UpNest is an online platform that connects home sellers and buyers with high-quality real estate agents in their area. UpNest doesn't guarantee listing fee savings, so it's best for sellers who don't mind paying full price or who are comfortable negotiating with an agent on their own.
Listing Fee
Buyer Savings
Active Since
Editor's take
Overview
Locations
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.
Pros
- Easy-to-use online dashboard.
- Choose from multiple agents.
- Agents offer full service and support.
Cons
- No guaranteed savings on realtor fees.
- Customers report difficulty with UpNest's customer service.
- No clear agent vetting requirements.
We recommend comparing UpNest to a few other low commission real estate brokerages to make an informed decision. Read on to decide if UpNest is right for you.
Our UpNest rating
⭐️ UpNest: Overall score | 3.1 🟡 |
Service quality | 5.0 🟢 |
Savings | 2.0 🔴 |
Customer experience | 3.7 🟡 |
Agent expertise | 1.5 🔴 |
We gave UpNest high marks for service quality. Its agents offer full service and support. It also has decent customer ratings, with most reviewers praising the platform for connecting them with quality real estate agents.
However, UpNest doesn't offer major savings on real estate commissions. When you work with an UpNest agent, there's no guarantee that the agent will charge a fee that's lower than the 2.83% average listing fee that most realtors charge nationwide.
Also, UpNest doesn't have clear vetting requirements for its agents. Any realtor with a valid real estate license and a NAR membership can join the brokerage. Because of this, you might be matched with an agent who is inexperienced or lacks local market knowledge.
Is UpNest right for you?
UpNest is best if you're struggling to find a real estate agent and want to quickly compare your options. The platform is free to use, so there's no harm in signing up to see who you get matched with.
Customer reviews show that UpNest often hits the mark with matching your needs to an agent. However, it's pretty easy for agents to join UpNest's network, so you may get matched with an agent who doesn't have much experience selling in your area.
Where UpNest really comes up short is savings. UpNest agents set their own rates, so there's no guarantee that you'll pay a lower listing fee. Other agent matching services offer much better rates. For example, Ideal Agent’s listing fee is 2%, and Clever Real Estate's is 1.5%. So you could save thousands more with Clever compared to UpNest, while still getting a top local real estate agent.
⚡Compare all the vetted realtors in your zip code who work for just a 1.5% listing fee.
UpNest vs. alternatives
When you're looking for a real estate agent, it's helpful to compare your options. We recommend starting with an agent-matching service that negotiates lower rates with its agents (like Clever or Ideal Agent). Then, if you don't find an agent you like, you can always try UpNest.
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
At a Glance
Ideal Agent is a solid option if you’re looking for a top agent. The company vets its realtors thoroughly, so you’ll likely get a quality agent. But you won't save as much on realtor fees as you could with other companies.
Read the full Ideal Agent review.
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 UpNest stacks up
Service quality
📊 Our rating: 5/5
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UpNest expects all of their partner agents to offer full service and support to their clients.[1] For sellers, that means your agent should:
- Meet with you in-person and physically visit your home
- Guide you through due diligence (inspections, appraisal, financing)
- Help you evaluate offers and negotiate terms as needed, and accompany you to the closing
You should also receive a comparative market analysis (CMA), help pricing your home, staging advice, professional photography, an MLS listing, a for-sale sign, and a lock box for buyer's agents.
That said, UpNest allows each agent to create their own proposal for potential clients — so make sure to ask your agent what services they offer. If you want extra services like drone footage, open houses, or help staging your home, you'll need to work that out with the agent.
How does UpNest work?
- On the UpNest site, you'll sign up by entering basic information about your sale or purchase, including location, timeline, property type, and estimated value.
- You’ll arrive at your customer dashboard, where you can compare different agent proposals. You may get one to two proposals instantly, while others may take minutes, hours, or even days.
- You’ll get a phone call and an email from an UpNest Advisor who will explain how the process works and ask about your preferences in an agent.
- You'll select which agents you want to interview and sign with your favorite one.
- If you dislike any agent matches, you can request more or simply walk away.
Savings
📊 Our rating: 2/5
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Most discount brokers create savings in one of two ways: by hiring their own agents who offer a discounted listing fee (for example, Redfin agents charge 1.5%); or, by by pre-negotiating a discount listing fee with other agents (for example, Clever pre-negotiates a 1.5% listing fee with agents in its network).
However, UpNest operates differently. It allows agents to set their own fee. UpNest told us over the phone that their agents charge around a 2.5% listing fee on average. That's not much less than the average listing fee of 2.83%.
UpNest also doesn't offer any guaranteed incentives for buyers. You can ask your agent for perks like cash-back or a home buyer rebate, but they might not offer this.
✍️ Editor's Note: UpNest told us that their agents also set their own minimum fees. If your home is below $500,000, make sure to ask your agent about minimum fees — because that might limit your actual savings. » Learn more about how real estate commission fees work |
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: 3.7/5
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UpNest has a decent overall rating: 4.6 out of 5 based on 6,632 total reviews between Shopper Approved, Google, and Better Business Bureau.
Most reviewers say that they had a positive experience with their agent and thought the company gave them a solid list of realtors to choose from.
Most negative reviews called out UpNest's customer service team, stating that they were hard to get in touch with.
✍️ Editor's Note: We excluded UpNest's Facebook reviews from our rating after our in-depth analysis found that most of them were spam. Out of the few credible reviews, most were from realtors who used UpNest as a platform — not sellers or buyers.
