Comparing TurboHome and Ebby Halliday for homebuyers
Ebby Halliday Realtors has sold homes in North Texas since 1945 and is one of the best-known names in Dallas-Fort Worth real estate. Since 2018 it has been part of HomeServices of America, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. TurboHome is a smaller brokerage built around one idea: you keep most of the buyer-agent commission. Both give you a licensed Texas agent. They differ on what happens to the commission and on how many services come bundled under one roof.
Quick answer
In Texas, TurboHome usually returns far more money to buyers. At 2.5% buyer-agent compensation, that is about $7,500 on a $500,000 home and $15,000 on a $1 million home. Ebby Halliday does not publish a buyer rebate.
Ebby can make sense if you want a long-established local brand with affiliated mortgage, title, and insurance companies in one place.
At a glance
- Who you work withTurboHomeAn employed TurboHome agent in Texas and California. A vetted partner Realtor in other states.Ebby HallidayAn Ebby Halliday agent. Ebby says its agents average 15 years of experience.
- Money back as a buyerTurboHomeFlat fee, with eligible compensation above it credited to you in TX and CA. 0.5% back with partner agents.Ebby HallidayNo published buyer rebate.
- Bundled servicesTurboHomeAgent, private tours, and escrow and closing support. Use any lender or title company.Ebby HallidayAffiliated lender (Prosperity Home Mortgage), title company (Independence Title), and insurance agency.
- OwnershipTurboHomeIndependent brokerage.Ebby HallidayPart of HomeServices of America, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, since 2018.
- Where it worksTurboHomeNationwide, with in-house agents in Texas and California.Ebby HallidayDallas-Fort Worth and surrounding areas. Its parent group also covers Oklahoma.
How Ebby Halliday works for homebuyers
Ebby Halliday Realtors was founded in 1945 and is the flagship of the Ebby Halliday Companies, which also include Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate and Williams Trew. Ebby says the companies have more than 1,600 agents, staff, and service professionals across 25 offices, and served more than 11,000 clients for about $8 billion in sales in 2025. In 2018, HomeServices of America bought the Ebby Halliday Companies, and the brands kept their names. HomeServices is owned by Berkshire Hathaway Energy.
By license count, Ebby is one of the largest brokerages in Texas. About 1,543 active sales agents were licensed under Ebby Halliday Real Estate in September 2026, the eighth-highest count in the state in ProfessionLens's table, which leaves out franchise brands such as Keller Williams.
Ebby 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. Ebby's pitch to buyers is experience and convenience. Its parent company describes a "One Door" approach, with affiliated mortgage, title, and insurance partners available in the same transaction.
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 Ebby Halliday vs. TurboHome
Day to day, a few differences matter most.
The agent relationship
At Ebby you choose an individual agent or team. Ebby says its agents average 15 years of experience, so long local tenure is a real strength. As at any large brokerage, your experience depends a lot on the agent you pick.
TurboHome buyers in 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.
Mortgage, title, and insurance under one roof
The Ebby Halliday Companies list Prosperity Home Mortgage, HomeServices Insurance, and Independence Title as affiliated partners. Some buyers like having one company coordinate the loan, title work, and insurance.
Convenience is worth something, but so is shopping around. Ask for written loan estimates and title quotes from more than one company before you commit. TurboHome does not steer you to a lender or title company, and your cash back does not depend on which ones you choose.
Financial incentives
Ebby does not publish a buyer rebate, closing credit, or lender credit tied to using its agents. Individual agents at any brokerage may negotiate, so get any offer in writing in your buyer agreement.
TurboHome's cash back works 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 Ebby Halliday 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
The Ebby Halliday Companies say they cover about 18,000 square miles across Texas and Oklahoma, centered on Dallas-Fort Worth, so they are not drawn here.
Ebby is centered on Dallas-Fort Worth and surrounding communities. Its parent group says its brands cover about 18,000 square miles across Texas and Oklahoma.
TurboHome's employed agents serve buyers across Texas and California. Everywhere else, you work with a TurboHome partner Realtor, who returns 0.5% at closing where state law allows.
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 Ebby Halliday
Buyer-agent compensation is set in your written buyer agreement and is often paid by the seller. Ebby Halliday does not publish a standard buyer fee or rebate, so the commission your Ebby agent earns is not returned to you.
Some individual agents at any brokerage will negotiate a credit or a lower fee. If an Ebby 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)
- TexasstatewideMedian sale price$329,054Agent compensation at 2.5%$8,226TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$3,226Ebby Halliday buyer rebateNone published
- PlanoTXMedian sale price$499,762Agent compensation at 2.5%$12,494TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$7,494Ebby Halliday buyer rebateNone published
- CaliforniastatewideMedian sale price$752,837Agent compensation at 2.5%$18,821TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$8,821Ebby Halliday buyer rebateNone published
- Los AngelesCAMedian sale price$1,032,508Agent compensation at 2.5%$25,813TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$10,813Ebby Halliday buyer rebateNone published
- San DiegoCAMedian sale price$979,034Agent compensation at 2.5%$24,476TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$14,476Ebby Halliday buyer rebateNone published
- SacramentoCA (last saved)Median sale price$508,258Agent compensation at 2.5%$12,706TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$2,706Ebby Halliday buyer rebateNone published
Assumes 2.5% buyer-agent compensation. Ebby Halliday Realtors publishes no standard buyer rebate, so its column shows none. Compensation, lender approval, and state law decide the actual amount. Outside California and Texas, TurboHome partner agents return 0.5%. Some figures are the last saved values because the live data was unavailable.
How much buyers get back
Estimated cash back at four home prices. TurboHome's cash back grows with the price. Ebby Halliday Realtors publishes no buyer rebate.
- TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)
- TurboHome partner rebate (0.5%)
- Ebby Halliday published buyer rebate
| Home price | TurboHome cash back (CA and TX) | TurboHome partner rebate (0.5%) | Ebby Halliday published buyer rebate |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | $7,500 | $2,500 | $0 |
| $800,000 | $10,000 | $4,000 | $0 |
| $1,000,000 | $15,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| $1,500,000 | $22,500 | $7,500 | $0 |
Assumes 2.5% buyer-agent compensation. Ebby Halliday Realtors publishes no standard buyer rebate, so its column shows none. Compensation, lender approval, and state law decide the actual amount.
