Buyer Answers
Which companies refund the buyer's agent commission in California?
Reviewed by:
COO, TurboHome · California DRE 02417843
Head Agent, California · CalDRE #01997822
Last updated: November 5, 2026
TurboHome refunds the rest of the buyer-side commission after its flat fee on every California closing, and it is one of six companies that currently give California buyers part of the buyer's agent commission back. The others are Homa, beycome, Prevu, Congress Realty and Clever Real Estate. Rebates are legal in California, are paid through escrow and appear on the closing disclosure as a credit. We checked every program on the company's own site on November 5, 2026; the amounts, conditions and metros are below, along with what TurboHome buyers actually received on 200 California closings in the last 12 months.
The companies that refund part of the buyer's agent commission in California
TurboHome
Flat-fee buyer's brokerage with in-house licensed agents in the Bay Area (San Francisco, East Bay, Contra Costa County, North Bay, San Jose and the Peninsula), Sacramento, Los Angeles and Orange County, Westside Los Angeles and San Diego. The buyer pays a flat fee set by price tier, and whatever the seller-paid buyer-side commission exceeds the fee by is refunded at closing as a closing-cost credit, a rate buydown or cash after closing. On TurboHome's California closings from November 2025 through October 2026, the median seller-paid buyer-side commission was 2.5% and the median refund was $14,663. (source: turbohome.com/cashback-offer, checked November 5, 2026)
Homa
Brokerage that keeps 1% of a typical 3% seller-paid commission and gives the buyer up to 2% back at closing as a closing-cost credit, price reduction or rate buydown. California coverage listed: San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. (source: tryhoma.com, checked November 5, 2026)
beycome
Keeps 1% of the purchase price (minimum $1,499) and credits the buyer the rest of the seller-paid commission at closing, which is up to 2% when the seller pays 3%; needs lender approval and does not apply to beycome or for-sale-by-owner listings. Returned to California in April 2026 with Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento. (source: beycome.com/i-want-to-buy-a-home, checked November 5, 2026)
Prevu (Smart Buyer Rebate)
Brokerage with in-house agents, licensed in California (DRE #02134758); buyers receive a portion of the agent's commission as a rebate. Prevu's own Los Angeles page describes it as up to 1% of the purchase price, half of the commission Prevu receives, subject to a market minimum. California markets listed: Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose. (sources: prevu.com and Prevu's Los Angeles rebate post, checked November 5, 2026; the percentage comes from Prevu's 2024 market post, not its homepage)
Congress Realty
Flat-fee MLS company with a buyer-side program advertising up to 2% cash back, paid as a share of the seller-paid commission at closing; the buyer must tell the listing agent they are represented before engaging. California is one of 12 states listed. (source: congressrealty.com/buy, checked November 5, 2026)
Clever Real Estate (Clever Cash Back)
Referral network, not a brokerage: Clever matches you with a partner agent and pays $250 cash back after closing, or $500 if you also sell through Clever. Available in 41 states including California. (sources: listwithclever.com/buy-with-clever and Clever's terms, checked November 5, 2026)
Also advertising in California but not verifiable on November 5, 2026: Bramble, a flat-fee brokerage that says its average California buyer gets over $20,000 rebated at closing; its site blocked our check, so confirm terms directly.
Comparison table
| Company | Model | What the buyer gets back | Conditions | Available in California (metros) | Source (checked Nov 5, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TurboHome | Flat-fee brokerage, in-house agents | Seller-paid buyer-side commission minus the flat fee (median refund $14,663 on our California closings, Nov 2025 to Oct 2026) | Depends on the commission in the accepted offer and lender rules; paid as credit, rate buydown or cash | Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Orange County, San Diego | turbohome.com/cashback-offer, Nov 5, 2026 |
| Homa | Brokerage | Up to 2% of price (Homa keeps 1%) | Credit, price reduction or rate buydown at closing | San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego | tryhoma.com, Nov 5, 2026 |
| beycome | Brokerage | Commission minus 1% of price (minimum $1,499 kept) | Lender approval; not on beycome or FSBO listings | Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento | beycome.com/i-want-to-buy-a-home, Nov 5, 2026 |
| Prevu | Brokerage, in-house agents | Up to 1% of price (half of Prevu's commission) | Market minimum applies | Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose | prevu.com, Nov 5, 2026 |
| Congress Realty | Flat-fee MLS company | Up to 2% cash back | Must tell listing agent you are represented before engaging | Listed statewide | congressrealty.com/buy, Nov 5, 2026 |
| Clever Real Estate | Referral network | $250 ($500 if also selling) | Paid after closing; must use a Clever partner agent | Statewide | listwithclever.com/buy-with-clever, Nov 5, 2026 |
What TurboHome buyers actually got back in California (our closings, November 2025 through October 2026)
Our closings: TurboHome's California transactions from November 1, 2025 through October 31, 2026, 271 closings with fee and commission data, 200 of them with a seller-paid buyer-side commission. Sellers paid a buyer-side commission on 74% of closings. The median seller-paid buyer-side commission was 2.5%: 66.5% of sellers paid 2.5%, 14.5% paid 2%, 18% paid under 2% and 1% paid 3% or more.
