Compare NAEBA and Redfin

For Sellers

Not Applicable
0
No Rates
NAEBA Referral Service, Inc. does not provide real estate referrals for sellers.

For Sellers

Listing Rate
1%
Commission
Minimum commissions and other terms may apply. Buyer's Agent Commission (2.5%-3%) is not included, but you may be able to negotiate this as well. Redfin charges 1% Listing Commission only when working with a Redfin Agent in approximately 60% of all transactions originated.

For Sellers

Partner Agents
25%-30%
Referral Fee
Redfin Partner Agents do not work for Redfin. Instead, Redfin matches consumers with various real estate agents in exchange for 25%-30% referral fees. Such results suffer from pay-to-play bias because the network does not match consumers with agents unwilling to pay cut of their commission. Redfin Partner Agent is used by the company in approximately 40% of all transactions originated. Redfin cannot offer listing savings for Partner Agents, because such action constitutes an illegal price fixing. By using Partner Agents consumers only subject themselves to added fees, not savings!

For Sellers

Concierge Listing
2%
Commission
Minimum commissions and other terms may apply. Buyer's Agent Commission (2.5%-3%) is not included, but you may be able to negotiate this as well. Concierge Listing program is highly limited in availability.

For Buyers

Referred Agents
25%-40%
Referral Fee
NAEBA Referral Service, Inc. does not provide real estate services to home buyers. Instead, this company matches consumers with various real estate agents in exchange for an estimated 25%-40% referral fee. NAEBA Referral Service, Inc. results suffer from pay-to-play bias because the network does not match consumers with agents unwilling to pay 25%-40% of their commission back to NAEBA.

For Buyers

Buyer's Savings
+/- 21%
Commission Rebate
When you work with Redfin to represent you, it contributes +/-21% of its total commission to you and your closing costs as a way to financially compete for your business. Rebates are only available where allowed by local State law. Home Buyers do not pay any taxes on the amount, the refund amount is always tax-free.

For Buyers

Partner Agents
25%-30%
Referral Fee
Redfin Partner Agents do not work for Redfin. Instead, Redfin matches consumers with various real estate agents in exchange for 25%-30% referral fees. Such results suffer from pay-to-play bias because the network does not match consumers with agents unwilling to pay cut of their commission. Redfin Partner Agent is used by the company in approximately 40% of all transactions originated. Redfin cannot offer rebates for using Partner Agents, because such action constitutes an illegal price fixing. By using Partner Agents consumers only subject themselves to added fees, not savings!
Question: What is the difference between NAEBA and Redfin?
Answer: NAEBA is a referral fee network that enables broker-to-broker collusion with use of blanket referral agreements while Redfin is a full-service real estate agent and a referral fee network
Compare NAEBA and Redfin 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: 17 February 2019
Last updated: 25 April 2021

Buying and Selling with NAEBA

WARNING: Unlawful Kickbacks, Broker-to-Broker Collusion, False Marketing, Wire Fraud, Price Fixing.

NAEBA is a broker-to-broker collusion scheme, where "partner agents" unlawfully agree to pay massive kickbacks to receive your information and engage in market allocation, consumer allocation, false advertising, unlawful kickbacks, wire fraud, and price-fixing practices in violation of, inter alia, 18 U.S.C. § 1346, 18 U.S.C. § 1343, 15 U.S.C. § 1, 15 U.S.C. § 45, 12 U.S.C. § 2607, 12 C.F.R. § 1024.14. As a consumer, you will always significantly overpay for Realtor commissions subject to hidden kickbacks and pay-to-play steering promoted in this scheme.

United States federal antitrust laws prohibit consumer allocation and blanket referral agreements between real estate companies.

Be smart; do not allow your information to be "sold as a lead" to a double-dealing Realtor in exchange for massive commission kickbacks paid from your future home sale, or your future home purchase.


NAEBA claims that it is a professional organization of real estate buyer agents and buyer brokers who only represent home buyers, designed with consumers in mind, but this is not true.

NAEBA is an intricate web of For-Profit (Business) Corporations and brokerages designed to collect referral fees from all transactions it originates. NAEBA Referral Service, Inc. provides referrals to brokers for an undisclosed fee, it does not represent consumers.

NAEBA Pricing

NAEBA revenue comes from referral fees, dues, and sale of user information to real estate brokers.

Listing Services

  • This Service Does Not Represent Sellers

Buyer's Agent Services

  • This Service Does Not Represent Buyers

NAEBA Editor's Review:

National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (NAEBA) operates as a Non-Profit corporation. Further, NAEBA Referral Service, Inc. is a 100% NAEBA-owned Domestic For-Profit (Business) Corporation in Arizona No 19566663 operating under a separate Tax ID with Gea Elika as its Director and Kenneth Reid as President. NAEBA Referral Service, Inc. operates a for-profit brokerage called Buyer's Broker of Arizona working under a License Number CO656331000 with a designated real estate broker Kenneth Reid. Why such a complicated web of companies?

