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When Johnny Ballesteros and his fiancee Jen began hunting for the house, they didn’t know what to expect. Both were the first purchases for the 29-year-old couple, and practical guidance was needed in the competitive San Diego region market in the San Diego area where they lived.
However, the real estate agents they contacted did not help. They seemed too busy to provide the kind of service the couple wanted. Instead, they decided to work with a new company that offers flat rate brokerages to buyers.
The cost savings were helpful, but Ballesteros felt he and Jen had the support they needed. We suggested houses that match their criteria, booking displays, and scheduling to online chats about everything from questions about the process.
“We really needed that handheld because that was our first asset,” Ballesteros told USA Today.
In an age where Americans order self-study online from writing their wills, and do everything without a mediator, the residential real estate industry remains stubbornly entrenched in tradition. But a year after the groundbreaking lawsuit changed the way commissions were negotiated, some startups ultimately believe the time is right.
“The settlements haven’t actually changed much of their deals yet,” said Ben Bear, co-founder and CEO of Turbohome, who supported Ballesteros. “But what it did is educated buyers. At the same time, Bear said that new technology allows businesses to “provide a higher level of service with more personal touches, the lower the price.”
Turbohome, which has been around since 2022, is currently only available in California and Texas. Other companies that offer similar services to buyers include ShopProp and Arrivva.
The longstanding approach to real estate transactions in the United States was divided between the agents with approximately 5% to 6% committees by sellers and the buyers.
For a home where Johnny and Jen cost $679,000, the buyer’s agent’s fees may have traditionally been more than $20,000. Turbohome cost less than half that – $7,500. And the seller agreed to pay it, so the couple paid nothing and were able to apply the money to their loan.
How the Real Estate Commission’s Lawsuit has changed consumer attitudes
A report released in June by the left-leaning think tank Consumer Policy Centre explained how the committee helped erode traditional arrangements.
“By focusing public attention on 5-6% fees through news coverage, this change has convinced some consumers to question traditional real estate brokerage services,” writes Stephen Brobeck and Wendi Gilch.
More recently, he added that jockeys between Zillow and other listing portals and brokerages will help them focus their attention on how real estate information is presented.
Douglas Miller, a longtime lawyer and gadfly of the real estate industry, incited the first committee lawsuit in 2019, and was filed in 2019 against the National Association of Realtors, one of the nation’s largest professional lobby groups. Recent analysis shows that committees paid to real estate agents have barely occurred in the past few years..
The new startups are not “discount brokers,” he said.
“They are ‘fair rate brokers’. I think it’s a better way to put it,” Miller said in an interview. “Traditional agents want to label them as “You’re using someone who’s reducing your bill, you’re trying to get what you pay.” I’d say no, if you use traditional agents, what you’re trying to get is an overpaid agent. ”
One of Miller’s biggest bugabows is that the majority of real estate agents do little business on a regular basis. According to a 2024 analysis from Brobeck, half of all agents reported no or only one sale in the previous year, while 70% reported sales of less than five. “When it comes to personnel, the residential real estate industry is clearly a part-time industry,” the report concluded.
As Miller sees, low-cost businesses focusing on trading probably have more experience than many agents.
The National Association of Realtors did not respond to USA Today’s request for comment.
When does it make sense to work with traditional real estate agents?
Lisa Gill, analyst for consumer reports, believes there are benefits to working with traditional agents.
“Real estate is still a very relevant business,” she said. “Especially in a highly competitive market, both buyers and sellers can benefit from having representatives tapped on their network of agents.”
Turbo Home Bear agrees. There are many different types of transactions that a buyer or seller may want a high-five experience like Gill describes.
However, companies like Turbohome also have other benefits, Clients don’t need to be exclusive to them. This means that if another real estate agent can find the property, there is no penalty for the agent to leave and choose to represent him.
Gill also notes that experienced experts can bring wisdom and context beyond the checklist of transactions involved in sales. Working without a traditional agent could be similar to “building a house without hiring a general contractor,” she said. Many sales may be possible without that expertise, but in rare cases problems can cost you time and money.
Still, there is growing evidence that the “naked bone” approach works perfectly for many Americans. A practice lawyer, Miller is also a licensed real estate agent that promotes dozens of sales each year, and will become one of the top producers of the Realtors Association in Minnesota, he says. He charges half of the amount that traditional agents are at the lower price of the home or the price, and the traditional agents charge less than 1.5% of the transaction, avoiding conflicts of interest from the selling price where the selling price is bid.
Meanwhile, the 2025 Consumer Policy Center report focuses on sellers’ experiences and rates the list of ideal agents for businesses, Houwzer, Trelora, Simple Show, 1%.
Consumers using these companies need to do a little extra research, but the report concludes that while ensuring that they are sure which specific services are being offered and that they absolutely ensure that they evaluate the individual agents involved in the transaction, “low-cost brokers represent viable alternatives for home sellers.”
