Comparing TurboHome and Keller Williams for homebuyers
Keller Williams is the largest real estate franchise in the world by agent count, with more than 1,000 offices that are each independently owned and operated. 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 how the agent's office is run and on what happens to the commission.
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. Keller Williams does not publish a buyer rebate, so any credit depends on your agent and their local office.
Keller Williams can make sense if you want a well-known brand with a local office nearby, or you already trust a specific KW agent.
At a glance
- Who you work withTurboHomeAn employed TurboHome agent in California and Texas. A vetted partner Realtor in other states.Keller WilliamsA Keller Williams agent affiliated with a local market center, an office owned and run by a franchisee.
- Money back as a buyerTurboHomeFlat fee, with eligible compensation above it credited to you in CA and TX. 0.5% back with partner agents.Keller WilliamsNo published buyer rebate. Any credit is negotiated with the agent, under that office's policies.
- Lender requiredTurboHomeNone. Use any lender or pay cash.Keller WilliamsNone published. Use any lender.
- Home search toolsTurboHomeMLS listings plus private tours with the listing side's permission.Keller WilliamsThe KW App for home search, saved listings, virtual tours, and home value estimates.
- Where it worksTurboHomeNationwide, with in-house agents in California and Texas.Keller WilliamsMore than 1,000 offices, with about 136,500 US agents in 2025.
How Keller Williams works for homebuyers
Keller Williams is based in Austin, Texas, and has been ranked the No. 1 real estate franchise brand in the US for nine straight years by T3 Sixty. In 2025 its affiliated agents closed $370.7 billion in US sales volume across 796,658 transaction sides, with 136,511 US agents. RealTrends also ranks it the No. 1 brand by both sides and volume.
Keller Williams is a franchise. Its local offices, called market centers, are independently owned and operated, so policies on things like buyer credits can differ from one office to the next. In March 2025, investment firm Stone Point Capital invested in the company and Chris Czarnecki became CEO. Co-founder Gary Keller stayed on as executive chairman, according to Inman.
Keller Williams 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. Your experience depends a lot on the agent you choose and the market center they work from.
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 Keller Williams vs. TurboHome
Day to day, a few differences matter most.
The agent relationship
At Keller Williams you pick an agent or team, and they work under a local market center with its own owner and leadership. Keller Williams describes its culture as education-based, with training and coaching for its agents, so many KW agents follow a common playbook even though offices are run locally.
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.
Searching for homes
The KW App lets buyers search listings with filters, save favorites, take virtual tours, check a home's estimated value, and connect with a Keller Williams agent.
TurboHome buyers can search on any site or app they like. Your agent sets up private tours of the homes you pick, with the listing side's permission, at no extra cost.
Commission rules after the 2024 settlement
In 2024 a federal court gave final approval to Keller Williams's $70 million settlement of home-seller lawsuits over commissions. The court's order lists practice changes that came with it, such as disclosing to buyers and sellers that commissions are not set by law and are fully negotiable. An appeals court upheld the approval in August 2026.
For buyers, the practical takeaway is the same at every brokerage. Read your buyer agreement, ask how your agent is paid, and negotiate. With TurboHome in California and Texas, the flat fee is published up front, and eligible compensation above it comes back to you.
Where TurboHome and Keller Williams 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
Keller Williams has more than 1,000 market centers across the US and abroad, 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.
Keller Williams has more than 1,000 market center offices. Because each office is licensed under its owner's company name, state license data does not show a single Keller Williams count for California or 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 Keller Williams
Buyer-agent compensation is set in your written buyer agreement and is often paid by the seller. Keller Williams does not publish a standard buyer fee or rebate, so unless your agent agrees otherwise, the commission your KW agent earns is not returned to you.
Some individual agents at any brokerage will negotiate a credit or a lower fee. Because Keller Williams offices are independently owned, what an agent can offer may depend on their market center. If a KW agent offers a credit, 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)$8,821Keller Williams buyer rebateNone published
- TexasstatewideMedian sale price$329,054Agent compensation at 2.5%$8,226TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$3,226Keller Williams buyer rebateNone published
- San FranciscoCAMedian sale price$1,579,248Agent compensation at 2.5%$39,481TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$24,481Keller Williams buyer rebateNone published
- San JoseCAMedian sale price$1,349,357Agent compensation at 2.5%$33,734TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$18,734Keller Williams buyer rebateNone published
- Los AngelesCAMedian sale price$1,032,508Agent compensation at 2.5%$25,813TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$10,813Keller Williams buyer rebateNone published
- San DiegoCAMedian sale price$979,034Agent compensation at 2.5%$24,476TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$14,476Keller Williams buyer rebateNone published
- SacramentoCAMedian sale price$508,258Agent compensation at 2.5%$12,706TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$2,706Keller Williams buyer rebateNone published
- PlanoTXMedian sale price$499,762Agent compensation at 2.5%$12,494TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$7,494Keller Williams buyer rebateNone published
Assumes 2.5% buyer-agent compensation. Keller Williams 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. Keller Williams publishes no buyer rebate.
- TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)
- TurboHome partner rebate (0.5%)
- Keller Williams published buyer rebate
| Home price | TurboHome cash back (CA and TX) | TurboHome partner rebate (0.5%) | Keller Williams 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. Keller Williams publishes no standard buyer rebate, so its column shows none. Compensation, lender approval, and state law decide the actual amount.
