When Aaron Scott and his wife, Angelina, tried to sell their home a few years back, they thought the hard part would be packing boxes. Turns out, wrangling a fair commission rate from local real estate agents was the real headache.

“We were overwhelmed and frustrated by the process of trying to find a local agent and negotiate a great commission rate,” Aaron recalls. “You often hear that real estate is a competitive industry, and the homeowner should be the one with all of the leverage. But there wasn’t a service to leverage competition to get a better commission rate deal.”

Frustrated and overwhelmed, they asked themselves: “Why isn’t there a simple way to compare agents and get a better deal?”

That question sparked an idea that would grow into bRight Agent – an Aussie-built, homeowner-first app. bRight Agent is a comparison tool that allows homeowners to connect with local real estate agents, compare commission rates, and drive down costs by encouraging agents to bid for their business. With over 700,000 Aussies selling homes each year, it’s clear that the Scott’s app was needed.

BRight Agent: A homeowner-first approach

Unlike other platforms that serve the interests of agents, Aaron says bRight Agent is built by homeowners, for homeowners.

“Most people are surprised to hear that we’re not real estate agents ourselves! [But] I think it’s actually working as an advantage because we’ve come at this issue from the perspective of homeowners.”

Prior to starting bRight Agent, Aaron and Angelina came from small business and government roles, bringing with them an understanding and experience of the importance of customer service, budgeting and goal setting.

But more importantly, Aaron says, “We understand what it means to sell your own home, which can be a very daunting journey.”

“It’s actually been a huge advantage because we came at this whole thing as homeowners, not industry insiders.”

That outside perspective helped shape bRight Agent into something refreshingly different, a platform that prioritises transparency, ease, and, most importantly, saving money.

Making comparison easy and secure

Launched in December 2023, the app has already gained traction across Australia, from metro suburbs to regional towns. Why? Because it’s hitting on three key pain points nearly every Aussie seller faces:

One, finding a trustworthy local agent; Two, understanding and comparing commission rates, and three, saving money.

“Traditionally, to get quotes from agents, you’d have to take a week off work, show half a dozen agents through your house, and wait for them to get back to you,” Aaron says. “It’s even harder if you have an interstate investment or just don’t want strangers wandering through your home.”

Through the app, homeowners can upload basic info and photos, and set an indicative sale price. This lets agents respond with commission quotes, without the hassle or hard sell.

“This allows the homeowner to get a true apples-for-apples comparison as to different agents’ commission rates,” he explains. “And we’ve found that the competition between agents usually results in a cheaper and better rate.”

Supporting agents, too

While homeowners save money, agents benefit as well. Particularly junior agents trying to build their client base.

“Junior agents are always hungry for more listings, and many are prepared to do excellent work at a reduced commission rate,” Aaron says.

“And unlike other services, we don’t take a cut of their commission. We just charge a small monthly subscription.”

That makes bRight Agent not only transparent, but a more equitable and affordable lead generation option for agents, without the high fees or referral cuts.

Putting privacy first

In an industry frequently criticised for aggressive follow-ups, Aaron says homeowners’ privacy was a non-negotiable.

“Other comparison services will give out the homeowner data to all of their agents so they can ‘prospect’ from the contact information,” he says. “But we don’t do that. Only the successful agent that you select gets your contact details.”

Another privacy feature is that the photos and descriptions that sellers provide only stay within the app.

“They’re not used for showcasing the property on public property portals. So they don’t need to be professional photos with the washing folded and dishes done; but rather a few simple snaps to give the agent a feel for the property.”

The rewards of entrepreneurship

Eighteen months post-launch, Aaron says helping Aussie find better deals has been one of the main pleasures of launching the startup.

“The most rewarding aspect of our journey so far is helping people save more of their hard-earned money.

“Especially those nearly 1.5 million Aussie homeowners who are experiencing mortgage stress. Some of these people are forced to sell, some are getting out of a bad loan, and some are simply downsizing. And in each case, they really do need to hold onto as much equity as possible.

“It’s important they get an agent at a great rate and hang onto as much of their money as possible in the process. It feels really good to be helping people save.”

A bright future for bRight Agent?

Aaron says bRight Agent is already growing fast. The platform has been used by homeowners across nearly every state and territory, and the team is already looking to expand into related services such as mortgage comparisons, while considering a capital raise to scale.

“Our short-term goal is to grow homeowner awareness of what we do,” says Aaron. “In the medium term, we want to expand into areas like mortgage offerings, using the same competitive model.”

There’s also potential for international expansion, but for now, Aaron is focused on helping Aussie homeowners get a better deal.

“At the end of the day, we’re bringing a homeowner mindset to the real estate industry. And there’s definitely more room for leveraging competition and transparency. It’s what people want.”

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