About 43% of people in Boston, MA searched for properties online in 2023. That’s because these real estate websites allow you to add attractive photos and property descriptions. 80% of homebuyers find them useful when looking for their new home.
A good real estate website boosts your chances of getting an offer. But it comes with a hefty 6% agent fee. That is a whopping $24,000 on a $400,000 house! A Flat Fee MLS listing service like Houzeo can cut this in half. You pay only $12,000!
With its advanced tech and 5-star customer service, your home will be on the MLS within 24 hours. You can also hire professional real estate photographers via Houzeo to showcase your home’s best features online.
We’ve spent thousands of hours researching and reviewing the best real estate websites in Beantown. Here are our rankings:
🏅 7 Best Real Estate Sites in Boston
- Houzeo: Best Technology
- Zillow: Biggest Database
- Redfin: Best Tech-Enabled Brokerage
- Realtor: High Data Accuracy
- Boston Z Realty: Expert Local Agents
- Coldwell Banker Homes: Best For Local Market
- RE/MAX: Good Exposure
Reviews: Best Boston Real Estate Websites
1. Houzeo.com
Houzeo offers 4 Flat Fee MLS packages.
- Bronze Package – $399+: This package offers Houzeo listing only for 6 months with maximum photos.
- Silver Package – $399+0.5% at closing: This includes everything that home sellers typically look for.
- Gold Package – $429+ 0.5 at closing: It is Houzeo’s signature MLS package and includes all the technology Houzeo is known for Houzeo Showings, Houzeo Offers, and DigiTransact.
- Platinum – $449+ 1% at closing: It includes the assistance of a licensed broker to help you with negotiations, disclosures, and closing.
👉 Our Take: We recommend Houzeo’s Gold plan for most home sellers. It gives you access to high-tech features like Houzeo Offers and Houzeo Showings.
» Houzeo Reviews: Houzeo is 100% online. You can finish listing formalities in less than 60 mins.
Houzeo is America’s #1 Flat Fee MLS service because of 4 reasons:
- Max Exposure: Your listing gets syndicated to popular real estate websites like Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, Redfin, and more.
- 5-star Customer Service: Houzeo has a fully staffed customer service desk available 6 days a week. Chats and emails are open 7 days a week.
- 100% Online: Houzeo offers a complete online listing experience. Its powerful property search app makes your home visible to interested buyers on the go.
- No Hidden Fees: In most states, you’ll be paying just a small flat fee to list on MLS by owner. And remember, all fees are disclosed upfront, so there are no Houzeo hidden fees. You get to bypass the listing agent commission.
- Free Home Value Estimator: Now, you can get a free home value estimate within 30 seconds. It helps you set a listing price.
There are no dealbreakers with Houzeo.
» Is Houzeo Good? Houzeo addresses all Houzeo complaints from home sellers.
Houzeo has 4.9 out of 5 stars from thousands of home sellers on Google and Trustpilot.
» Houzeo Reviews: Read why Houzeo is rated excellent by 10,000+ home sellers.
Houzeo.com is Boston’s #1 ranked real estate website for its Flat Fee MLS service. Houzeo provides an unbeatable combination of max savings, 5-star customer support, and cutting-edge technology. To avail of these services you can purchase one of its packages.
In Boston, the Bronze package costs $399. The Silver package costs $409 +0.5% at close and the Gold package costs $429 +0.5% at close. The Platinum package costs $449 +1% at close.
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2. Zillow
Zillow offers the following listing plans for home sellers:
- FSBO Listing on Zillow – $0: You can list your home for free on Zillow’s FSBO platform.
- Zillow Premier Agent – 3% commission: This is the traditional way to sell your home. An agent assists you through the home sale process.
👉 Our Take: You can list your home on Zillow FSBO free of charge. So, you save money on agent commissions, which are 2.5% to 3% of the home sales price.
» How Does Zillow Work? Read further to learn the process of Zillow.
Here are some advantages to choosing Zillow:
- Free Listing: You can list your home on Zillow’s FSBO website free of charge.
- Free Cancellation: You can cancel your Zillow listing without any additional charges or hidden costs.
