Comparing TurboHome and Compass for homebuyers
Compass is the largest residential brokerage in the United States by sales volume, and since January 2026 it also owns Coldwell Banker, Sotheby's International Realty, Century 21, and Corcoran. TurboHome is a much smaller brokerage built around one idea: you keep most of the buyer-agent commission. Both give you a licensed agent. They differ on what happens to the commission and on which homes you can see.
Quick answer
In California and Texas, TurboHome usually returns far more money. At 2.5% buyer-agent compensation, that is about $15,000 on a $1 million home. Compass publishes no buyer rebate. Its main buyer savings is Rocket Mortgage's lender credit, up to $6,000, and only if you finance with Rocket.
Compass can make sense if you want access to its Private Exclusives, listings it markets to Compass agents before or instead of the MLS.
At a glance
- Who you work withTurboHomeAn employed TurboHome agent in California and Texas. A vetted partner Realtor in other states.CompassA Compass agent, often working in a team, using Compass's technology platform.
- Money back as a buyerTurboHomeFlat fee, with eligible compensation above it credited to you in CA and TX. 0.5% back with partner agents.CompassNo published buyer rebate. A Rocket Mortgage lender credit of up to $6,000 if you finance with Rocket.
- Lender requiredTurboHomeNone. Use any lender or pay cash.CompassRocket Mortgage, for the lender credit.
- Off-market accessTurboHomeMLS listings plus private tours with the listing side's permission.CompassCompass Private Exclusives, shown first to buyers working with Compass agents.
- Where it worksTurboHomeNationwide, with in-house agents in California and Texas.CompassMost major US cities, with about 8,200 agents in California and 3,200 in Texas.
How Compass works for homebuyers
Compass is the largest brokerage in the country by sales volume, with $262.2 billion closed in 2025, according to RealTrends. In January 2026 it completed its acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate, the parent of Coldwell Banker, Century 21, Sotheby's International Realty, Corcoran, ERA, and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. Compass says those brands will keep operating independently.
Compass describes its model as equipping agents with one technology platform. Your experience depends a lot on the individual agent or team you choose, because Compass agents run their own businesses inside the brokerage. In California, about 8,200 licensed salespeople work under Compass, and about 3,200 in Texas, based on September 2026 state license data.
Compass does not publish a buyer rebate or a standard buyer fee. What your agent earns is set in your written buyer agreement and is usually paid from the seller's side. Compass's best-known buyer perk is access to Private Exclusives, homes Compass sellers agree to market privately before, or instead of, listing on the MLS.
How TurboHome works for homebuyers
TurboHome is a full-service brokerage built on a simple trade: you get a licensed local agent, and you keep most of the buyer-agent commission. In California and Texas, you work with an employed TurboHome agent, not a freelancer or a referral. TurboHome charges a published flat fee based on the home price and credits eligible compensation above that fee to you at closing as cash back.
Outside California and Texas, TurboHome matches you with a partner Realtor who returns 0.5% of the purchase price at closing where state law allows it. Either way, your cash back does not depend on which lender you use, and it works if you pay cash.
What it's like to buy with Compass vs. TurboHome
Day to day, a few differences matter most.
The agent relationship
At Compass you pick an agent or team, and the service you get reflects that agent's own business. Large Compass teams often split work between a lead agent, showing agents, and a transaction coordinator.
TurboHome buyers in California and Texas work with one employed agent from first tour through closing. Private tours are included at no extra cost, with the listing side's permission, and escrow and closing support are part of the same service.
Private Exclusives and off-market homes
Compass markets some homes in three phases, starting with Private Exclusives that Compass agents can show before the home reaches the MLS. A 2026 Consumer Policy Center report covered by Inman found high rates of deals where both sides used Compass agents in markets such as Washington, D.C. Compass told Inman that agents from any brokerage can view Private Exclusives through its offices.
If off-market inventory in a specific neighborhood matters most to you, ask any agent, Compass or not, how they will find homes before they hit the market. Most homes still sell through the MLS, where every TurboHome buyer can see them.
Financial incentives
Compass's main buyer incentive comes from a lender, not the brokerage. Rocket Mortgage's purchase offer lets clients of Compass or Compass-affiliated brokerage agents choose a lender credit of 0.75% of the loan, up to $6,000, or a 1-0 temporary buydown. It applies to conforming retail loans. Jumbo loans get 0.25% of the loan instead, and the offer cannot be combined with other discounts.
TurboHome's cash back and rebates are available no matter who finances your purchase, or whether you pay cash. TurboHome also offers Cash Advantage, which lets you make offers with the speed and certainty of cash even if you are financing.
