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Sunshine Realty is a flat fee MLS company that helps you list your home on the multiple listing service (MLS) for an upfront fee of $399 plus 0.5% at closing. It operates in Missouri, primarily in the Greater St. Louis area.
Flat fee MLS companies can help you reach buyers through the MLS without paying a traditional listing agent. On a $400,000 home, a traditional agent costs $12,000 (3%). Sunshine Realty's MLS plan costs just $399 plus 0.5% ($2,000), saving you about $9,600.
Most flat fee MLS companies have a major trade-off: you don't get the full range of support that an agent gives, and you have to manage the home sale yourself. However, Sunshine Realty is different. It advertises full service, just like a traditional agent would give — including an in-house consultation, pricing strategy, showings, negotiations, and paperwork.
One limitation of Sunshine Realty is the lack of flexibility. Unlike other flat fee MLS companies, it doesn't offer several plans at different price points so you can choose the level of service you want. It also has only a few agents you can work with.
If you want a greater selection of agents who charge lower commission, consider using a service that allows you to compare multiple low-cost agents.
Sunshine Realty flat fee MLS plan and pricing
Everything a traditional agent provides, including:
- In-home consultation
- Professional home valuation
- Staging advice
- MLS listing and syndication
- Professional photos
- Yard sign
- Lockbox
- Showing and feedback service
- Offers and negotiation support
- Full guidance through closing
Sunshine Realty provides everything a traditional listing agent would typically cover. But it only offers a single plan, so sellers who want a DIY sale experience for a very low price will need to look elsewhere.
The full-service plan costs $399 upfront and 0.5% of the sale price at closing. This is a great deal compared to traditional realtors who provide the same service for a much higher price (2.5–3%) or other flat fee MLS companies that offer a similar price but limited service.
Sunshine Realty does have some limitations, though. It doesn't offer any proprietary tech or app, so you don't have an online platform to track your sale. Communication is limited to phone, text, and email.
Also, you may need to do a little more of the marketing yourself than with some other agents. Sunshine will list your home on the local MLS, which automatically pushes it to sites like Zillow and Realtor.com — standard exposure for most listings. They’ll also provide yard signs and share your listing on social media, but those posts usually don’t get much attention. Beyond that, Sunshine told us it expects sellers to help drive interest.
For buyers, Sunshine Realty offers basic support with searching for homes, scheduling showings, and closing. While the company website says buyers don’t pay a buyer’s agent fee,[1] recent changes following the NAR lawsuit mean buyers could end up paying that cost if the seller doesn’t agree to cover it.
Who does Sunshine Realty work best for?
Sunshine Realty could be right for you if:
- You’re selling in Sunshine Realty’s core St. Louis market. Sunshine Realty’s agents focus on specific counties in the Greater St. Louis area and have been working there for more than a decade. That kind of local experience matters because pricing, buyer demand, and negotiation strategies can vary widely by neighborhood — and agents who know the area well are better positioned to price correctly and anticipate buyer behavior so you sell for top dollar.
- You want to save money on commission without sacrificing service. Sunshine Realty charges a $399 upfront listing fee plus 0.5% at closing. On a $400,000 home, that’s about $2,400 total compared to $10,000–12,000 with the average commission rate of 2.5–3%. Reviews suggest sellers still get hands-on, high-quality support despite the lower cost.
- You want full service at a lower price. Unlike many flat fee MLS companies, Sunshine Realty provides full-service representation, including pricing guidance, negotiations, and closing support. Customer reviews consistently describe attentive agents and smooth transactions, so sellers aren’t trading service quality for savings.
Sunshine Realty may not be the right fit if:
- You have a unique or hard-to-sell property that needs heavy marketing. While Sunshine Realty lists homes on the MLS and handles the core selling work, its agents have said they don’t see much traction from social media marketing and rely more on sellers to help boost visibility. If your home needs aggressive, multi-channel marketing to find the right buyer, you may want a brokerage with deeper marketing resources.
