✏️ Editor’s Note: Realtor Associations, agents, and MLS’ have started implementing changes related to the NAR’s $418 million settlement. While home-sellers will likely save thousands in commission, compliance and litigation risks have significantly increased for sellers throughout the nation. Learn how NAR’s settlement affects home sellers.
UpNest is an online agent-matching service. They have partnered with real estate agents across the country. You can get recommendations for free.
Editor’s Rating
User Rating
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Pros
- No fee for buyers and sellers
- Competitive agent proposals
- Nationwide coverage
Cons
- Only 3-5 agent suggestions
- Minimal saving opportunity
- Possibility of spam calls and messages
UpNest operates as an online agent-matching service. It’s a free online marketplace. They collaborate with real estate agents across the US. Based on your requirements, you receive proposals from the agents in your city.
You can review and compare the proposals to select the perfect agent for your needs. With UpNest’s partnerships with leading brokerages such as Keller Williams and Compass, you are likely to find a top-tier agent.
UpNest agents are free to set their commissions and usually charge a standard 3% commission. UpNest charges 30% of their commissions as a referral fee. This may affect the agent’s willingness to negotiate commission rates with you.
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✍️ Editor’s Take: We recommend Houzeo over UpNest. Houzeo helps you save up around 2.5% commission. Instead of the traditional listing agent commission, you only have to pay $429+ 0.5%. Compare UpNest vs. Houzeo.
Is UpNest Legit?
Yes, UpNest is a legitimate real estate brokerage based in San Francisco, California. The company was founded in 2013 by Simon Ru. In June 2022, Move Inc. acquired UpNest. Move Inc. is the parent company of Realtor.com. Subsequently, UpNest is branded as “UpNest by Realtor.com”.
UpNest doesn’t operate as a brokerage. So, you can only expect to connect with agents from other brokerages, not from UpNest themselves. It’s worth noting that UpNest isn’t accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
How Does UpNest Work?
You can initiate the process on UpNest.com by specifying whether you want to sell or buy a property. Here’s how working with UpNest will go:
- Submit Basic Details: You need to fill in property details on their website. UpNest uses this information to pair you with agents.
- Confirm Your Request: You will receive a call from an UpNest advisor to verify your request.
- Receive Recommendations: Within the next 24 hours, you will get 3 to 5 no-obligation proposals from the nearby agents on the UpNest dashboard.
- Compare Proposals: These proposals are comprehensive and include marketing plans, suggested listing prices, and commission rates. You can review the proposals to make the decision.
- Collaborate With the Agent: If the proposal meets your expectations, you can work with the agent to move forward with the home-selling process.
Your agent will provide you with services similar to those offered by any other full-service broker. Once you begin the process with the agent, UpNest’s role concludes. They do not intervene at any stage of the transaction.
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✍️ What Does No-Obligation Proposal Mean? This type of proposal doesn’t impose any compulsion of acceptance. So, if you don’t like any of the proposals from the agents of UpNest, you can walk away.
How Much Does Upnest Cost?
UpNest does not charge any fee to offer recommendations. There is no obligation to hire any of the agents who submit proposals. If you choose to sell with UpNest’s agent, typical commissions are still between 5.5% and 6%.
For a property of $450,000, you’ll end up paying $24,750 to $27,000 to the agent. On top of that, you’ll also incur 3%-4% or $13,500 or $18,000 for other closing costs. So, you’ll only get $411,750 to $405,000.
Therefore, the potential savings with UpNest can be minimal, given you are paying the same commissions. Other competitors of UpNest offer better opportunities to save.
» What’s My Home’s Value: You can know your home’s market value with Houzeo’s free Home Worth Estimator. It helps you estimate the amount you will get upon sale.
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✍️ UpNest’s Referral Fee: UpNest charges a referral fee to their agent. This fee is 30% of the 6% commission.
Upnest Coverage
UpNest provides coverage across the United States.
| Regions | States |
| Northeast | Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont |
| Midwest | Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Nebraska |
| South | Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, District of Columbia |
| West | Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Wyoming |
Upnest Reviews
UpNest has an average customer rating of 4.7 stars on Google based on 297 reviews. Most customer reviews of UpNest.com praise their services. Some UpNest complaints mention inconsistent experiences with their agent.
UpNest Positive Reviews
✅ Marie had a great experience with the agent she met through UpNest. She was happy with the excellent services.
We recently sold our house in Folsom, CA…met Karen through UpNest. She was one of the agents shortlisted for us when we asked for agent referrals. We chose her over 10 other agents and we couldn’t be happier with our choice…We recommend Karen to friends, family, anyone in a heartbeat!
Source: Google
✅ Jeff was very happy with the agent he found through UpNest. The agent helped him offload a hard-to-sell property in difficult times.
We wanted to sell our condo in San Francisco and knew it might be tough. Condos weren’t the hot commodity that single-family homes have been during COVID. We wanted an experienced broker. I found UpNest and interviewed a few brokers. One stood out and we hired him…He and his team handled all the remodeling work and had a good sales strategy that ultimately got us significantly over asking.
