Compare Landis and REX Real Estate

For Sellers

No Service
0
No Rates
Landis does not offer home listing services to consumers.

For Sellers

Listing Rate
2%
Commission
Minimum commissions and other terms may apply. Buyer's Agent Commission (2.5%-3%) is not included, because REX does not offer a split option to buyer’s agents. If a buyer approaches the seller’s listing with a buyer’s agent, the buyer will be responsible for Buyer's Agent Commission amount out-of-pocket.

For Buyers

Rent-to-Own
Varies
Rent and Fees
Landis does not provide real estate services to home sellers. Instead, this company buys a home, rents it, and later offers to sell it to the tenant. The total cost of Landis program is impossible to estimate in advance. Landis revenue come from rent, origination fees, and a 3% increase between the price of the home when Landis buys it and the price it sells it to the tenant after a year.

For Buyers

Buyer’s Savings
50%
Commission Rebate
When REX Real Estate represents home buyers, it contributes 50% of its Buyer's Agent Commission (2.5%-3%) to the buyer as a way to financially compete for a buyer’s business. Home buyers do not pay any taxes on the amount, the refund amount is always tax-free.
Question: What is the difference between Landis and REX Real Estate?
Answer: Landis is a rent-to-own program that does not provide real estate services while REX Real Estate is a full-service real estate agent that offers savings to homebuyers and home sellers
Compare Landis and REX Real Estate for home buying and selling. HomeOpenly is an impartial and an open resource focused on trending real estate services, portals and start-ups.

First published: 01 September 2019
Last updated: 25 April 2021

Buying with Landis

Landis is a rent-to-own program that purchases the home and then rents it out to you as a tenant. Landis claims to operate a one-year program for the tenants to buy the property once they can afford a down payment. A common complaint with all rent-to-own programs is an inability of the tenant to secure a loan in time to purchase the property, at which point the tenant is either forced to walk away with a loss or continues to rent.

Landis may sometimes suggest that a customer reach out to someone (e.g. a lender) who can help them, but the company doesn’t make money from it, and only gives the info to the customer, not the customer's info to anyone else. Landis does not receive any referral fees from third parties (such as lenders, real estate brokers, etc.) and keenly guards customers' information. This is a refreshing approach that adds value to consumers. Landis states that: "companies at our stage don't have any incentive to charge hidden fees: growth and customer experience simply matter much more than revenue."

Landis Pricing

Landis revenue comes from the price of rent and a 3% increase between the price of the home when Landis buys it and the price it sells it to the tenant after a year.

Landis is silent on what happens in a situation when the price of the home drops before the tenant can buy it, or if the mortgage rates increase during the tenancy period. When consumers use Landis, they are unable to take advantage of a buyer’s commission rebate from a real estate agent because the company is the one actually buying the home.

Landis states that it receives "no rebates or commissions from agents, we pay agents their full commission, as though they were working with the customer."

When it comes to the cost of rent Landis says that "we're very upfront with our users that during the 12 months of the program, we are more expensive than owning, or even renting. That's because we need our customers to put money to the side for their down payment … our only revenue is market rent and 3% appreciation at the end of the year. The economics work out because we're in areas where average rents are high."

Listing Services

  • This Service Does Not Represent Sellers

Buyer's Agent Services

  • This Service Does Not Represent Buyers

Landis Editor's Review:

Landis program purchases the home and rents it to the tenant with an option to buy. Landis reviews full financial, credit, and work history of each potential tenant. Those few applicants who pass the screening may select a home within the allowed amount Landis sets. A tenant pays rent, a portion of which becomes a down payment to eventually buy the home. After a year, if the tenant decides to move out, Landis deducts half of the down payment amount saved, as an added fee. When purchasing a house from Landis, a tenant must and pay closing costs of the sale.

Landis has only enough cash on hand (structured as debt) to place offers against a handful of properties. This is why the company likely rejects the majority of applications as a way to reduce risk. It is safe to assume that only a very small number of applications with Landis are approved.

According to the company, "lenders send us customers that want to buy a home but can't close on a loan. It could be due to a low credit score, insufficient down payment, a recent bankruptcy, self-employment, or some other reason."

To secure a mortgage on competitive terms is a primary and the best option to buy a home. Yes, the down payment is difficult, but adding Landis to the mix doesn't solve the overall affordability. Landis claims that owning a home is always cheaper than renting it, but Landis is a landlord.

There is nothing to substantiate that renting a home from Landis is less expensive to own it during that same time frame. There is also nothing to suggest that Landis is offering reduced rent to the tenant at any given time. Buying a property is a risk, and Landis must account for this risk with added fees. The true costs of this rent-to-buy program are incredibly difficult to estimate by anyone other than Landis, and these costs are absolutely real.

Buyers are unlikely to receive a buyer's rebate from a real estate agent when buying with Landis program.

Buying a home is one of the most important transactions in people's lives, especially the first home. By adding Landis rent-to-own proposition, buyers are subjecting their transaction to the additional 3% appreciation fees, paying rent, and a possible loss of half of the down payment amount if moving out.

Landis receives a neutral editor's score because of several factors. When asked, the company declined to disclose its application volume and applicant success rates. Lack of this information makes it difficult to estimate the “weight” of overall operations and the returns the company is required to make against the total number of participants.