- You want a more tech-driven experience. Sunshine Realty primarily communicates by phone, text, and email and doesn’t offer a proprietary app or online dashboard. For some sellers, that’s perfectly fine. But if you value digital tools for tracking showings, feedback, documents, or timelines in one place, a more tech-forward platform may be easier to manage.
- You want more choice when selecting an agent. Sunshine Realty is a small brokerage with only a few agents. While reviews suggest they deliver high-quality service, you may end up wanting a larger pool of agents to choose from — especially if you need someone with specific experience in your type of home or a different personal working style that feels like the right fit.
If Sunshine Realty doesn’t feel like the right match, consider using another low-commission company like Clever Real Estate.
Clever also offers full-service, local agents — but with broader agent selection, more hands-on marketing, and an online platform to streamline the process. You'd pay a 1.5% listing fee, which can still mean big savings compared to traditional commission (sellers save an average of $7,000). If you're interested in exploring this option, just answer a few quick questions, and we’ll match you with top-rated agents near you. This service is free, and there's no obligation to move forward with an agent.
Sunshine Realty pros and cons
Pros
- Affordable listing plan can save you thousands of dollars
- Local expertise in certain St. Louis counties
- Provides full service, unlike most flat fee MLS companies
Cons
- Offers only one plan, so you don't have the option to save more money if you want a DIY sale
- Limited social media marketing, which could affect how quickly you find the right buyer
- Few agents to choose from, which could mean you don't find the best fit for your needs
Sunshine Realty reviews from customers
Sunshine Realty reviews are positive overall, with a rating of 4.6 out of 5 across 70 reviews. In the last two years, customers have left only a handful of reviews, and none of them are negative.
Here's an overview of the most recent feedback:
- ✅ Smart pricing and strategy that get real results. Several reviewers say Sunshine Realty knew exactly how to price and position their homes. David mentions that Evelyn gave clear, practical advice on home prep and pricing, and the Orlando family credits Ashley’s strategy for drawing huge interest — 30+ showings in two days and multiple offers that landed them $25,000 over asking.
- ✅ Super responsive, hands-on support. People repeatedly point out how on top of things the agents were. The Orlando family describes Ashley as quick to respond, great at handling surprises like loan changes, and proactive about resolving issues with the seller’s agent. John Brawley echoes this, saying Ashley walked them through a process that had changed a lot since their last sale and made the paperwork feel manageable.
- ✅ A smooth, low-stress experience with patient agents. A common thread is how calm and supported clients felt throughout the process. Gina highlights Evelyn’s patience during a two-year home search, while John and the Orlandos both say their transactions went smoothly from start to finish, even with tight timelines and moving parts.
And here are the full reviews:
I am realtor in Arizona and I recently helped my Mom sell her Villa in Lake Saint Louis. We hired Sunshine Realty for their local expertise. Evelyn gave us great advice [for] home prep and pricing and did a great job from beginning to end. We are very happy with how everything worked out.
We couldn't be happier with Sunshine Realty company and our realtor, Evelyn. We've been looking for over two years and she's never lost patience. Thank you Evelyn for finding the perfect home for us!!
Ashley made our home buying experience go so smoothly! From the day we saw our dream home until we closed thirty days later, Ashley managed to get our offer (under asking price) accepted, helped us navigate changing loans when we had unforeseen circumstances pop up, kept us in the loop when we had issues arise with the seller’s agent, and was generally just VERY quick about responding and getting things taken care of. I truly don’t think we could have had a more seamless experience! As for selling our old home, Ashley’s listing looked great and we had 30+ people tour the home the first 48 hours it was on the market. She brought in 10+ offers and we were under contract for $25k over asking price with proper appraisal gap coverage in place just two days after listing. Ashley’s bubbly and super approachable personality as well as her knowledge in real estate was paramount in the quick closing on both our forever home and our old home. I would HIGHLY recommend her to any of our friends in MO looking for their next home!
