Frequently asked questions

Aalto makes it easy and low-risk to explore your options. There's no commitment to share your home and to begin building your list of interested buyers. Should you decide to open to tours, we ask that you sign a listing agreement committing to pay our industry-low 1% if your home sells.

You work with a local, licensed Regional Advisor. Your Advisor is available for any question you might have and also handles the hard stuff like vetting buyers, managing tours, handling negotiations, and more.

Aalto's self-service-real-estate platform is built primarily for consumers, not agents. As a result, only unrepresented sellers can share their homes on Aalto. That said, Aalto buyers sometimes have an agent helping them if they are not represented by Aalto.

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Yes! Aalto has no "days on market" or listing history, so your home is always fresh in the eyes of buyers. We can also showcase your ideal moving timeline so buyers can understand how it might fit into theirs.

Buyers can use Aalto with or without an agent. In the Bay Area, some buyers have an agent who is typically paid 2.5% of the final sale price by the seller, but the amount is up to the seller.

There is no additional fee to use Aalto as a buyer. If a buyer chooses to have Aalto represent them in their home purchase, we offer up to 1.5% of the closing price as cash back at their close of escrow.

The best way to ensure that agents promote your home to all of their buyers is to offer 2.5% buy-side commission. We know, it doesn't feel great, but that's the reality. With that said, you can offer any buy-side commission you like.

After sharing your home on Aalto, you'll see a growing list of buyers interested in your home, along with their qualification details. Each of these buyers either watched your home, asked a question, or requested a tour. You can click into a buyer to better understand their situation, message them, and even invite individual buyers to tours.

Buyers begin "lining up" for a chance to tour your home as soon as you share it. Then, when you're ready, we'll vet each buyer's qualifications on your behalf. When it's time to have tours, an Aalto team member will manage them. Note that you'll need to sign a listing agreement before we can offer tours.

Yes, your Advisor or someone from the Aalto team will be present at all tours.

Because open houses can feel invasive and tend to attract lookie-loos, we recommend only scheduled tours with serious qualified buyers.

As soon as you're ready! We're happy to adapt to whatever timeline works best for you.

Adding your home to Aalto is free and easy, with no contract required. To get started, click here to begin building your Home Profile. Once you’ve completed a few questions you’ll be able to explore the market for your home sale and contact buyers.‍

Ready to accept tours and get offers? Our experienced advisors are here to walk you through pricing, home prep and the paperwork required to add a fully active home to the marketplace. You can access your advisor by putting your home on Aalto here.

Aalto’s performance-based fee is 1% of the home's purchase price.

You determine the buy-side commission you will offer (typically 2.5%) to an outside buyer's agent or broker which makes the total fee 3.5%.

If Aalto represents the buyer purchasing your home, you’ll only pay a total 2% fee.

Additionally, Aalto rebates .05% of that to the buyer as an incentive.

Our 1% fee is paid only at closing. The 1% fee includes...

• Access to the Aalto marketplace and active, qualified buyers.
• A dedicated advisor, available to answer any questions you might have while selling your home.
• Complimentary photography as well as virtual decluttering and virtual staging.
• Offer negotiation and transaction management.

Please note: There may be additional costs for inspections + closing costs.

Aalto's technology streamlines the real estate experience, allowing consumers to interact directly. We pass these savings back to Aalto users.

Our advisors will prepare a custom strategic plan that outlines our recommendations based on your individual goals, preferences and timeline. For more info, please reach out to your advisor.

You do not need a 3rd party agent to put your home on Aalto. You can make a Home Profile on your own, at any time, with no cost.

However, in order to schedule tours, you will need to sign an agreement with Aalto which can be canceled at any time.

Get started here.

Yes! Once you add your home to Aalto, you will be able to access the Aalto Insights dashboard and request a Price Check from our team of experts. The Aalto team will help with pricing, comps, and more. Additional help can be requested from your advisor at any time.  Get started here. 

Virtual staging uses cutting-edge digital tools to remove and add furniture to a photograph of your home. Virtual home staging can also be used to declutter photographs, allowing you to showcase your home without cleaning or moving out.

Virtual staging is free for any Aalto Home Profile - just ask your advisor.

If desired, an Aalto representative can be present at all tours. In order to easily facilitate tours, Aalto may suggest that you allow licensed agents to show the home without an Aalto representative present. Details can be discussed directly with your advisor to fit your schedule and needs.

Each home and neighborhood is different. To see sales and market information for your neighborhood, please create your home profile here. Your advisor will be able to help you understand the potential speed of your sale on Aalto.

There are 4 main steps to selling your home on Aalto. 

1. Complete your Home Profile: Answer a few questions about your home, connect with your advisor, and build your profile.

2. See insights about your sale: Get a sense of market demand for your home from Aalto's Insights dashboard and community of buyers.

3. Schedule tours and get offers. Work with your advisor to schedule tours, showcase your home to buyers, and gather offers.

4. Close. Congrats, your home is under contract! Aalto will support you throughout the process to ensure a smooth closing experience.

We know that no two sellers are the same, which is why Aalto gives you complete control over the distribution of your home. This way you can tailor your experience to your terms and timeline.

Aalto also has no days on market or price history, so you can leave your home on the marketplace for as long as you like. And with new buyers joining daily, you can watch your demand build over time.

Aalto markets your home to buyers and provides modern tools for you to oversee the entire process. Your Regional Advisor will be there to help price the home, vet buyers and their agents, prepare and manage tours, and facilitate closing.

Aalto's exclusive catalog of homes is a big draw for buyers, and word is spreading fast. Many learn about Aalto via word-of-mouth, other from their agents, and still others see ads or mailers.

The best way to get more interested buyers is to share more about your home! Adding photos, answering buyer questions, and setting a realistic price range will lead to more buyers engaging with your home. Some sellers will also share a link to their home on Aalto on sites like Facebook or Nextdoor to drive more interest from within their network.

It depends on your home, but in general:

1) If needed, Aalto will virtually furnish the photos of your home for free to excite buyers

2) your Advisor will offer simple-but-impactful decluttering recommendations

3) Aalto sends professional cleaners before the first buyers arrive.

If Aalto represents you as a buyer, we offer up to 1.5% cash back at the close of escrow as an incentive for closing costs, credit towards the purchase price, or to buy down the interest rate.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to sales@aalto.com for more information.

Yes. Please contact us if you are looking for someone to help you with your home search. Our licensed team would be happy to help you with your buying process. If Aalto represents you as a buyer, we offer up to 1.5% cash back at the close of escrow as an incentive for closing costs, credit towards the purchase price, or to buy down the interest rate. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to sales@aalto.com for more information.

There is no additional fee to use Aalto as a buyer. If you choose to have Aalto represent you as a buyer in your home purchase, we offer up to 1.5% of the closing price as cash back at your close of escrow.

Learn more and get started here.

Yes, your agent can represent you in the purchase of a home on Aalto.

Yes. Just complete your Home Profile and you will be connected with an advisor. Your advisor can partner with you on your home sale and purchase.

The fastest way to learn more about a home is to either message the seller on the Home Profile or contact the associated advisor.

The name and contact information of the Advisor can also be found on the Home Profile.

No, you do not need an agent to tour a home. To schedule a tour please find the home you’re interested in and submit a tour request, or give us a call at 415.980.8814.

Anyone can make a bid on a home on Aalto. To submit a bid, please select "bid" on any home profile on Aalto. You can see all Aalto homes here.

Yes, you can tour homes virtually and in person.

To schedule a virtual tour please navigate to the listing page and click ‘Tour’.

From there, follow the prompts to schedule your preferred tour type, virtual or in-person.