Orchard Reviews

Orchard calls itself “a new type of real estate company that removes the stress and uncertainty of buying and selling a home.” However, it distances itself from home flippers and “iBuyers,” who buy homes for far less than they’re worth.

If you’re looking to buy and sell a home simultaneously, Orchard can help you avoid a double mortgage by unlocking your home equity and potentially turning you into a cash buyer. Orchard can also help if you only want to buy a new home or sell your current home.

To get started with Orchard, you must complete a short intake assessment. If you’re eligible, you can then start the free home valuation process.

Orchard’s home valuation involves a 30-minute virtual assessment with a member of its real estate team. This assessment helps Orchard’s home advisor estimate the value of your home so you can move forward with one of the company’s programs.

Orchard’s comprehensive Move First program is designed for people looking to buy and sell simultaneously. With Move First, you can:

• Unlock up to 90% of your home equity
• Make a noncontingent offer on a new home
• Make an all-cash offer using Offer Boost
• Get your home listing ready with professional photos and a 3D virtual tour

Besides meeting certain criteria for your home, Orchard’s valuation of your house must be greater than the minimum set for your city to use this service.

Orchard offers its Buy with Orchard program for people who are just looking to buy a home. It gives you access to:

• Cash-backed offers
• Advanced search tools
• Integrated mortgages
• A local Buying Advisor

This service is only available for buyers in Denver, Colorado, and the following parts of Texas: Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.

If you choose to only List with Orchard, you get:

• Access to a dedicated local real estate agent
• A guaranteed home sale with an optional cash offer
• An over $1,000 investment to prep and market your home, with professional photos, a 3D home tour and a listing strategy

Your home must meet certain criteria and have its valuation fall within Orchard’s set minimum ranges to be a part of this program.

Orchard also offers a concierge service that can be added to any of its programs. With this service, Orchard’s team works with vendors to repair and upgrade your home for listing. Orchard simply deducts the upgrade costs from your final proceeds.

The cost of working with Orchard depends on which of its services you use and how much the home in question sells for:

• Orchard’s Move First program has a standard fee of 5% to 6% of your current home’s sale price.
• The List with Orchard program has a 5.5% to 6% standard fee and a 1% convenience fee if you choose to sell your home to Orchard before the end of your listing period.
• When you use the Buy with Orchard program, Orchard is paid a commission of the new home’s price by the seller, just like with a traditional agent. Orchard doesn’t disclose how much that commission is, though.

Depending on which of Orchard’s services you use, you may also have to pay additional fees, like closing costs.

If you use a cash-backed offer and Orchard buys your new home until you can complete financing, there are no extra charges for the first 30 days. If this process takes longer than 30 days, you are responsible for daily rental expenses (typically $50 to $100 per day).

There are no upfront costs to use Orchard’s concierge service, but the cost of repairs is deducted from the proceeds of your home sale.

Yes, Orchard is a legitimate real estate company. It’s a licensed broker entity with a team of dedicated real estate agents. While it’s not able to operate in every part of the country yet, its services may be a solid option if you live in one of the regions where it does do business. Evaluate how well Orchard’s programs and costs fit your needs and compare it to your other options to decide which real estate process is right for you.