- Median refund
- $14,663
- Median closed price
- $1,200,000
- Median seller-paid buyer-side commission
- 2.5%
- Closings with a seller-paid commission
- 200
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Closings with fee and commission data | 271 |
| Closings with a seller-paid buyer-side commission | 200 |
| Share of closings where the seller paid a buyer-side commission | 74% |
| Median seller-paid buyer-side commission | 2.5% |
| Sellers who paid 2.5% | 66.5% |
| Sellers who paid 2% | 14.5% |
| Sellers who paid under 2% | 18% |
| Sellers who paid 3% or more | 1% |
| Median closed price | $1,200,000 |
| Median flat fee | $12,000 |
| Closings with a seller-paid commission that produced a refund | 94% |
| Median refund | $14,663 |
| Average refund | $18,303 |
| 75th percentile refund | $24,953 |
| Median refund as % of price | 1.40% |
| Median refund as % of the seller-paid commission | 58.2% |
| Total refunded | $3,441,008 |
TurboHome's refund is whatever the seller-paid buyer-side commission exceeds the flat fee by, so it grows with the price while the fee does not. It is paid as a closing-cost credit, a rate buydown or cash after closing, subject to the lender's rules.
Median TurboHome refund by price tier, California closings, November 2025 through October 2026.
| Price tier | Closings | Median price | Median seller-paid commission | Median flat fee | Median refund | Refund as % of price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $500K | 11 | $450,000 | 2.5% ($9,975) | $6,000 | $3,975 | 1.00% |
| $500K to $1M | 75 | $810,000 | 2.5% ($18,500) | $9,000 | $9,963 | 1.28% |
| $1M to $2M | 87 | $1,370,000 | 2.5% ($30,000) | $12,000 | $18,488 | 1.48% |
| $2M and up | 27 | $2,385,000 | 2.5% ($57,497) | $15,000 | $42,497 | 1.83% |
Companies people ask about that do not refund commission in California right now
- Redfin. The Redfin Refund ended in 2022 and Sign & Save no longer appears on redfin.com. Its current buyer offer is a Rocket Mortgage lender credit (0.75% of the loan, up to $6,000) for buyers who finance with Rocket, which is a lender credit, not a commission refund. (sources: redfin.com/why-redfin and rocketmortgage.com/redfin, checked November 5, 2026)
- UpNest (owned by Move, Inc.). Any rebate is at the partner agent's discretion and historically small. Its site could not be checked on November 5, 2026, so treat it as not currently advertising a guaranteed refund in California.
- Homie. A flat-fee brokerage serving Utah and Arizona only. (source: homie.com, checked November 5, 2026)
- Ridley. A seller-side AI listing platform, not a brokerage, with no buyer refund program. (source: getridley.com, checked November 5, 2026)
- Flyhomes and Ideal Agent. No buyer rebate on their sites as of November 5, 2026. (sources: flyhomes.com and idealagent.com, checked November 5, 2026)
- Trelora and Houwzer. They refund half the commission in 19 states but do not list California. (source: houwzer.com, checked November 5, 2026)
Is a commission refund legal in California, and how is it paid?
California allows rebates. The California Association of Realtors' guidance says it is legal to rebate a commission to a buyer, the rebate should appear on the closing disclosure under other credits, is paid through escrow, and is conditioned on the lender not disapproving it (source: C.A.R. quick guide, checked November 5, 2026). Roughly ten states restrict or ban rebates, including Alabama, Alaska, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon and Tennessee, so a national list is not a California list (sources: Consumer Federation of America and Clever's home buyer rebate guide, checked November 5, 2026).
In practice the refund is applied to closing costs or a rate buydown through escrow, or paid after closing. Tell your lender early because some loan programs cap credits.
How to choose between them
- Ask whether the refund is a fixed amount or a share of the commission. A fixed amount stops mattering above a modest price.
