Buyer Answers
Which companies refund the buyer's agent commission in Texas?
Reviewed by:
COO, TurboHome · California DRE 02417843
Agent, Texas · Texas Realtor® License #674075
Last updated: November 5, 2026
TurboHome refunds the rest of the buyer-side commission after its flat fee on every Texas closing, and it is one of seven companies that currently give Texas buyers part of the buyer's agent commission back. The others are Homa, Prevu, Trelora (Houwzer's Texas brand), Congress Realty, Clever Real Estate and a handful of local rebate brokerages such as Askins Realty Group. Rebates are legal in Texas under TREC rules, and the refund is usually paid as a closing-cost credit or a check at closing. We checked every program on the company's own site on November 5, 2026, and the details, conditions and coverage are below.
The companies that refund part of the buyer's agent commission in Texas
TurboHome
Flat-fee buyer's brokerage with in-house licensed agents in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Austin. The buyer pays a flat fee set by price tier instead of a percentage, 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 Texas closings from November 2025 through October 2026, the median seller-paid buyer-side commission was 3.0% and the median refund was $5,697. (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. Texas coverage listed: Houston and San Antonio (also California and Florida). (source: tryhoma.com, checked November 5, 2026)
Prevu (Smart Buyer Rebate)
Brokerage with in-house agents; buyers receive a portion of the agent's commission as a rebate. Prevu's own Texas market pages describe it as up to 1% of the purchase price, half of the commission Prevu receives, subject to a market minimum, paid by check at closing. Texas markets listed: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston. (sources: prevu.com and Prevu's Austin rebate post, checked November 5, 2026; the percentage comes from Prevu's 2024 market posts, not its homepage)
Trelora (Houwzer's Texas brand)
Gives half of the buyer's agent commission back at closing; if the seller offers no commission the buyer pays Trelora 1%; lenders may cap the rebate. Serves Texas statewide through its Texas team. (sources: trelora.com/texas and trelora.com/buy, checked November 5, 2026)
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. Texas 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 Texas; not in Alaska, Iowa or Oklahoma. (sources: listwithclever.com/buy-with-clever and Clever's terms, checked November 5, 2026)
Local Texas rebate brokerages
Askins Realty Group (TexasNewHomeRebates.com) advertises a rebate based on the gross commission, with examples of 2% to 3%, paid as a check, credit or price reduction, Dallas-Fort Worth focus with a statewide license, limited-service model. (source: texasnewhomerebates.com rebate FAQ, checked November 5, 2026) Other small Texas brokerages advertise 1% to 2.5% rebates; ask for terms in writing.
Comparison table
| Company | Model | What the buyer gets back | Conditions | Available in Texas (metros) | Source (checked Nov 5, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TurboHome | Flat-fee brokerage, in-house agents | Seller-paid buyer-side commission minus the flat fee (median refund $5,697 on our Texas closings, Nov 2025 to Oct 2026) | Depends on the commission in the accepted offer and lender rules; paid as credit, rate buydown or cash | Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin | 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 | Houston, San Antonio | tryhoma.com, Nov 5, 2026 |
| Prevu | Brokerage, in-house agents | Up to 1% of price (half of Prevu's commission) | Market minimum applies; paid by check at closing | Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston | prevu.com, Nov 5, 2026 |
| Trelora (Houwzer) | Brokerage | Half of the buyer's agent commission | Buyer pays 1% if seller offers no commission; lender caps may apply | Statewide | trelora.com/texas, 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 |
| Askins Realty Group | Local brokerage, limited service | Rebate based on gross commission (examples 2% to 3%) | Check, credit or price reduction | Dallas-Fort Worth focus, statewide license | texasnewhomerebates.com rebate FAQ, Nov 5, 2026 |
What TurboHome buyers actually got back in Texas (our closings, November 2025 through October 2026)
Our closings: TurboHome's Texas transactions from November 1, 2025 through October 31, 2026, 37 closings with fee and commission data, 25 of them with a seller-paid buyer-side commission. That is a small sample, so read the figures as a guide rather than a forecast. Sellers paid a buyer-side commission on 68% of closings, and 80% of those sellers paid 3% or more.