Here's what customers had to say about their experience with UpNest:
Great experience with an agent
Gary M. had a great experience with UpNest. They filled out a questionnaire on the brokerage's website, and were matched with three agents. They picked one, and say, "it was one of the best choices that I have ever made."
"[My agent] was always watching out for me and my interests. She was almost always available for questions, and if she was busy with other clients or in a meeting, she would return my calls as soon as she was free."
Gary's only complaint was that they received "constant calls and emails from the UpNest Advisors. That got to be pretty annoying." But overall, they were so impressed with their agent that they would "give UpNest another try."
Raul A., a seller in Florida, wrote on ShopperApproved that they found "a realtor for life" through UpNest. "Everything that could go wrong with a transaction, did," said Raul, but "[my agent] took care of us throughout the whole ordeal. Fighting with Lenders, Title Agents, and everyone else that got in the way of what turned out to eventually be a successful closing at full asking price with minimal repairs needed."
"[My agent] fought hard for us and we are THRILLED with the results even though it was a very bumpy ride," said Raul.
Poor or non-responsive customer service
Ally A. left a four-star review for UpNest, saying that UpNest helped them save money. "But they don't respond [to] email, call, or text messages. Need to be more communicative."
Karen H. left a review on UpNest's San Francisco home office saying that they didn't receive the savings UpNest promised: "They offered me no savings. They sent messages saying they did when they didn’t. They were a waste of time for me."
Realtors aren't matched with verified customers
A handful of reviews from real estate agents also call out poor customer service.
Amber S. writes: "So far this is not a useful platform. The clients are nonexistent and when you do finally talk to someone they act like you have no business calling them or their house is already listed or about to be listed which has happened a number of times."
"Do not use this company for business," says Ryan. “Their customer service is awful, they never answer the phone even though they have the time to email you asking for things they already have. They threatened to make an account delinquent after I provided proof that they received and cashed a check that they were asking for."
Dani B. has a similar complaint: "They do not verify whether sellers have an agent already or if [their] home is listed. Complete waste of my time. Do not recommend on any level."
Agent expertise
📊 Our rating: 1.5/5
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To join UpNest's network, a real estate agent must become licensed through NAR (the National Association of Realtors). This means that your UpNest agent will hold a valid state realtor license and agree to abide by NAR's Code of Ethics.[2] This is a pretty basic requirement, and one you'd expect of almost any realtor you work with.
Because UpNest doesn't have any other vetting requirements, there's no guarantee that your agent is a top performer, experienced in your local market, a good communicator, etc. If you decide to find an agent through UpNest, you'll need to vet the agent on your own.
We recommend looking up the agent's Zillow profile and any other social media or web presence. Read past customer reviews to make sure they have a solid reputation, and look at their transaction history to ensure that they have closed deals in the past 6–12 months in your local market.
UpNest history and news
UpNest was founded in 2013. It was acquired by Realtor.com in 2022 for an undisclosed amount.[3] UpNest has been recognized on a number of prestigious lists including:
- Deloitte's Technology Fast 500™: Recognizes companies that achieved significant revenue growth. UpNest was ranked #116 in 2019, and #85 in 2018.[4][5]
- Inc. Magazine's Most Successful Companies: Ranks the 5,000 fastest-growing privately held US companies. UpNest was ranked #396 in 2019 and #322 in 2018.[6][7]
UpNest locations
UpNest is headquartered in San Mateo, California, but its agent-matching service is available to sellers and buyers nationwide.
Next steps: Should I use UpNest?
Your experience with UpNest really comes down to the agent you're matched with. Because it's free to use, there's no harm in giving it a try. However, we recommend starting with a platform that pre-negotiates a lower listing fee with its agent network (like Clever or Ideal Agent). If you find an agent you like, you'll save thousands of dollars on realtor fees! If not, you can always sign up for UpNest.
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 can I save with UpNest?
Unlike its competitors, UpNest doesn’t negotiate discounted fees with realtors on your behalf. Instead, it allows realtors to offer their own discounts. UpNest told us that its agents charge anywhere from a 1.5–3% listing fee (for context, the average listing fee is 2.83%).
How does UpNest work?
When you sign up with UpNest, it will match you with multiple real estate agents in your area. You can then interview these agents and decide which, if any, are right for you. While UpNest claims its model helps reduce realtor commission, we’ve found savings on UpNest are limited. Other companies offer much better rates and match you with the same full-service realtors. Find discount real estate agents near you.
What is the UpNest referral fee?
UpNest’s referral fees — the fees agents pay to be on UpNest — are 30% for listing agents and 15% for buyer’s agents for each closed transaction with an UpNest client.
UpNest vs. Clever: What’s the difference?
UpNest and Clever will both match you with a top local realtor. The main difference is that whereas UpNest has no guaranteed savings, Clever pre-negotiates discounted listing fees of 1.5% with its partner agents. Learn more about how Clever Real Estate works.
UpNest vs Redfin: What’s the difference?
UpNest is an agent matching service, meaning it will match you with a real estate agent, but it doesn’t have its own agents. Redfin is a discount broker. It employs its own real estate agents and charges a listing fee of 1.5% — or lower if you choose to sell and buy with Redfin. Read our latest review of Redfin.
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 expertise (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, an MLS listing, a for-sale sign,and a 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 expertise
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.