Comparing TurboHome and Mark Spain for homebuyers
Mark Spain Real Estate is a high-volume brokerage based in the Atlanta area that markets itself as a top real estate team. It is best known for its Guaranteed Offer, a cash offer for sellers, and it now works in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, and Texas, with a Texas office in Plano. TurboHome is a buyer-focused 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 side of the deal each company is built around.
Quick answer
In Texas, TurboHome usually returns more money to buyers. At 2.5% buyer-agent compensation, that is about $5,000 on a $400,000 home and $7,500 on a $500,000 home. Mark Spain does not publish a buyer rebate.
Mark Spain can make sense if you also need to sell and want a fast cash offer on your current home.
At a glance
- Who you work withTurboHomeAn employed TurboHome agent in Texas and California. A vetted partner Realtor in other states.Mark SpainA Mark Spain buyer's agent, backed by central lead coordinators and listing specialists.
- Money back as a buyerTurboHomeFlat fee, with eligible compensation above it credited to you in TX and CA. 0.5% back with partner agents.Mark SpainNo published buyer rebate.
- ProgramsTurboHomeCash back, private tours, and Cash Advantage for cash-strength offers.Mark SpainGuaranteed Offer and Market Listing for sellers. HomeNow, a rent-with-option-to-buy program.
- Lender requiredTurboHomeNone. Use any lender or pay cash.Mark SpainNone published for buyers.
- Where it worksTurboHomeNationwide, with in-house agents in Texas and California.Mark SpainGeorgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, and Texas.
How Mark Spain Real Estate works for homebuyers
Mark Spain started as a team inside Keller Williams in 2011 and went independent in 2016 as Mark Spain Real Estate. The company describes itself as a full-service brokerage and says it has served more than 72,700 clients. It also says The Wall Street Journal and RealTrends named it the No. 1 real estate team in the US for closed transactions for five years. It is hiring in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, and Texas.
For 2025, RealTrends Verified lists Mark Spain Real Estate with 9,801 transaction sides and $3.24 billion in sales, 476 licensed agents, and 15 offices, with an average home price of about $331,000. That ranks it 44th among US brokerages by sides.
Mark Spain's best-known programs are built for sellers. In Texas, its Dallas office in Plano offers the Guaranteed Offer, HomeNow, and Market Listing programs, and pairs buyers with local licensed agents. Mark Spain 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 Mark Spain vs. TurboHome
Day to day, a few differences matter most.
The agent relationship
Mark Spain runs a large, centralized operation. Its Market Listing program description highlights lead coordinators who answer inquiries seven days a week, and listings are handled by Exclusive Listing Agents. Buyers work with a local licensed agent who can tap that support.
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.
If you also need to sell
Mark Spain's Guaranteed Offer gives eligible sellers a cash offer and a closing in as little as 21 days, with no showings. It covers single-family homes built after 1950 and valued between $50,000 and $1.5 million that are owner-occupied or vacant, not distressed, and outside flood zones, among other limits. The offer is contingent on a walkthrough. Homes that do not qualify can be listed through the Market Listing program, a traditional listing with an Exclusive Listing Agent.
A cash offer trades some price for speed and certainty, so compare it with what a listing would likely net you. You can also sell with one company and buy with another. Selling with Mark Spain does not stop you from buying with TurboHome and keeping the cash back on your purchase.
HomeNow: renting with an option to buy
Mark Spain's HomeNow program lets you rent a home with the right, but no obligation, to buy it. As Mark Spain described it in 2021, eligible homes were single-family homes or townhomes priced from $100,000 to $450,000, you could rent for up to five years, and the upfront deposit of two months' rent came back if you bought. Ask for current terms in writing, since programs like this change.
HomeNow can help if you need time to save for a down payment or improve your credit. If you are ready to buy now, TurboHome's cash back can go toward closing costs or discount points with your lender's approval.
Where TurboHome and Mark Spain 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
Mark Spain works in parts of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, and Texas. Its offices are not drawn here.
Mark Spain's Texas presence is centered on its office in Plano, serving the Dallas area. The rest of its business is in the Southeast, where it hires in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida and has served the Charlotte, Raleigh, and Nashville areas since its early expansion.
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. Note that Tennessee, where Mark Spain serves buyers, is one of the states that bans buyer rebates.
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 Mark Spain
Buyer-agent compensation is set in your written buyer agreement and is often paid by the seller. Mark Spain does not publish a standard buyer fee or rebate, so the commission your Mark Spain agent earns is not returned to you.
Some individual agents at any brokerage will negotiate a credit or a lower fee. If a Mark Spain 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)$3,226Mark Spain buyer rebateNone published
- PlanoTXMedian sale price$499,762Agent compensation at 2.5%$12,494TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$7,494Mark Spain buyer rebateNone published
- CaliforniastatewideMedian sale price$752,837Agent compensation at 2.5%$18,821TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$8,821Mark Spain buyer rebateNone published
- Los AngelesCAMedian sale price$1,032,508Agent compensation at 2.5%$25,813TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$10,813Mark Spain buyer rebateNone published
- San DiegoCAMedian sale price$979,034Agent compensation at 2.5%$24,476TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$14,476Mark Spain buyer rebateNone published
- SacramentoCAMedian sale price$508,258Agent compensation at 2.5%$12,706TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)$2,706Mark Spain buyer rebateNone published
Assumes 2.5% buyer-agent compensation. Mark Spain Real Estate 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. Mark Spain Real Estate publishes no buyer rebate.
- TurboHome cash back (CA and TX)
- TurboHome partner rebate (0.5%)
- Mark Spain published buyer rebate
| Home price | TurboHome cash back (CA and TX) | TurboHome partner rebate (0.5%) | Mark Spain 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. Mark Spain Real Estate publishes no standard buyer rebate, so its column shows none. Compensation, lender approval, and state law decide the actual amount.