Source: Google
Upnest Negative Reviews
❌ Mlkery was not happy with the agent suggestions he got. As per him, the agents were not experienced in the local market.
My wife and I are selling our house…The agents they sent me to review were not suitable because…I live in a niche neighborhood which requires localized expertise…None of the 4 agents seemed to have experience with the price bracket…But that did not stop them from trying to contact me. I have been inundated with unsolicited e mails and phone calls. I consider this quite unprofessional.
Source: Google
❌ D.J. Everett called out the referral fee of UpNest. According to him, UpNest only works as a lead generation website and earns a commission.
An abomination of a lead generation site. Trying to push you to offer lower commissions then want to grab a larger and larger referral fee. What a joke!
Source: Google
UpNest Reviews: Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Upnest:
👍 Pros
- No-Obligation Services: If you don’t like any of the agents you are connected with, you can walk away without incurring any costs.
- No Direct Cost: UpNest does not charge buyers or sellers for their services. Their agent recommendations are 100% free.
- Nationwide Coverage: UpNest has collaborated with agents across the United States. This allows you to connect with agents who have local market expertise.
👎 Cons
- Unpredictable Service Quality: Your experience depends on the agent you are connected with. UpNest’s credibility doesn’t assure the service quality you get.
- Limited Agent Recommendations: UpNest provides you with only 3-5 agents. Companies like Homelight provide the option to request additional recommendations, which we couldn’t find on UpNest’s website.
- Low Scope to Negotiate Commissions: Agents who secure clients through UpNest pay a referral fee. This may impact their willingness to negotiate commissions.
- Spam Calls and Messages: As per UpNest reviews, you may get spam calls from the agents who want to sell their services.
UpNest Competitors
» Jump to: UpNest vs. Houzeo | UpNest vs. Clever | UpNest vs. HomeLight
1. UpNest vs. Houzeo
UpNest and Houzeo, are both tech-centric platforms that simplify your real estate journey. However, the approach of both companies is different.
UpNest helps you locate an agent who charges up to 3% commission. On the other hand, Houzeo helps you list on the MLS without an agent for $429 + 0.5%. With Houzeo, you also get the support of a virtual agent at the crucial steps of a home sale.
| Listing Fee | ||
| Customer Rating | ||
| Coverage | ||
| Unlimited Listing Updates | ||
| Showings Management | ||
| Offer Management | ||
| Counter an Offer | ||
| Request Highest and Best Offer | ||
| Home Inspection Dashboard |
3. UpNest vs. HomeLight
UpNest and HomeLight work similarly. Both companies have a wide network of agents across the country. However, while UpNest connects you with only 3 to 5 agents, with HomeLight, you can ask for more recommendations.
Other Options You Should Consider
- Sell to an iBuyer: Many iBuyers, like Opendoor and Offerpad, purchase hundreds of homes available in the market. iBuyers can be a great option if you want to sell your house fast.
- Sell to Cash Home Buyers: Individual companies that buy houses for cash make all-cash offers, usually within 24 to 48 hours. Cash buyers let you skip the hassle of listing on the MLS, inspection, appraisal, etc.
- Sell For Sale By Owner: For Sale By Owner websites will help you list and sell a house by owner and save thousands in listing agent commission. Many FSBO websites will also get you listed on the MLS and help you with FSBO paperwork.
Is UpNest Worth It?
If you’ve opted to sell through an agent and are comfortable with the 3% commission, UpNest is best to expedite your search. As it doesn’t charge any fee, there’s no harm in getting recommendations. However, interview the agents diligently before moving forward with the sale.
But, if you want to save on commissions, UpNest might not be a viable choice. UpNest’s agent charges the standard 6% commission. Additionally, negotiating these commissions down would be difficult as the agent has to pay a referral fee.
We recommend you use a Flat Fee MLS listing company like Houzeo to sell your home. You can get your home on the MLS by paying a nominal fee. Moreover, Houzeo’s dashboard helps you manage listings, showings, and offers effectively.
» Houzeo Reviews: Here’s why 7,000+ home sellers have rated Houzeo 4.9 stars out of 5.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is UpNest?
UpNest is an agent-matching service. They help you find a real estate agent through their tech-centric platform. UpNest doesn't charge anything for their service and gives you 3-5 agent suggestions. Learn more about UpNest and their services.
What are the alternatives to UpNest?
UpNest's top competitors include Clever Real Estate, Sold.com, HomeLight, and Ideal Agent. These companies offer agent-matching services. Some of them even offer a fixed discount on broker's commission. Compare UpNest vs. Competitors.
How much is UpNest referral fee?
UpNest charges 30% from the commission as a referral fee to agents. This percentage goes to UpNest before the broker split. Know more about UpNest and their services.
Who owns UpNest?
UpNest was was founded by Simon RU in 2012. The company was acquired by Realtor.com, a leading online real estate platform, in 2022. Realtor.com, operated by Move, Inc., finalized the acquisition to enhance its offerings for home sellers and real estate agents.
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