The short version. Most of the well-known discount brokerages serving Denver are not Denver companies. Clever is headquartered in St. Louis. Prevu was founded in New York and is now owned by a company in Dublin, Ohio. Redfin is Seattle-based and has been owned by Rocket Companies in Detroit since July 2025. Houzeo is a national flat-fee platform rather than a Colorado brokerage at all.
The fees are broadly similar once you read the fine print. The real difference is who you actually work with — a referral to an agent at another brokerage, a national employee who may be swapped out when volume spikes, or one local agent who handles your transaction start to finish.
Where these companies are actually based
Denver has no shortage of discount brokerage options, but the recognizable names are national operations headquartered elsewhere. Not one of them is a Colorado company, and two of them changed hands to out-of-state parent companies within the last 14 months alone.
| Company | Headquarters | Owned by |
|---|---|---|
| EZ AgentsDenver, CO | Denver | Independent. One agent, Steve Novak. |
| Clever Real Estate | St. Louis, Missouri | — |
| Prevu | New York, New York | reAlpha Tech Corp., Dublin, Ohio (November 2025) |
| Redfin | Seattle, Washington | Rocket Companies, Detroit, Michigan (July 2025) |
| Houzeo | National flat-fee MLS platform | — |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Being headquartered elsewhere does not make a company bad at its job. It does mean the person handling your transaction is working inside a national system rather than running a local practice, and that distinction shows up in the next section.
What do the fees actually look like?
On the seller side, 1% is the going rate among genuine discount brokerages and anything above 2% is not a discount. On the buyer side the spread is enormous: rebates range from a $250 flat gift to half the commission, which on a $750,000 home is a difference of roughly $250 versus roughly $10,500.
| Company | Listing fee | Buyer rebate |
|---|---|---|
| EZ Agents | 1% $7,500 minimum |
50% of the commission $7,500 minimum; roughly $10,500 on a $750,000 home |
| Prevu | Not published on their site | Not published on their site. Parent company reAlpha cites “up to approximately 1.5%.” |
| Clever | 1.5% $3,000 minimum |
$250 flat, or $500 if you buy and sell through them |
| Redfin | 2% $5,500 Denver minimum. Drops to 1% only if you also buy with Redfin within 365 days. |
Redfin no longer publishes buyer refund terms — ask them directly |
| Houzeo | $429–$499 up front plus 0.5%–1.25% at closing $1,500 minimum. You are not represented. |
None |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Several published roundups still list Redfin’s Denver listing fee as 1.5%. Redfin’s own disclaimer says 2%, with a $5,500 minimum in Denver. We used Redfin’s number.
Who do you actually work with?
This is the difference that matters most and the one least visible in a fee table. Depending on which company you pick, you may be referred to an agent at an entirely different brokerage, handed to a partner agent at another company during busy periods, or given no representation at all.
Each of these is the company describing its own model, in its own words.
Clever refers you to an agent at another brokerage
CLEVER IS MERELY A REFERRAL SERVICE. … THE COMPANY IS NOT REPRESENTING YOU AS A REAL ESTATE AGENT OR BROKER.Clever Real Estate, Terms of Service
Clever is a matching platform. It routes you to a partner agent at another brokerage at a pre-negotiated rate. The discount is real; you just do not choose the brokerage and you do not know in advance who you get.
Redfin may hand you to a partner agent
Partner agents work for other brokerages, such as RE/MAX or Coldwell Banker … We connect customers with the best local Partner agents during times of exceptionally high demand or if the property is outside our direct service area.Redfin, Partner Agent FAQ
Redfin’s own agents are employees of the company. Since October 2024 they are paid on commission splits rather than salary, and Redfin reports its average agent closed more than 22 transactions in 2025.
Houzeo does not represent you at all
Houzeo is a flat-fee MLS platform, not a discount brokerage, and its own Colorado page says its licensed brokers provide support but do not represent the seller as a traditional agent would. The support itself is tiered: the entry plan is listing only, and broker assistance, contract review and pricing help are what you get by paying for the higher plans.
| Houzeo plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Silver | $429 + 0.5% at close | MLS listing, photos, unlimited changes. No broker assistance. |
| Gold | $479 + 1% at close | Adds licensed broker assistance, contract review, pricing help |
| Platinum | $499 + 1.25% at close | Adds virtual full-service broker and concierge |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
All Colorado plans carry a $1,500 minimum commission. You handle your own showings and, on the entry plan, your own negotiation.
When is one of these a better choice than us?
On lower-priced homes, genuinely yes. Our commission minimum is $7,500 on each side. Clever’s listing minimum is $3,000 and Houzeo’s is $1,500. On a $300,000 condo, those lower floors mean a lower effective rate than ours, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise.
The minimum is deliberate. One agent handling every transaction personally can only take on so many, and the floor is what keeps that true. If your purchase or sale sits well below the Denver median, one of the cheaper options may serve you better, and that is a reasonable choice.
If you want to represent yourself, Houzeo is cheaper than any brokerage on this page. That is a real option for a confident seller who wants MLS exposure and nothing else.
Where EZ Agents fits
One local agent, full service, at close to the lowest fees available. Buyers receive 50% of the commission back at closing, credited on the settlement statement. Sellers list for 1%. Steve Novak handles every contract, negotiation, inspection and closing personally.
The numbers behind that: more than 250 closed transactions, over 70 homes closed in the past 12 months, $200M+ in closed volume, an average sale price of $766,000, 150+ five-star reviews across Google, Zillow and Yelp, and Top 1% Colorado Realtor. Licensed showing agents are available on demand for tours; everything that carries money or liability is handled by Steve.
For comparison, Redfin publishes that its average agent closed more than 22 transactions in 2025.
We are not the cheapest option on this page and the section above says who is. What we think we offer is the combination that is genuinely hard to find: a top-producing local agent, working your file directly, at a fee structure built to compete with companies that achieve their pricing by spreading the work across a system.
See what your rebate would be
Run your price through the calculator, or send the address you are considering and we will give you the number before you commit to anything.
Common questions
Are any of the big discount brokerages actually Denver companies?
Not among the national names. Clever is headquartered in St. Louis, Prevu is owned by a company in Dublin, Ohio, and Redfin has been owned by Detroit-based Rocket Companies since July 2025. Houzeo is a national flat-fee platform rather than a Colorado brokerage.
Does Clever have its own agents in Denver?
No. Clever’s own Terms of Service state that it is a referral service and is not representing you as a real estate agent or broker. It connects you with an agent at a different brokerage.
Which option is cheapest for a lower-priced home?
Companies with lower commission minimums generally are. Houzeo’s Colorado minimum is $1,500 and Clever’s listing minimum is $3,000, against our $7,500 on each side. On homes well below the Denver median, those lower floors matter.
What is the actual difference between a discount brokerage and a flat-fee MLS service?
A discount brokerage represents you at a reduced fee. A flat-fee MLS service puts your home on the MLS and leaves the representation to you, with support available as a paid upgrade rather than as standard.
Keep reading
Sources and verification. All fees and company descriptions were read from each company’s own website or its parent company’s investor materials on September 15, 2026. Dollar figures assume a $750,000 purchase and a 2.8% buyer’s agent commission, which is negotiated on every transaction. EZ Agents transaction counts are from internal records; the public Zillow profile shows a lower figure because it does not track most new construction. Companies change pricing without notice — confirm current terms directly before deciding.