Buyer's Guide

We cover the entire Bay Area including San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Fremont, Pleasanton, Dublin, Richmond, and Mill Valley. Check out our Locations page to learn more!

We’re a full-service team, here to support you throughout your entire home-buying journey. Whether you’re looking for comprehensive guidance or help with specific steps, we’re ready to assist. Some clients come to us with a home already in mind and simply need help evaluating it and completing the transaction. Others are just getting started, figuring out their budget, refining their preferences, and exploring neighborhoods. Wherever you are in the process, we’re with you every step of the way. Here’s what’s included in our flat fee of $9,999: ✅ Unlimited offers ✅ Unlimited property information requests ✅ Unlimited consultations ✅ Unlimited disclosure analysis Private House Visits We include three complimentary tours. Additional tours are available for a small fee.

Yes, all of our agents are fully licensed California real estate professionals. We are proud members of the San Francisco Association of Realtors™, the California Association of Realtors™, and the National Association of Realtors™.

One of our licensed flat-rate real estate agents will personally lead your transaction and serve as your main point of contact throughout your home-buying journey. We operate as a close-knit team, ready to step in for one another to ensure you’re always supported, especially when time-sensitive needs arise.

Yes, we work with all the new construction home builders.

A flat fee of $9,999, including unlimited property information requests, disclosure analysis, offer submissions, negotiations, and expert consultation. We include three complimentary tours, with a small fee for each additional one.

There’s no catch! We offer all the services of a traditional real estate agent with better data-driven tools, greater transparency, and a highly responsive team - all for a flat fee of $9,999. There are no extra charges for property information requests, disclosure analysis, submitting offers, negotiations, or consultations. The only limitation is on private house tours: we include three free tours, with a small fee for each additional one.

There are two ways to work with Flat Fee Buyers: 1. Flat Fee (Preferred): We submit a lower offer - typically 2.5% below target price - requesting $0 buyer’s agent commission from the seller. Instead, the buyer pays our flat fee of $9,999 directly through escrow at closing. 2. Rebate (Not Preferred): We submit an offer requesting the standard 2.5% buyer’s agent commission from the seller. After closing, we keep $9,999 and rebate the remaining commission back to the buyer. Contact us to learn more!

Buyers receive their cashback right after the close of escrow. Once the escrow company distributes funds to the agents (typically within one business day), we immediately issue your rebate check.

According to the IRS, cashback rebates from a buyer’s agent as part of a real estate transaction are not considered taxable income. The IRS states that “a payment or credit at closing from [a real estate brokerage] is an adjustment to the purchase price of the home and is not included in the purchaser’s gross income.” When you sell your home in the future, you’ll need to adjust your cost basis by the amount of the rebate when calculating capital gains taxes. This is subject to the standard capital gains exemptions for real estate. As always, we recommend consulting a tax professional or attorney to understand how this applies to your specific situation.

Yes! Feel free to reach out to us and we’d be happy to share a sample agreement. Our contracts are non-exclusive, which means if you’re not completely satisfied working with Flat Fee Buyers, you’re free to work with another buying agent at any time.

Most of our buyers find their new home through properties listed on the MLS, which offers the most comprehensive inventory of homes for sale across the Bay Area. It’s typically the best way to discover a home that fits your criteria. We recommend browsing listings on platforms like Redfin or Zillow, which display all MLS-listed properties and offer a more user-friendly interface than the MLS itself.

No, we don’t require any exclusivity contracts. We want our clients to work with us because they want to - not because they have to. If, for any reason, Flat Fee Buyers isn’t the right fit for your home-buying needs, you’re absolutely free to work with other agents.

It depends on your agreement with the other realtor. If you’ve signed an exclusive contract, you’ll need to cancel that agreement before working with us. Otherwise, you may still be liable for that agent’s commission. Please contact us and we’ll be happy to guide you through the process.

While our primary focus has been assisting home buyers, please contact us to discuss this further.

Simply contact us! We’re here to answer your questions and help you start your home-buying journey with confidence. We can also connect you with top mortgage agents at major banks, along with trusted home inspection professionals. Most Bay Area homes have an offer deadline within a week or two of being listed. Once you reach out, we’ll share key details such as the offer timeline, request disclosures from the listing agent, and prepare both a Custom Valuation Report and a Disclosure Review Summary. As you prepare to move forward, we’ll guide you through every step of the offer process - from drafting and submitting your offer to final negotiations and closing.