- Market Exposure: It is one of the most popular real estate websites, with millions of visitors each month. This means that your listing will be seen by a large number of potential buyers.
- Nationwide Coverage: Zillow FSBO is present in all 50 states in America.
- Easy To Use: Zillow’s website and mobile app are easy to use and navigate. Users can search for properties by location, price, features, and other criteria.
Zillow has some major drawbacks that a user should be aware of.
- Slow Listings: Your listing can take up to 72 hours from the time you submit your property details.
- Inaccurate Zestimate: Zestimate, Zillow’s property valuation tool is often inaccurate. This misleads both buyers and sellers.
- Limited Support: Zillow’s customer support may not match the level of personalized guidance offered by other FSBO companies.
- Lead for Real Estate Agent: Your listing information gets sold to Zillow’s agents. You’ll get calls not from buyers but from agents.
- Hide FSBO Listings: Zillow hides FSBO listings behind agent listings. FSBO listings are hidden 2 clicks away and get almost no traffic.
Zillow has a poor rating of 1.5 out of 5 stars from 300+ reviews on Trustpilot.
» Zillow Reviews: Read further to know why customers are dissatisfied with Zillow services.
Zillow is a good platform to showcase properties for buyers and sellers in America. It was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Seattle. With 373 million monthly visits, it is one of the most popular real estate websites.
Zillows’ paid listings get your property on the MLS. Alternatively, it offers free listings on its website. However, Zillow’s default search results prioritize agent listings.
3. Redfin
Redfin does not disclose its pricing on its website. Sellers will have to pay common closing costs.
- It offers 0.5% buyer’s rebate. To avail this, you’ll have to buy and sell with them.
👉 Our Take: Redfin offers 1 rebate option but with a strict clause. While, other real estate companies are willing to offer a higher rebate.
» Redfin Reviews: The reality of the buyer’s rebate.
Here are some advantages of choosing Redfin:
- Advanced Technology: With 3D walkthroughs and 40+ filters to narrow down your search, the Redfin app makes it easy to find the right home from anywhere.
- Paired With Local Agents: Local agents know their market better. This can help you secure a good deal.
- Home Tour: You can see updated listings every 5 minutes on their website. You can also schedule a home tour for the same day.
- Nationwide Coverage: Redfin covers 80+ markets in the US.
Here are some limitations we found with Redfin.
- Strict Rebate Criteria: Clients who sell and buy with Redfin within one year get a rebate of 0.5%.
- No Freedom in Agent Selection: You get an agent assigned automatically without having a choice in the matter.
- Agents Are Less Incentivized: Unlike traditional agents who work for commission, Redfin agents get a fixed salary. This can demotivate them from offering you additional services.
- Poor Customer Reviews: Customers have complained that agents are often unreachable and unprofessional.
Redfin has an average rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars from 60+ reviews on Google.
» Redfin Reviews: The Reality of the 1% Fees, Pros, Cons, and Alternatives!
Redfin is one of the largest discount brokerages in the US. David Eraker, David Selinger, and Michael Dougherty founded the company in 2004. Since 2017, Redfin has been a publicly traded company.
Redfin offers great services at lower rates. It operates nationwide through its network of agents. You will be paired with a local agent if you choose to use Redfin’s services. However, you don’t have the privilege to select a specific one.
4. Realtor.com
Realtor.com does not charge home buyers or renters any fees for using their platform. However, they do charge real estate agents fees for listing homes on their platform.
The exact fees depend on the agent’s location and other factors, such as home size.
👉 Our Take: Realtor.com seems to be a comprehensive platform for home buyers, sellers, and renters. They offer a range of services such as home listings, neighborhood information, real estate news, and many more.
Here are some advantages of choosing Realtor.com:
- Accurate Listings: Realtor.com claims to have an up-to-date listings of homes for sale and rent.
- Neighborhood Information: Realtor.com provides information about neighborhoods, such as school ratings, crime rates, and local amenities.
- Home Value Estimator: It provides an online tool that estimates the value of your home based on recent sales and other factors.
- Mortgage Calculator: Realtor.com offers a mortgage calculator that helps you estimate your monthly mortgage payments. The estimation is based on the price of the home, down payment, interest rate, and other factors.