Where TurboHome and Compass are available
Where TurboHome serves homebuyers
TurboHome has employed agents in California and Texas and works with partner Realtors in every other state. Rebates are restricted in eight states.
- TurboHome in-house agents
- TurboHome partner agents, 0.5% back
- Buyer rebates not allowed
Compass has agents in most major US metro areas, and its sister brands cover much of the rest of the country, so it is not drawn here.
Both companies can connect you with an agent in most of the country. TurboHome's employed agents serve buyers in California and Texas. Everywhere else, you work with a TurboHome partner Realtor, who returns 0.5% at closing where state law allows.
Compass's own agents concentrate in large metro areas such as the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, and Austin. Since 2026, its sister brands, including Coldwell Banker and Century 21, reach many smaller markets, though those brands set their own policies.
In eight states, Alabama, Alaska, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Tennessee, buyer commission rebates are banned or restricted, so no brokerage can pay you a rebate there. Iowa allows them under its licensing rules, and Louisiana's Attorney General said in a 2021 opinion that rebates are permitted. See our buyer rebate guide for the rules in each state.
Costs and fees with TurboHome and Compass
Buyer-agent compensation is set in your written buyer agreement and is often paid by the seller. Compass does not publish a standard buyer fee or rebate, so the commission your Compass agent earns is not returned to you. Your savings come from the Rocket credit above, if you finance with Rocket.
Some individual agents at any brokerage will negotiate a credit or a lower fee. If a Compass agent offers one, get it in writing in your buyer agreement.
TurboHome buyers in California and Texas pay a flat fee instead of a percentage: $5,000 at $500,000 and below, $10,000 through $1 million, $15,000 through $2 million, $20,000 through $3 million, $30,000 through $4 million, $40,000 through $5 million, and $50,000 from $5,000,001 upward. When the seller offers buyer-agent compensation, TurboHome keeps its flat fee and credits the rest to you at closing. The exact amount depends on the price, compensation offered, lender approval, closing instructions, and state law.
In other states, TurboHome partner agents return 0.5% of the purchase price where the money is available and state law allows it.
What buyers get back at today's median prices
Median sale prices load from TurboHome's market data each time this page is served. Click a city for its full housing market report.
- Median prices:
- 3 months ending September 30, 2026
- 30-year rate:
- 7.40% (week of October 15, 2026)
- CaliforniastatewideMedian sale price$752,837Agent compensation at 2.5%$18,821TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$8,821Compass + Rocket credit$4,517
- TexasstatewideMedian sale price$329,054Agent compensation at 2.5%$8,226TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$3,226Compass + Rocket credit$1,974
- San FranciscoCAMedian sale price$1,579,248Agent compensation at 2.5%$39,481TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$24,481Compass + Rocket credit$3,158
- San JoseCAMedian sale price$1,349,357Agent compensation at 2.5%$33,734TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$18,734Compass + Rocket credit$6,000
- Los AngelesCAMedian sale price$1,032,508Agent compensation at 2.5%$25,813TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$10,813Compass + Rocket credit$6,000
- San DiegoCAMedian sale price$979,034Agent compensation at 2.5%$24,476TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$14,476Compass + Rocket credit$5,874
- SacramentoCAMedian sale price$508,258Agent compensation at 2.5%$12,706TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$2,706Compass + Rocket credit$3,050
- PlanoTXMedian sale price$499,762Agent compensation at 2.5%$12,494TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$7,494Compass + Rocket credit$2,999
Assumes 2.5% buyer-agent compensation. Rocket figures assume 20% down and a 30-year fixed loan, using Rocket's published offer for Compass and Compass-affiliated agents: 0.75% of a conforming loan up to $6,000, or 0.25% of a jumbo loan. Compensation, lender approval, and state law decide the actual amount. Outside California and Texas, TurboHome partner agents return 0.5%.
How much buyers get back
Estimated cash back or credit at four home prices. TurboHome's advantage grows with the price, while Rocket's credit stops at $6,000.
- TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)
- TurboHome partner rebate (0.5%)
- Compass + Rocket lender credit
| Home price | TurboHome cash back (CA and TX) | TurboHome partner rebate (0.5%) | Compass + Rocket lender credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | $7,500 | $2,500 | $3,000 |
| $800,000 | $10,000 | $4,000 | $4,800 |
| $1,000,000 | $15,000 | $5,000 | $6,000 |
| $1,500,000 | $22,500 | $7,500 | $6,000 |
Assumes 2.5% buyer-agent compensation. Rocket figures assume 20% down and a 30-year fixed loan, using Rocket's published offer for Compass and Compass-affiliated agents: 0.75% of a conforming loan up to $6,000, or 0.25% of a jumbo loan. Compensation, lender approval, and state law decide the actual amount.
