Whenever you think of buying or selling a house in America, Clever Real Estate is sure to pop up. The national brokerage has been gaining popularity for quite some time now.

So what is Clever Real Estate?

Clever Real Estate is a platform that acts as a matchmaker between potential home sellers and buyers to real estate agents. The platform is entirely online and serves as a referral company connecting buyers or sellers of a house with agents in the specified area. The company calls itself a real estate service that charges a discount real estate brokerage and a fixed fee.

Clever Real Estate and its Big Offers

Clever Real Estate pairs home buyers and sellers with real estate agents. Its customers save money as they don't have to pay their agent the typical commissions (around 6% for a house sale). The company offers a flat listing commission of 1% on homes values above $350,000. It also provides a flat $3000 commission if the house is valued below $350,000. Clever also gives rebates on commission charged to home buyers ranging from $1000 to 1% on houses valued over $500,000.

How it works

Like we said, Clever Real Estate works as a matchmaker. So they will match you with one of the real estate agents from any of the firms they have partnered with. These agents then provide the real estate services at a discounted rate. Payment for this is due only when you close the house. A critical point here, which is usually relegated to the fine print, is that the percentage does not include the buyer’s agent commission.

Background

Clever Real Estate was established in 2017 and is headquartered in St Loius, Missouri. It operates in all 50 states as well as in Puerto Rico. The company has been accredited with a BBB rating since 2018. Their website claims to help over 12 million people make “smarter” real estate decisions annually.

Advantages of using Clever Real Estate

1) Working with a professional

Deciding to buy a home or sell your home is a huge decision. Apart from all else, a ton of paperwork needs to be correct, or else it can attract penalties worth thousands. In such a scenario, it is always better to be working with a professional rather than figuring things out as you go. And Clever Real Estate does just that. It pairs you up with a real estate agent who guides you every step of the way. Since Clever Real Estate has partnered with some well-known real estate firms, you will be matched with an agent who brings a lot of experience and knowledge to the table.

2) Saves time

Zeroing in on the perfect real estate agent suitable for your needs is a mammoth task. And it can take months to decide who is ideal for you and who understands what you wish to gain out of the transaction. When you use Clever Real Estate, you cut this time down massively. You need to go to the Clever Real Estate website and answer a few questions. After this, you speak to one of their representatives. This is so that the company can better understand your requirements. And after that, you just let technology do the rest. Before you know it, Clever Real Estate will have zeroed in on the perfect real estate agent for you. This is so much easier than doing a truckload of, often unnecessary, research.

3) Saves Money

You save money. Apart from the time you save and the expert handholding, you save money as a home buyer or a home seller. On average, you save approximately 2% just in agent commissions. If you consider the price of the home, this can be quite a bit of money. Clever Real Estate does not charge potential customers anything to match them with their real estate agents.

Clever Real Estate reviews

A quick Google search will show you that most Clever real estate reviews remain favorable. It's rating on most review websites is top-notch. Most users comment on how convenient and quick buying and selling houses is with Clever Real Estate. Others also wrote about being matched with experienced real estate agents who patiently explained complex and technical things to the buyers/sellers.

Most customers seem to have had a positive experience working with Clever Real Estate. This is further showcased by the fact that it has an impressive 4.9 average customer rating, based on over 1500 reviews.

But as is the case with everything in the world, Clever Real Estate does have its share of shortcomings. Let us get a bit into the cons as well.

1) You could potentially be matched with an inexperienced real estate agent 

A deep dive into reviews will have you come across customer reviews that speak about the perils of being matched with inexperienced agents. Some studies also talk about how their agents did not focus on their listings, which delayed the home selling process by months. Others speak about how agents would schedule sudden open houses and show up without discussing them with the homeowners first.

2) Not as well recognized as competitors

While Clever Real Estate is an upcoming name in real estate, there are other companies and online websites that offer similar services. While Clever Real Estate is probably one with the cheapest rates for commissions, other companies like Redfin and Houzeo are more well known. You can check out Houzeo reviews and Redfin reviews to confirm the same.It is important to note here that in the case of Clever Real Estate and Redfin, customers may pay a little more than what is advertised. This is because, contrary to their claim of ‘no hidden costs, there are some hidden costs.