An undisputed positive is that the company doesn’t make money from referrals, making their claims to hold consumers’ best interest viable.

Landis claims that owning in the long term is cheaper than renting, especially in the markets where it operates. However, there is no clear evidence money is saved and there is no evidence that consumers who choose the Landis model end up with a higher chance of purchasing the home.

Landis states: “We completely agree that a mortgage is better. That's why we coach all our customers to do what they need to get a mortgage. It's the whole point of the company. We work with those who simply can't get a mortgage (because of credit score, down payment, etc.) and we coach them to fix what prevents them from getting one. As soon as they can get one, they graduate from the program.”

We find no solid evidence that Landis offers home buyers tangible savings as part of their rent-to-own program, but at the same time, some home buyers may decide for themselves that the program is worth the added fees.

HomeOpenly editorial staff remains overall neutral on the subject: we can neither recommend Landis nor suggest that buyers refrain from using the program.

Where does Landis operate?

Landis currently operates in select areas across Select markets in Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee..

Buying and Selling with REX Real Estate

REX Real Estate is a California, Texas, Colorado, New Jersey, and New York real estate listing agent, offers consumers listing savings and buyer’s rebates for select areas. REX Real Estate does not offer Buyer's Agent Commission (2.5%-3%) split to buyer’s agents and does not list seller’s homes on the MLS.

MLS-less REX significantly lowers home's exposure to buyers working with their own agent and misrepresents many advantages of using MLS to sellers.

Further, REX Real Estate claims to save buyer's agent fee amount, but in reality, Buyer's Agent Commission is always defined by the seller and it is up to the seller how much she is willing to offer buyer's agent, not REX.

The listing rate of 2%, that the company offers, must be compared to a "traditional" listing fee of 3%. In this comparison, REX Real Estate listing savings are only 1% less than a "traditional" listing commission.

REX Real Estate Pricing

REX Real Estate offers savings to sellers with a commission set at 2%, and buyers a 50% commission rebate.

Listing Services

  • MLS Listing
  • Zillow, Trulia, etc. Listing
  • Accept and Deliver All Offers and Counteroffers
  • Hold Open Houses
  • Professional Photography
  • Professional Floor Plans
  • Yard Signage Installation
  • Spare Key Lock-box Installation
  • Schedule Inspection Services
  • Schedule Private Showings
  • Closing Duties

Buyer's Agent Services

  • Find the Property
  • Accept and Deliver All Offers and Counteroffers
  • Recommend Other Professionals
  • Attend Inspection Services
  • Schedule Private Showings
  • Negotiate Needed Repairs
  • Closing Duties

REX Real Estate Editor's Review:

REX Real Estate is a consumer-focused real estate agent that, unfortunately, claims a lot more than what it actionably delivers. REX Real Estate service includes posting home on its own web site and MLS Aggregator services, professional photos and 3D images in addition to all typical services offered by a traditional real estate agent.

The key disadvantage of using REX Real Estate is that it does not use MLS to advertise a listing property to other brokers. Any buyer who is represented by their own agent must pay a buyer’s agent fees out-of-pocket. This proposition gives REX larger control of how company’s listing data is distributed and an excuse to claim additional savings against 6% commission, but the seller pays the real price with a highly limited pool of self-represented buyers.

The company claims that it saves the seller a Buyer’s Agent Commission, but this amount is typically defined by the seller and it is never mandatory. In reality, REX Real Estate actionably offers 1% in listing savings compared to a “traditional” listing rate of 3%.

REX Real Estate further misrepresents volume of total savings when it claims that other agents that use “antiquated MLS and is set up like a traditional agency, can’t get away from the 3% buy-side commission.” This is false. There are agents who choose to waive or drastically reduce this fee if the buyer is self-represented and this amount if not set in stone. The only reason 2.5% - 3% buy-side commission is often recommended by other real estate agents is because it significantly increases listing exposure to potential buyers.

When comparing listing rates, Buyer’s Agent Commission amount is irrelevant and should never be used to “prop-up” the appeal of a competitive listing rate. This systematic misinformation is quite damaging to consumers who may not be aware of drawbacks associated with not offering the buy-side commission.

Further, REX Real Estate operates alongside many highly competitive real estate agents that offer consumers much better savings, such as flat fees - when the company claims it offers the lowest fee, this is simply not true. When working with other agents, REX Real Estate hypocritically receives Buyer’s Agent Commission from other listing agents when it represents buyers; REX Real Estate refunds 50% of that amount back to the buyer, as a tax-free commission refund.

We find that REX Real Estate offers nothing new over most any real estate agent, it simply games a few pieces of the existing process in an effort to claim that it has a found a way to replace an outdated MLS.

A well-defined MLS Aggregation process is actually very helpful to consumers because this information, now widely available online, helps people find and shop for homes easily. The real problems in the real estate process are excessive fees and hidden kickbacks between agents and referral fee networks.

Despite the fact that REX Real Estate is a model that offers listing savings to sellers, it receives an average score due to the misleading advertising policy and lack of home exposure to the MLS. REX Real Estate is still a great option for buyers due to 50% buyer’s refund.

Where does REX Real Estate operate?

REX Real Estate currently operates in select areas across California, Texas, Colorado, New Jersey, and New York.