NAEBA claims that it is a professional organization of real estate buyer agents and buyer brokers who only represent home buyers, designed to educate consumers.

In reality, NAEBA is an intricate web of For-Profit (Business) Corporations and brokerages designed to collect referral fees from all transactions it originates.

NAEBA Referral Service, Inc. provides referrals to brokers for an undisclosed fee, most likely set anywhere between 25%-40% of the agent's entire commission.

In this process, NAEBA makes a few dozen referrals each year in exchange for a lucrative payout. In 2016 NAEBA Non-Profit brought in $522,261 in revenue; where membership dues account for only $24,583. In the same year Non-Profit claimed additional $431,010 in revenue, classified as a Miscellaneous, this amount comes directly from NAEBA Referral Service, Inc., where office expenses are further split 50/50 and salaries are billed by the hour for actual hours.

In 2016 NAEBA Non-profit Corporation spent 82% of its revenue, or $483,192 for salaries, employee benefits, and other expenses. It is unclear what additional revenue NAEBA Referral Service, Inc. keeps on its own books without an obligation to publically disclose full amount as a private For-Profit Corporation.

These financial incentives clearly point to the process of collecting referral fees as the primary reason for NAEBA operations.

NAEBA collects fees where "agents only pay if there are a match and the consumer purchases a property." There are a number of problems with this process and, eventually, consumers end up paying higher commissions when working with real estate agents that NAEBA recommends.

When consumers submit information to NAEBA, this information is simply sold to real estate agents who are willing to pay for it with 25%-40% share of their commission.

This fee makes it hardly a free service for anyone since referral fees are inevitably passed down to consumers. More importantly, NAEBA applies this pay-to-play bias towards all matching results, meaning, only real estate agents that have agreed to pay a referral fee are displayed in match results for consumers.

NAEBA further audits all transactions because it needs to find out how much money real estate agents receive in commissions, inevitably collecting private details of consumer’s agreement for home purchase or sale.

NAEBA plays fees down to consumers while it rigidly locks every participating real estate agent into a referral fee attached to the back-end of every contract. As a licensed real estate agent that doesn’t perform any real estate services, or takes any responsibility for the transaction, it is not entirely clear how this process works under the Business and Professions Code in Arizona.

Clearly, real estate agents only sign-up with NAEBA because the price of the referral fee can be easily incorporated into their client’s agreement by way of excessive commissions. NAEBA receives the lowest score because this service is clearly biased and it claims to provide the complete opposite of what it actually does. NAEBA claims to help buyers, but in reality, it only makes the home buying process more expensive with unnecessary fees.

The best proof of NAEBA's flawed model comes from that fact that it remains absolutely silent on the issue of Buyer's Rebates. Why? Simply because informing consumers about these actionable savings eats directly into NAEBA’s bottom line – if agents that NAEBA recommends beginning to offer consumers fair pricing and rebates, NAEBA would no longer be able to collect excessive referral fees as part of its business.

Buyers should avoid using NAEBA referral service and negotiate directly with real estate agents for a competitive representation, or use services that offer consumers a clearly-defined 0% referral fee structure.

Where does NAEBA operate?

NAEBA currently operates in select areas across United States.

Buying and Selling with Redfin

WARNING: Unlawful Kickbacks, Broker-to-Broker Collusion, False Marketing, Wire Fraud, Price Fixing.

Redfin is a broker-to-broker collusion scheme, where "partner agents" unlawfully agree to pay massive kickbacks to receive your information and engage in market allocation, consumer allocation, false advertising, unlawful kickbacks, wire fraud, and price-fixing practices in violation of, inter alia, 18 U.S.C. § 1346, 18 U.S.C. § 1343, 15 U.S.C. § 1, 15 U.S.C. § 45, 12 U.S.C. § 2607, 12 C.F.R. § 1024.14. As a consumer, you will always significantly overpay for Realtor commissions subject to hidden kickbacks and pay-to-play steering promoted in this scheme.

United States federal antitrust laws prohibit consumer allocation and blanket referral agreements between real estate companies.

Be smart; do not allow your information to be "sold as a lead" to a double-dealing Realtor in exchange for massive commission kickbacks paid from your future home sale, or your future home purchase.


A multi-state broker, a full-service company rebates buyer's part of the commission it receives, where allowed, and provides listing savings to sellers. In some cases, this company acts as an Internet referral fee network where it is unable to provide real estate services.

