Are Zillow leads worth it for real estate agents?
By Yath Regmi, Founder, Kodec
Verified on Updated Published
Short answer
Zillow leads are worth it when your cost per closed deal is lower than the commission you keep. Premier Agent charges up front. Preferred, once called Flex, takes a success fee from your commission at closing, set by ZIP code and price. One secondary source puts the low end at 15%. Work out your own close rate first, because if you cannot see which leads paid, you cannot know whether you kept money.
When this is the right call
Zillow can be the right call. In a high-price market, one fee is easy to absorb. If you answer the phone in minutes and route new leads to the right person, speed is on your side. A team invited to Preferred pays only at closing, so there is no cash at risk up front and the fee follows the result. And if you need volume now with no site traffic yet, a paid source can fill the gap while your own channels grow.
What Zillow's fee leaves you on one sale
Example
| Sale price | Gross commission | Fee at 15% | Fee at 40% | You keep, before your brokerage split |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $300,000 | $7,500 | $1,125 | $3,000 | $4,500 to $6,375 |
| $500,000 | $12,500 | $1,875 | $5,000 | $7,500 to $10,625 |
These inputs are invented. They assume a 2.5% buyer-side commission. Zillow's page sets the fee as your commission times a percentage that depends on ZIP code, price and sometimes the delivery date, with 40% on seller-originated connections. The 15% low end comes from Clever, not Zillow's page. Your brokerage split comes on top.
Side by side
Zillow Premier Agent
| How you pay | Up front, per lead. Zillow's published averages are $223 in major metros and $139 elsewhere, as quoted by Clever.2 |
|---|---|
| Seller leads | Not covered in the pages we read. |
| Minimums and notice | $50 per ZIP code minimum, per Clever.2 |
| Contract length | Forbes Advisor reports a 6-month minimum.3 |
| Who else gets the lead | Leads are shared. Zillow has not published its lead-allocation rules.2 |
Zillow Preferred (was Flex)
| How you pay | Nothing up front. Success fee = your commission times a percentage set by ZIP code, price and sometimes delivery date.1 |
|---|---|
| Seller leads | 40% success fee in all markets on seller-originated connections.1 |
| Minimums and notice | Pricing may change with 15 days' notice.1 |
| Contract length | Not stated on the page we read. |
| Who else gets the lead | Zillow has not published them. |
| What it is | Zillow Premier Agent | Zillow Preferred (was Flex) |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Up front, per lead. Zillow's published averages are $223 in major metros and $139 elsewhere, as quoted by Clever.2 | Nothing up front. Success fee = your commission times a percentage set by ZIP code, price and sometimes delivery date.1 |
| Seller leads | Not covered in the pages we read. | 40% success fee in all markets on seller-originated connections.1 |
| Minimums and notice | $50 per ZIP code minimum, per Clever.2 | Pricing may change with 15 days' notice.1 |
| Contract length | Forbes Advisor reports a 6-month minimum.3 | Not stated on the page we read. |
| Who else gets the lead | Leads are shared. Zillow has not published its lead-allocation rules.2 | Zillow has not published them. |
Vendor by vendor
Zillow Premier Agent
$223 a lead in major metros and $139 elsewhere, as Zillow's published averages are quoted by Clever (Sep 14, 2026).2
Good
- You buy a set number of leads, so the cost is known up front.
Zillow Preferred (was Flex)
No up-front cost. A success fee on your commission at closing, set by ZIP code, price and sometimes delivery date (Zillow Help Center, verified Nov 14, 2026).1
Another option: buyers and sellers who find you directly
Some agents also build local pages, a site and a follow-up list of past clients that bring buyers and sellers straight to them, and log each closing back to its first contact. It takes time to grow. You see which source paid, and no one else gets the call.
What we found
Original math
Zillow Premier Agent cost per closing
At $223 a lead and a 3% close rate, one closing costs about $7,433 in leads, as Clever works it. On a $7,500 commission that is nearly all of it, before your brokerage split. At a 5% close rate it falls to about $4,460 (our arithmetic: $223 divided by 0.05). Your close rate moves the answer more than the lead price does.2
Original math
Are Zillow leads worth it? The close rate where Premier Agent breaks even
Divide the price of a lead by the commission you keep. At $223 a lead and a $7,500 commission, that is about 3%. You need about 3 closings per 100 leads just to cover the lead cost, before your brokerage split and your time. Below that rate you pay more than the sale earns.
Verified terms
Zillow Preferred success fee: what Zillow's page says
Zillow's Help Center says the Success Fee equals your gross commission times the Zillow Preferred percentage, and that the percentage depends on the property ZIP code, the transaction price and, in some cases, the connection delivery date. Seller-originated connection transactions have a 40% Success Fee in all markets. Pricing may change with 15 days' notice, so a fee you plan around can move. The page does not state the 15% low end, which Clever reports.12
Questions to ask
- 01
What percentage applies to my ZIP codes and price range?
A good answer: A number in writing for each ZIP code, with the date it was set.
Protects you from: Planning around a fee that is higher at closing.
- 02
What can change, and with how much notice?
A good answer: The 15-day notice in Zillow's help page, in your agreement.
Protects you from: A fee that moves after you have built your budget around it.
- 03
How are leads assigned to me and to other agents?
A good answer: A written rule. Zillow has not published its allocation rules.
Protects you from: Paying for a lead that several agents also receive.
How we checked
We read the sources on Nov 14, 2026. The Preferred fee formula, the 40% seller rate and the 15-day notice come from Zillow's Help Center page, read in a browser that day. Premier Agent prices come from Clever and Forbes Advisor, and Zillow's Premier Agent page returned an error for us. Clever, Jamil Academy, mergro.ai and swiftleads sell alternatives and none we read shows its own fees, so we leaned on Zillow's page and Inman where we could. No page we found shows commission after Zillow's fee at real prices, so the table above uses invented inputs.
Questions
It depends on your close rate. At $223 a lead and a 3% close rate, one closing costs about $7,433 in leads, per Clever's math. Compare that with the commission you keep on one sale, after your brokerage split, and with what a lead from a channel you own would cost you.
Zillow's Help Center says the success fee is your gross commission times a percentage that depends on ZIP code, price and sometimes delivery date, with 40% on seller-originated connections. Clever reports a 15% low end. Zillow can change pricing with 15 days' notice.
At an assumed 2.5% buyer-side rate it is $7,500, before fees. Rates are negotiated and vary by market, and your brokerage takes its split on top. See the table above for what a 15% and a 40% fee leave you on that sale.
We found no neutral data. Compare any lead source the same way: cost per closed deal against the commission you keep. Ask each vendor for its fee terms in writing before you sign, including how long a fee can apply after the lead.
One brokerage's undated help page says Realtor.com is retiring it, with an end date of Nov 30, 2026, and referral fees that may run up to 24 months. We found no Realtor.com announcement. Confirm with Realtor.com before you rely on it, and ask about leads you already have.
Sources
- 1.Zillow Help Center: How to calculate success fees (read Nov 14, 2026) accessed Nov 14, 2026
- 2.Clever: How much are Zillow leads, Sep 14, 2026 (Clever sells a rival product) accessed Nov 14, 2026
- 3.Forbes Advisor: Zillow Premier Agent, Jun 29, 2026 accessed Nov 14, 2026
- 4.Inman: Zillow Flex success fee rises to 40%, DelPrete, Oct 12, 2023 accessed Nov 14, 2026
- 5.Dalton Wade knowledge base: Opcity ReadyConnect program discontinued (undated) accessed Nov 14, 2026
Where to go next
Want to see which of your own calls turned into paying customers? See how Leverage works.
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