.com’s "Guaranteed Display" feature. So unless you fall into one of those two categories, you may find yourself lower in search results, even if you’re the better-qualified candidate.
How good are Sold.com leads?
We don’t believe Sold.com’s lead quality is good. Sold.com claims that it matches clients "with the best pro for their unique scenario." But when we shopped it, we got our agent matches instantly before anybody at Sold.com checked if we were serious about buying or selling.
Other companies, like Clever Real Estate, call and verify each lead before sending them to agents. That helps increase the chances of those leads becoming paying clients.
While you may be tempted to buy into Sold.com’s "Guaranteed Display" program — which claims you’ll be displayed 100% of the time for clients in zip codes that you sponsor — we’re unsure about the quality of this program.
This agent had a very negative experience with Sold.com, receiving poor-quality leads and little or no support from Sold.com customer service.
When we tried the service, "Guaranteed Display" agents did show up in our agent matches, but they usually — although not always — ranked lower than more active agents.
This inconsistent ranking system is something to keep in mind, especially if you’re a relatively new agent and you’re hoping that "Guaranteed Display" can help give you a leg up over more experienced colleagues. In our experience, it probably won’t.
Frequently asked questions
How does Sold.com make money?
Sold.com takes a percentage of the commission your realtor earns when you sell your house. This is called a referral fee, and it's how all agent matching services make money. Sold.com takes a 35% referral fee, though agents who opt for “Guaranteed Display” don’t have to pay any referral fee on leads in their zip code.
Reviews also suggest that agents can simply purchase batches of leads from Sold.com, though many agents complained that many of these leads were stale or, in some cases, couldn’t even recall signing up at Sold.com.
Sold.com also makes money through its "Guaranteed Display" service, where agents can pay upfront to get matched with more customers. This kind of payment is a less common income source for agent matching services and one that we don't approve of.
In addition, Sold.com may recommend alternative real estate companies, such as cash investors or discount brokerages, depending on your real estate needs. We assume Sold.com also collects a referral fee when suggesting these.
Finally, Sold.com partners with various home services companies, such as mortgage lenders, insurance providers, and solar panel installers. Again, if you decide to work with any of these partner companies, Sold.com will likely get a referral fee.
We recommend shopping around when buying any home service product. Sold.com is not unbiased when it makes its recommendations — it’s getting paid, after all. Compare services from elsewhere to find the one that best fits your needs and budget.
Why do agents work with companies like Sold.com?
Agent matching services like Sold.com help agents lower their marketing costs. Just like most businesses, real estate agents spend a lot of time and money trying to attract new clients.
In exchange for a referral fee, agent matching services take on some of the work of finding new clients for agents. And Sold.com’s “Guaranteed Display” option, while pricey, guarantees that agents will appear at the top of search results in their area.
While a real estate agent may make less on an individual deal by working with Sold.com, they can increase their overall number of clients. That may be better for their bottom lines in the long run.
Methodology
We create a weighted score for each real estate brokerage based on five core criteria:
- Service quality (30% of final score)
- Customer experience (30% of final score)
- Agent screening (20% of final score)
- Coverage (10% of final score)
- Cost (10% of final score)
Service quality
Agent matching process: We evaluate how the company matches customers with agents, whether it uses an algorithm, human oversight, or both. We also request agent matches and evaluate whether the recommended agents are top agents and have recent transactions in our area.
Customer service: We consider whether the company's representatives are knowledgeable and helpful and how often they communicate with customers throughout the transaction.
Customer experience
Customer review analysis: We perform an in-depth analysis of all available customer reviews to determine trends. We also filter out spam reviews.
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 the brokerage uses. We also test any dashboards or other tools ourselves.
Agent screening
Vetting requirements: We compare the company's vetting requirements to those of its competitors. We discover whether agents must have a certain amount of experience, number of recent transactions, or high customer ratings.
Coverage
Network size: We consider the size of the agent network to determine whether customers will have multiple options to choose from and whether customers in rural or small markets will be able to find local agents.
Cost
Pricing model: We consider whether the company offers any savings for sellers, like listing fee discounts, or savings for buyers, like cash back.