- User-Friendly Interface: Their easy-to-use interface makes it simple to search for homes and access other features.
- REALTOR Support: It is the official listing website of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). So, buyers can buy or rent a property through a Realtor.
Here are some major drawbacks that a user should be aware of.
- Offline Process: Realtor.com has manual and offline procedures which can be very complex and time-taking.
- Poor Reviews: Many of their users complained about their customer support and realtor’s services.
- Unwanted Calls: Once you inquired about a property on Realtor.com, you start getting unsolicited calls from their agents.
Realtor.com has a poor rating of 1.6 out of 5 stars from 1000+ users on Trustpilot.
Realtor.com was founded in 1995 as the Realtor Information Network (RIN). It was a closed network providing proprietary information to members of the NAR. The site was relaunched in 1996 as a public website displaying property listings.
Realtor.com has a lot of statistical data as it sources listings from 800 regional MLS systems. This information is updated regularly, making realtor.com’s repository the most accurate real estate database.
5. Boston Z Realty
Boston Z Realty does not disclose pricing on the website. This means you might end up paying the traditional 3% to 6% commission.
👉 Our Take: Boston Z Realty offers a smooth list-to-close journey with dedicated agents. They have a team of 19 people, including 2 brokers. Their services are available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Boston Z Realty offers good service in the selected states they are available in:
- Local Market Expertise: Several customer reviews reflect that the Boston Z Realty agents are well-acquainted with the local market.
- Personalized Customer Support: It is easy to connect with the agents and the problem resolution is quick. They are well-known for their dedicated agents.
- Negotiation Assistance: A BZR client said that Dillon was able to negotiate a cash offer within 4 days with no inspection. She earned $75,000 over her list price.
- Superfast Closing: According to many reviews, they have a record of closing within 10 days.
In our research, we came across some deal breakers with Boston Z Realty.
- Outdated Website: Its user interface is clunky and hard to navigate. Their website is outdated with no seller dashboard or buyer features. No information about pricing is available.
- No Mobile App: BZR does not have a free mobile app. This means you are left to deal with their outdated website.
- Offline Process: Boston Z Realty has a manual paperwork process. This can delay your listing.
Boston Z Realty has 5 out of 5-star ratings from 70+ users on Google.
Boston Z Realty is one of the best local real estate agencies founded in 2012. They are well-known for their dedicated agents.
Boston Z Realty has a proven track record of offering best-in-class real estate services and customer support. However, their outdated website is difficult to navigate and offers little to no information about their services.
6. Coldwell Banker Homes
Coldwell Banker does not disclose pricing on its website. This means you might end up paying the traditional 3% to 6% commission.
To get an exact figure about your commission, contact your local Coldwell Banker office.
👉 Our Take: Coldwell Banker is one of the oldest real estate franchises. It has a global network and offers a wide range of services. However, the traditional agent commission can burn a hole in your pocket.
Here are some advantages of choosing Coldwell Banker:
- Good Presence & Reach: They have 94,000+ affiliated sales agents and a diverse network of over 3000 offices.
- Technology Integration: They have developed a tech suite. This includes RealVitalize®, AARP® Real Estate Benefits by Anywhere, CB Estimate®, and more.
- Strong Brand Recognition and Loyalty: They attract more customers and referrals due to their long history and reputation in the real estate industry.
Here are some disadvantages of Coldwell Banker:
- Additional Costs: There are additional costs for signs, advertising, photography, etc.
- Platform Issues: Previous customers have reported issues related to their agent platform.
Coldwell Banker has an average rating of 1.9 out of 5 stars from 170+ users on Consumer Affairs.
Coldwell Banker is a real estate franchise that operates nationwide. It provides commission-based services. It is owned by Anywhere Real Estate, with headquarters in Madison, New Jersey.
Coldwell Banker has a long history and reputation in the industry, dating back to 1906. It offers real estate services through its diverse network of 94,000+ agents.
7. RE/MAX
RE/MAX has its headquarters in Orlando, FL. The company does not disclose agent commissions on its website. However, based on reviews you may have to pay 3% to 6% as commission.