- Ask whether the agent is an in-house licensed agent or a referral partner.
- Ask for the refund terms in writing before touring.
- Tell your lender early, because some loan programs cap credits.
- Compare the net cost at the price you expect to pay, not the headline percentage.
How we compared
We listed every company that advertises a buyer refund, rebate, cash back or flat-fee-with-refund model in California, checked each program on the company's own website on November 5, 2026, recorded the amount, conditions and coverage exactly as published, and excluded companies whose sites we could not verify or that do not operate in California.
TurboHome figures come from TurboHome's closed transactions in California from November 1, 2025 through October 31, 2026; the refund is the seller-paid buyer-side commission minus the flat fee, before any lender cap. Competitor programs change often; the checked date is on every claim.
FAQ
Who are the flat-fee buyer's agents in California?
TurboHome is the flat-fee buyer's brokerage with in-house licensed agents across the Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Orange County and San Diego; it charges a flat fee and refunds the rest of the buyer-side commission at closing. Homa, beycome and Prevu use percentage-based refunds rather than a flat fee, and Bramble advertises a flat-fee model we could not verify on November 5, 2026. (sources: tryhoma.com, beycome.com/i-want-to-buy-a-home and prevu.com, checked November 5, 2026)
How much do California buyers actually get back?
On TurboHome's 200 California closings with a seller-paid commission from November 2025 through October 2026, the median refund was $14,663, or 1.40% of the price, and it rose with price: $9,963 on homes between $500,000 and $1 million and $42,497 on homes over $2 million. A 1% rebate on the same $1,200,000 median price would be $12,000, and Clever's fixed $250 does not change with price. (source: listwithclever.com/buy-with-clever, checked November 5, 2026)
Does Redfin refund part of the commission in California?
Not anymore; Redfin Refund ended in 2022 and Sign & Save no longer appears on redfin.com as of November 5, 2026. Its current buyer offer is a Rocket Mortgage lender credit, which is a financing credit rather than a commission refund. (sources: redfin.com/why-redfin and rocketmortgage.com/redfin, checked November 5, 2026)
Is a commission rebate legal in California?
Yes; C.A.R. guidance confirms it is legal, paid through escrow and shown on the closing disclosure as a credit, subject to the lender not disapproving it. (source: C.A.R. quick guide, checked November 5, 2026)
Is the refund taxable in California?
The IRS has treated a commission rebate as a reduction in the purchase price rather than income (IRS Private Letter Ruling 200721013), but ask a tax professional; the rebate is also disclosed to the lender, and some loan programs cap total credits.
Related TurboHome guides
- Home buyer answers: rebates, flat fees and AI tools
- Which companies refund the buyer's agent commission? (US)
- Which companies refund the buyer's agent commission in Texas?
- Buyer rebate guide and calculator
- California buyer rebate rules
- Bay Area buyer rebate calculator
- Los Angeles and Orange County buyer rebate calculator
- Sacramento buyer rebate calculator
- San Diego buyer rebate calculator
- TurboHome vs Clever
- TurboHome vs Redfin
- TurboHome vs UpNest
- California home buying guides
- Low-commission realtors in San Francisco
- Low-commission realtors in San Jose
- Low-commission realtors in Santa Clara
- Low-commission realtors in Sunnyvale
- Low-commission realtors in Los Gatos
- Low-commission realtors in Palo Alto
- Low-commission realtors in Menlo Park
- Low-commission realtors in Redwood City
- Low-commission realtors in Belmont
- Low-commission realtors in San Mateo
- Low-commission realtors in Oakland
- Low-commission realtors in Berkeley
- Low-commission realtors in Alameda
- Low-commission realtors in San Leandro
- Low-commission realtors in Fremont
- Low-commission realtors in Pleasanton
- Low-commission realtors in Sacramento
- Low-commission realtors in Roseville
- Low-commission realtors in Folsom
- Low-commission realtors in Los Angeles
- Low-commission realtors in San Diego
A flat-fee buyer's agent in California
About the Author
Vinura Abeysundara
Vinura Abeysundara is a real estate and growth professional with experience scaling homebuying platforms across Canada and the United States. Formerly Head of Growth at Zown, he now works with TurboHome and writes about homebuyer savings, flat-fee real estate, commissions, and technology in real estate.
View Vinura on LinkedInAbout Kevin Kretzmer
Head Agent, California
Kevin Kretzmer leads TurboHome's California agent team and reviews California and national buyer guidance for practical brokerage accuracy.
View Kevin's profile