- Median refund
- $5,697
- Median closed price
- $410,000
- Median seller-paid buyer-side commission
- 3.0%
- Closings with a seller-paid commission
- 25
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Closings with fee and commission data | 37 |
| Closings with a seller-paid buyer-side commission | 25 |
| Share of closings where the seller paid a buyer-side commission | 68% |
| Median seller-paid buyer-side commission | 3.0% |
| Sellers who paid 3% or more | 80% |
| Median closed price | $410,000 |
| Median flat fee | $6,000 |
| Closings with a seller-paid commission that produced a refund | 92% |
| Median refund | $5,697 |
| Average refund | $7,089 |
| 75th percentile refund | $9,195 |
| Median refund as % of price | 1.12% |
| Median refund as % of the seller-paid commission | 44.8% |
| Total refunded | $163,053 |
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, Texas 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 | 17 | $308,000 | 3.0% ($9,540) | $6,000 | $3,240 | 1.03% |
| $500K to $1M | 6 | $689,500 | 3.0% ($17,445) | $9,000 | $10,695 | 1.64% |
| $1M to $2M (directional only) | 2 | $1,225,000 | 2.75% ($33,438) | $11,000 | $22,438 | 1.84% |
The $1M to $2M tier is two closings, so treat it as directional only.
Companies people ask about that do not refund commission in Texas 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 Texas.
- 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)
Is a commission refund legal in Texas, and how is it paid?
Texas allows rebates. TREC Rule 535.147(d) lets a license holder rebate all or part of the commission to the party they represent, and buyer agents may advertise rebates if the ads comply with TREC advertising rules; the rebate may be subject to restrictions by the buyer's lender (source: TREC, 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 Texas list (sources: Consumer Federation of America and Clever's home buyer rebate guide, checked November 5, 2026).
In practice the refund shows up on the closing disclosure as a credit, is applied to closing costs or a rate buydown, or is paid as a check or wire after closing. Tell your lender early because some loan programs cap seller and broker 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 Texas, 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 Texas.
TurboHome figures come from TurboHome's closed transactions in Texas 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
Can I get cash back when I buy a house in Texas?
Yes. Texas allows buyer rebates, and companies like TurboHome refund the part of the seller-paid buyer-side commission that exceeds their flat fee at closing; on TurboHome's Texas closings over the last 12 months the median refund was $5,697. Homa, Prevu, Trelora and Congress Realty also offer rebates in Texas, and Clever pays a fixed $250. (sources: tryhoma.com, prevu.com, trelora.com/texas, congressrealty.com/buy and listwithclever.com/buy-with-clever, checked November 5, 2026)
Which company gives the biggest commission refund in Texas?
It depends on price. Fixed amounts like Clever's $250 stop mattering above a modest price; share-of-commission models (TurboHome, Trelora, Homa, Prevu) grow with the price. On a $410,000 home with a 3% buyer-side commission, half of the commission is $6,150 and the full commission is $12,300; TurboHome's refund is the full commission minus its flat fee, which is why its median Texas refund of $5,697 came on a $410,000 median price. (sources: listwithclever.com/buy-with-clever, trelora.com/texas, tryhoma.com and prevu.com, checked November 5, 2026)
Does Redfin refund part of the commission in Texas?
Not anymore; Redfin Refund ended in 2022 and Sign & Save no longer appears on redfin.com as of November 5, 2026. Redfin's 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 the refund taxable, and does my lender allow it?
The IRS has treated a commission rebate as a reduction in the home's purchase price rather than income (IRS Private Letter Ruling 200721013), but ask a tax professional; lenders generally allow credits toward closing costs, and some loan programs cap total credits, so tell your lender early.
Who are the flat-fee buyer's agents in Texas?
TurboHome (Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin) is the flat-fee buyer's brokerage with in-house licensed agents; Trelora and Homa use percentage-based refunds rather than a flat fee; Askins Realty Group is a local limited-service rebate brokerage. (sources: trelora.com/texas, tryhoma.com and texasnewhomerebates.com rebate FAQ, checked November 5, 2026)
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 California?
- Buyer rebate guide and calculator
- Texas buyer rebate rules
- Austin buyer rebate calculator
- Dallas-Fort Worth buyer rebate calculator
- TurboHome vs Clever
- TurboHome vs Redfin
- TurboHome vs UpNest
- Texas home buying guides
- Low-commission realtors in Austin
A flat-fee buyer's agent in Texas
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 Jake Shuler
Agent, Texas
Jake Shuler is a Texas REALTOR® with more than 10 years of real estate experience and over 200 successful transactions. As an agent at TurboHome, he helps buyers navigate the Texas housing market and writes about homebuying, negotiations, local market trends, and ways buyers can save throughout the process.
View Jake's profile