- No corporate fee is involved with RE/MAX referrals. You can choose the agents or vice versa and set the terms of your agreement.
👉 Our Take: RE/MAX is known for its reputation and credibility. It is a solid choice for home sellers due to its extensive network and experienced agents. The company offers unparalleled exposure for your property.
Here are the key features of RE/MAX:
- Global Reach: RE/MAX has over 135,000 agents, and its network is spread over 100 countries.
- Competitive Home Pricing: Agents at RE/MAX will conduct an in-depth evaluation and a CMA of your property to price your home competitively.
- Additional Service: RE/MAX Collection and RE/MAX Commercial offer specialized tools and advertising programs to luxury and commercial real estate professionals.
Here are some drawbacks of RE/MAX:
- Limited Discount Options: The company focuses on traditional full-service brokerage rather than discount or low-cost options.
- Inconsistent Service: Service quality may vary depending on the local franchise office.
RE/MAX has a poor rating of 1 out of 5 stars from 300+ users on Consumer Affairs.
RE/MAX, LLC is a subsidiary of RE/MAX Holdings, one of the world’s largest real estate franchisors. The company operates in over 100 countries and has over 140,000 agents worldwide.
RE/MAX also offer specialized tools and advertising programs to luxury and commercial real estate professionals. However, the company has received a number of negative reviews from previous customers.
Types of Real Estate Websites in Boston
Real estate websites can be categorized into 6 main types:
- Home Selling Websites: These websites provide maximum exposure to the property and make the sale in a short time. They also help sellers price their homes competitively and attract potential buyers.
- Home Buying Websites: These websites help buyers search for properties online. Perfect home-buying sites must provide efficient tools, adequate resources, and impressive features to work on.
- Best Rental Websites: Rental websites also allow property owners to lease their properties and reach out to potential customers.
- Best Property Search Websites: The best house-hunting websites help you search for all types of properties online. This includes homes, rental properties, plots, ranches, and commercial properties.
- Best MLS Listing Websites: The best MLS listing sites help you list your property online for free or for a small listing fee. Top real estate websites share your listing details with other sites, giving your property more exposure.
- Best Real Estate Investor Websites: These websites help investors with property resources, price trends, and community forums.
How to Choose the Best Real Estate Website in Boston?
You can choose the best real estate websites in Boston based on these factors:
- Strong Technology: Websites with robust technology can make selling or buying a house faster and more efficient. Look for features like virtual tours, professional photos, and user-friendly interfaces.
- Responsive Customer Service: Having good customer service can make your real estate transaction go smoothly. Find a website that offers prompt and helpful customer service.
- Maximum Exposure: Find a website that will give maximum exposure to your property. This could also include an MLS listing, social media sharing, and customizable yard signs.
Why Houzeo is the #1 Real Estate Website in Boston?
Houzeo.com is the #1 real estate website in Boston for:
- Max Exposure: It gives you access to the MLS, Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, Redfin, and 100s of other real estate websites.
- 100% Online: Easy listing, fast changes, online showings, and online offers.
- 5-star Customer Service: You get assistance from the list to close with Houzeo Concierge.
- No Listing Commission: In most states, you’ll be paying just a small flat fee to get access to the MLS.
- Real Estate on the Go: The Houzeo Mobile App allows you to list your property, manage showings, compare offers, and even counter an offer
Eager to Know How Houzeo Works?
We have got you covered. Check out how Houzeo works and how you can list your property on the MLS with Houzeo.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best real estate websites in Boston?
Houzeo, Zillow and Redfin are the top contenders for best real estate websites in Boston. However, Houzeo provides unique packages that can help home sellers with a quick and smooth home sale experience.
Are there lisitng fees for real estate websites in Boston?
Yes, almost all real estate websites charge listing fees from sellers. Some even charge convenience fees to the renter who wants to apply for an apartment. Websites like Houzeo offer listing services at an affordable flat fee in Massachusetts.
Are real estate websites safe in Boston?
Yes, real estate websites are safe as long as you find the right sites. However, there are scam sites, so make sure to do your research before you venture in.