Comparing TurboHome and Intero for homebuyers
Intero Real Estate Services is a Silicon Valley brokerage, founded in Cupertino in 2002 and owned since 2014 by HomeServices of America, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. TurboHome is a flat-fee brokerage built around one idea: you keep most of the buyer-agent commission. Both give Bay Area buyers a licensed local agent. They differ on what happens to the commission and on how much of the transaction runs through one company.
Quick answer
For Bay Area buyers, TurboHome usually returns far more money. At 2.5% buyer-agent compensation, that is about $22,500 on a $1.5 million home. Intero does not publish a buyer rebate or a standard buyer fee.
Intero can make sense if you want a large local office network, or want your agent, lender, title, and insurance coordinated through its OnePoint program.
At a glance
- Who you work withTurboHomeAn employed TurboHome agent in California and Texas. A vetted partner Realtor in other states.InteroAn Intero agent or team, working from one of Intero's offices or a franchise affiliate.
- Money back as a buyerTurboHomeFlat fee, with eligible compensation above it credited to you in CA and TX. 0.5% back with partner agents.InteroNo published buyer rebate or standard buyer fee.
- LenderTurboHomeNone required. Use any lender or pay cash.InteroNone required. OnePoint can connect you with its affiliated lender, Prosperity Home Mortgage.
- Bundled servicesTurboHomeEscrow and closing support included, with the lender and insurer of your choice.InteroOnePoint links Intero with affiliated mortgage, title, and insurance companies. Each one is optional.
- Where it worksTurboHomeNationwide, with in-house agents in California and Texas.Intero16 offices in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, western Nevada, and Lake Tahoe, plus 20 franchise affiliates.
How Intero works for homebuyers
Intero was founded in 2002 in Cupertino, during the dot-com bust, and HomeServices of America bought it in 2014. Intero kept its own name, and it says several of its founders still run the company. HomeServices, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, ranked among the four largest U.S. brokerages by 2025 sales volume and transaction sides, according to RealTrends Verified.
Today Intero is a wholly owned subsidiary of HomeServices with 16 offices across the greater Silicon Valley, San Francisco, western Nevada, and the Lake Tahoe region. A separate Intero franchise network has 20 affiliates in California, Nevada, Tennessee, and Texas, so ask which Intero company your agent works for.
In California, ProfessionLens counts 865 licensed salespeople under Intero Real Estate Services, based on September 2026 state license data. Intero 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.
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 Intero vs. TurboHome
Day to day, a few differences matter most.
The agent relationship
At Intero you pick an agent or team, and your experience depends a lot on that agent. Intero says 340 of its agents and teams were named in the 2026 RealTrends Verified City Rankings, including large teams such as Tse Group, Troyer & Cabot Group, and Vong Group.
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.
OnePoint and affiliated services
Intero's OnePoint program connects your agent with HomeServices companies: Prosperity Home Mortgage for loans, Orange Coast Title for title and escrow, and HomeServices Insurance. Intero says each service stays independent, costs vary by provider, and you do not have to use any of them. Some buyers value one coordinated team. Others prefer to shop each service on price.
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.
Relocating to the Bay Area
Intero has agents who specialize in relocation for buyers moving into or out of the Bay Area, and they help with neighborhoods, price range, and home style.
If you are relocating with TurboHome, private tours with the listing side's permission let you see homes on your own schedule, and your cash back is the same whether you finance or pay cash.
Where TurboHome and Intero 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
Intero's own offices are in Northern California and western Nevada, with franchise affiliates in a few other states, so it is not drawn here.
TurboHome's employed agents serve buyers across California and Texas, including San Francisco and San Jose. Everywhere else, you work with a TurboHome partner Realtor, who returns 0.5% at closing where state law allows.
Intero's own offices cover the greater Silicon Valley, San Francisco, western Nevada, and the Lake Tahoe region. Its franchise affiliates add locations in California, Nevada, Tennessee, and Texas.
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 Intero
Buyer-agent compensation is set in your written buyer agreement and is often paid by the seller. Intero does not publish a standard buyer fee or rebate, so the commission your Intero agent earns is not returned to you.
Some individual agents at any brokerage will negotiate a credit or a lower fee. If an Intero 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)$8,821Intero buyer rebateNone published
- TexasstatewideMedian sale price$329,054Agent compensation at 2.5%$8,226TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$3,226Intero buyer rebateNone published
- San FranciscoCAMedian sale price$1,579,248Agent compensation at 2.5%$39,481TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$24,481Intero buyer rebateNone published
- San JoseCAMedian sale price$1,349,357Agent compensation at 2.5%$33,734TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$18,734Intero buyer rebateNone published
- Los AngelesCAMedian sale price$1,032,508Agent compensation at 2.5%$25,813TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$10,813Intero buyer rebateNone published
- San DiegoCAMedian sale price$979,034Agent compensation at 2.5%$24,476TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$14,476Intero buyer rebateNone published
- SacramentoCAMedian sale price$508,258Agent compensation at 2.5%$12,706TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$2,706Intero buyer rebateNone published
- PlanoTXMedian sale price$499,762Agent compensation at 2.5%$12,494TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$7,494Intero buyer rebateNone published
Assumes 2.5% buyer-agent compensation. Intero Real Estate Services 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%.
How much buyers get back
Estimated cash back at four home prices. TurboHome's cash back grows with the price. Intero Real Estate Services publishes no buyer rebate.
- TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)
- TurboHome partner rebate (0.5%)
- Intero published buyer rebate
| Home price | TurboHome cash back (CA and TX) | TurboHome partner rebate (0.5%) | Intero 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. Intero Real Estate Services publishes no standard buyer rebate, so its column shows none. Compensation, lender approval, and state law decide the actual amount.