Ashley and Evelyn at SUNSHINE REALTY are a GREAT REALTY TEAM. Ashley worked directly with us. She quided us through the entire Sales process. Ashley was fantastic to work with and if we would need to sell again we would look forward to working with Ashley. By using ASHLEY AT SUNSHINE REALTY, we SAVED thousands of dollars and sold our home quickly, all THANKS to Ashley's market pricing knowledge and amazing photos. It had been years since our last home sale and the process and paperwork had changed. I reiterate, THANKS to ASHLEY, at SUNSHINE REALTY, Our sale and closing went smoothly, all while being done in the privacy of our home. We cannot recommend Sunshine Realty enough!! Try it you will love it!
Sunshine Realty company info
| 🏢 Business address | 350 Lake St. Louis Blvd., Lake St. Louis, MO 63367 |
| 🌐 Website | sunshinerealtystl.com |
| 📞 Phone number | (636) 336-1330 |
| 🗓️ Founding | 2010 |
| 🏆 Credibility | Ashley McLaren, a Sunshine Realty team member, was a finalist in the real estate agent category for St. Louis Magazine's A-List Readers' Choice Awards in 2022.[2] We spoke to a company rep who was knowledgeable and transparent about the company's offerings and limitations. |
Sunshine Realty alternatives
Sunshine Realty vs. other flat fee MLS companies
Sunshine Realty stands out for offering full service and local expertise at a lower cost, which already puts it ahead of many flat fee MLS companies. Still, depending on how hands-on you want to be and how much flexibility or tech support you value, one of the options below could be a better match.
Houzeo is a strong alternative for sellers who want more control through technology and flexible pricing. Its biggest advantage is its intuitive online platform, which makes it easy to create, manage, and update your MLS listing without relying on an agent. Houzeo also offers multiple service tiers, ranging from low-cost DIY plans to virtual full-service options that are cheaper than most traditional agents. The trade-off is that your listing is handled by a third-party broker, and support varies by plan — so you may not get the same consistent, relationship-driven service Sunshine provides. Houzeo is best for confident sellers who like managing details online and want flexibility in how much help they pay for.
Homecoin is one of the most affordable flat fee MLS options and works best for experienced, hands-on sellers. Its basic plans include valuable essentials like maximum photos, call forwarding, and pricing tools — often at a lower upfront cost than competitors. However, Homecoin offers very limited support beyond listing your home, with no negotiation help or contract review. Compared to Sunshine Realty’s full-service model, Homecoin requires sellers to handle much more of the transaction themselves. It’s a good fit if saving every possible dollar matters more than having professional guidance.
Fizber sits somewhere in the middle, offering budget-friendly MLS access with decent online tools, but little personal support. Its Premium MLS Boost plan provides solid value with a longer listing term, more photos, and extras like a showing scheduler and virtual tour. Still, Fizber doesn’t offer broker support, and pricing can feel less transparent across plans. Compared to Sunshine Realty, Fizber is better suited for sellers who are comfortable managing negotiations and paperwork on their own and mainly want MLS exposure at a low cost.
🔍 See our full list of the top flat fee MLS companies in Missouri.
Sunshine Realty vs. low-commission agents
Sunshine Realty is already a strong option if you want full service at a reduced cost, especially if you're selling in Sunshine’s core St. Louis–area markets and feel confident working with a small, local team. It’s a good middle ground between traditional agents and DIY flat fee MLS services.
That said, if Sunshine Realty doesn’t feel like the right fit — whether you want more agent choices, broader marketing support, or a more tech-enabled experience — a low-commission agent can be a smart alternative.
Services like Clever Real Estate connect you with full-service local agents who handle pricing, marketing, negotiations, and showings, while still charging a lower 1.5% listing fee. It’s a way to get hands-on, professional support without paying traditional commission.
- FSBO listings sell for 15% less on average vs. agent-assisted sales
- Clever lets you list with top local realtors for just 1.5% at closing
- Get full in-person representation, showings, pro photos, and more