Redfin Pricing

Redfin offers listing savings to sellers (1% to 1.5% listing fee) and commission refunds to buyers where allowed by State law (21% rebate approximate.). Redfin works with about 3,100 Partner Agents in regions where it has no direct representation in exchange for a 30% referral fees.

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
  • Home Cleaning (Optional)
  • Home Painting (Optional)
  • Home Staging (Optional)
  • Landscaping (Optional)

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

Redfin Editor's Review:

Redfin is one of the largest real estate agents in the United States that offers service of a traditional agent with a competitive commission. It is important to separate Redfin services into three distinct categories: a real estate agent, a referral network and a direct cash buyer.

This review is focused on its operations as a real estate agent and a referral network. RedfinNow is further segregated into its own category because it operates as an investor and not a professional agent service model built to represent consumers.

Redfin went public in 2017 with an IPO that has raised $138 million and have thus saved consumers millions in commissions over typical rates offered by traditional real estate brokers. However, Redfin’s operations as a referral network result in an inefficiency known as reverse competition and possible price fixing. Such practice may result in lower quality of service and higher commissions due to added fees.

Agent Listings
Redfin Agents are salaried employees who are also paid bonuses based on client feedback and are not motivated by commissions. Redfin Agent Listing includes posting home on the MLS and MLS Aggregator services, professional photos, 3D tour and all typical services offered by a traditional real estate agent. Redfin gives sellers access to a well-designed dashboard to track buyers viewing your home and other communication features.

Redfin Partner Program
Redfin partner agents
Credit: Redfin Partner Referral Program via Redfin Partner Agents

Where Redfin cannot directly serve consumers, the company relies on a referral network of approximately 3,100 independent agents at other brokerages. Approximately 40% of all real estate transactions originated by Redfin are executed by this referral network.

Referral agents pay 30% of their commission back to Redfin when they close a transaction. Once Redfin refers a customer to a Partner Agent, that agent, not Redfin, represents the customer from the initial meeting through closing. In the past, Redfin had actively dictated that Partner Agent commission listing rates are set at 1.5%, or that Partner Agents issue rebates set at 15% to buyers (15% went to Redfin as a kickback.) Redfin has since revised this policy because it violates antitrust law.

In the United States, all independent brokerage fees are always negotiable and each real estate agent establishes its own policy for a fee structure, amount of commissions, and the sharing of any listing commissions.

Price fixing is prohibited by antitrust legislation. To fix, control, recommend, suggest or maintain commission rates or fees for other agents' services is an improper practice. Redfin Corporation has recently stopped such blatant price fixing strategy, where a statement on the company’s website now reads: "Since Partner Agents aren't employed by Redfin, we can't guarantee our 1%–1.5% listing fee or offer a Redfin Refund for customers who work with a Partner Agent." This statement means not only that Redfin "can't guarantee" these savings, but also that consumers shouldn't expect to receive savings from a Partner Agent.

Redfin still heavily engages in market-allocation and consumer brokering practices in their efforts to earn referral fees, instead of actually providing representation services. In 2019 Redfin has made a massive move by allowing with RE/MAX brokerage to participate as Partner Agents, where consumers are "sold as leads" to RE/MAX brokers for 25% cut of their commission.

Consumers a highly likely to overpay for listing commissions and receive little or no refund using Redfin Partner Program, when buying or selling a home, because the added 30% referral fee makes it impossible for Partner Agents to negotiate a fair market rate.

By utilizing Partner Agents, consumers are not just getting nothing, but are being subjected to thousands and sometimes tens of thousands in useless fees paid for the privilege of getting connected to a random agent.

Redfin Partner Program is one of the worst consumer brokering programs in the market because it implies that consumers will get a lower listing rate, or a refund from the Partner Agent shown on the Redfin website, but due to price fixing antitrust law this is not true.

By negotiating with an agent directly, or using HomeOpenly Open Marketplace, consumers are able to receive such savings, because HomeOpenly has a 0% referral fees structure and we are legally able to advertise rates for thousands of independent agents who offer all sorts of independently set savings – refunds, listing rates, or flat fees.

In fact, any real estate agent who uses Redfin Partner Program is able to freely advertise their services, refunds and/or listing rates on HomeOpenly and bypass excessive referral fees set by Redfin, saving consumers 30% in referral fees. Consumers should absolutely avoid using Redfin Partner Program agents.

Concierge Service
In November 2017 Redfin has launched a program called Concierge Service in select areas that offer home sellers added benefits of coordinating, supervising and paying for services such as deep cleaning, painting, staging, and landscaping in exchange for a 2% listing fee.

Where does Redfin operate?

Redfin currently operates in select areas across Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Richmond, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and New Jersey..