What Dwelly does

Dwelly is a Toronto-based tech-powered real estate brokerage that operates a digital platform connecting Canadian consumers with property search, transaction, and listing services. Founded in 2017 by individuals who experienced friction in their own home-buying journeys, the company offers three core transaction verticals: a Home Buying Platform featuring a 1% buyer commission rebate (averaging roughly $10,000 in savings per Toronto-area deal), a Home Selling Platform with a 1% listing fee plus a 2.5% cooperating brokerage fee, and a Rental Listing Platform that charges landlords one month's rent upon successful lease placement. Supporting modules include the Agent Experience Platform for recruited showing and offer agents, neighbourhood guides covering Toronto micro-markets, and an educational blog that drives organic acquisition.

The underlying technology is a proprietary web platform integrating MLS listing syndication, real-time listing alerts, online 24/7 offer submission, live chat support, and Matterport 360-degree virtual tours, with adjacent integrations to mortgage pre-approval partners and Axess Law for closings. Distribution is overwhelmingly direct-to-consumer via SEO, content marketing, social channels, and email, generating 100,000+ monthly website views, while a vetted showing-agent network and Dwelly Realty Inc., Brokerage agents execute the human side of each transaction.

The business model is entirely transaction-based with no upfront consumer fees: revenue is earned only on completed deals via the buyer rebate spread, the seller listing fee, and the rental placement fee. The company is privately held, founder-led (Co-Founder and President Karim El Barbary serves as Broker), bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, and operates with a 1-10 person core team while scaling agent capacity through referral and showing-agent arrangements.

Name

Dwelly

Legal name

Dwelly Inc.

Website

https://dwelly.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dwelly is a Toronto-based tech-powered real estate brokerage offering a digital platform that lets Canadian consumers buy, sell, and rent properties with reduced commissions (1% buyer rebate, 1% seller listing fee, one month's rent from landlords) and online offer submission.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Real Estate Brokerage

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Real Estate Brokerage (Buy/Sell) (FSAEAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Buyer Representation Services (BPAJAAAJ), Residential Rental Brokerage & Tenant Placement (BPAJAAAF)

Keywords

• Real estate brokerage
• Home buying platform
• Property listing service
• Commission rebate
• Rental marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Buyer Commission Rebate: Dwelly reduces its buyer agent commission and passes approximately 1% of the purchase price back to the buyer as a cash rebate after closing. This is their primary differentiator for home buyers.
2. Seller Listing Fee: Sellers pay a 1% listing fee upon successful sale (does not include the 2.5% cooperating brokerage fee). This is significantly lower than traditional agent commissions.
3. Rental Listing Premium: Landlords pay 1 month's rent as a premium tier fee upon successful lease of their property. This includes professional photography, Matterport virtual tour, floor plan, marketing, and tenant screening.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dwelly operates a tech-powered Canadian real estate brokerage platform through which home buyers receive a 1% commission rebate (averaging $10,000) on purchase, home sellers list for a 1% fee, and landlords lease properties for one month's rent. The platform integrates real-time MLS property search, online offer submission, 24/7 live chat, virtual tours, and licensed agent support, with revenue earned solely upon successful transactions.

Product overview

Dwelly is a tech-powered Canadian real estate brokerage offering a unified platform for home buying, selling, and renting. The core offering consists of the Home Buying Platform (with 1% commission rebate to buyers), the Home Selling Platform (with 1% listing fee for sellers), and the Rental Listing Platform (charging 1 month's rent for landlords). Supporting modules include the Agent Experience Platform for agent onboarding and management, Neighbourhood Guides providing local market intelligence, and a Blog for consumer education. All services are integrated through a single tech platform featuring online offer submissions, live chat support, and digital transaction management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dwelly Home Buying Platform A tech-powered real estate service enabling home buyers to search MLS-listed properties, schedule on-demand viewings with vetted showing agents, submit offers online 24/7, and receive a 1% commission rebate (averaging $10,000) on closing. Includes 24/7 live chat, personalized listing alerts, neighbourhood map overlays, virtual tours, and access to a top-rated buying agent for closing support. Targeted at prospective homeowners including first-time buyers, move-up buyers, investors, and newcomers to Canada.
• Dwelly Home Selling Platform A 1% flat listing-fee service for homeowners selling residential property, plus the standard 2.5% cooperating brokerage fee. Includes professional photography, a Matterport virtual tour, floor plan, email marketing, up to $1,000 in digital ad campaigns, lockbox placement, offer review, and a dedicated listing agent guiding negotiations through to closing. Targeted at individual homeowners seeking to minimize transaction costs relative to traditional 2.5–3% listing commissions.
• Dwelly Rental Listing Platform A rental marketing service for landlords priced at one month's rent upon a successful lease. Includes MLS and Realtor.ca listing distribution, partner site syndication, up to $100 in digital ads, professional photography, a Matterport virtual tour, floor plan, and online tenant screening with credit verification, employment checks, and reference contacts. Targeted at individual property owners renting houses, apartments, condos, or rooms.
• Dwelly Agent Experience Platform An internal brokerage platform that recruits and equips Dwelly's licensed real estate agents with a tiered structure (from showing agents up to offer agents), co-working software, client collaboration channels, lead management, online offer submission tools, 24/7 chat support for clients, and pre-qualified leads sourced from over 100,000 monthly website views. Targeted at licensed real estate agents joining Dw Realty Inc., Brokerage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Buyers save average of $10,000 on home purchases through 1% commission rebate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Axess LawcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDwelly partners with Axess Law as their preferred legal partner for real estate closings. The partnership ensures smooth transaction completion by connecting clients with legal professionals who handle document preparation, condition fulfillment, and final signing appointments. Referenced at https://lawyers.axesslaw.com/dwelly.
• Mortgage PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDwelly has partnerships with mortgage providers to offer online mortgage pre-approval applications, making it easier for buyers to get pre-approved before starting their home search. The streamlined digital application is integrated into Dwelly's home buying workflow.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Properly: Canadian tech-enabled real estate brokerage offering cash-back rebates to buyers and flat-fee seller services, directly comparable to Dwelly's buyer rebate and 1% listing fee model. Operates primarily in Toronto and major Canadian metros.
• Wahi: Canadian real estate platform offering commission rebates and free services to home buyers, with a similar value proposition to Dwelly's 1% rebate. Active in the GTA and other Ontario markets.
• Zoocasa: Canadian real estate search and brokerage platform owned by RE/MAX, providing listings, market data, and agent connections. Operates in Ontario with a comparable digital-first consumer experience.
• Zolo: Canadian real estate platform aggregating MLS listings with buyer/seller lead generation. Comparable to Dwelly in terms of Canadian listings reach and consumer-facing search UX, though less focused on the cash-back rebate positioning.

Emerging players

• HouseSigma: Canadian real estate data and analytics platform with listings, sold-price history, and market insights. Comparable to Dwelly's neighbourhood-data and listing-alert features, though more data-focused than brokerage-oriented.

Broad incumbents

• Zillow: U.S.-based real estate marketplace with massive scale, North American listing reach via Realtor.ca partnerships, and a Zillow Offers/iBuying model. A broad incumbent rather than direct Canadian competitor, but its brand and traffic shape consumer expectations Dwelly must meet.
• Redfin: U.S.-based discount real estate brokerage offering buyer rebates and reduced listing fees — a direct conceptual analogue to Dwelly's model. Operates a Canadian portal and represents the strategic archetype Dwelly follows.
• Compass: Large U.S. tech-enabled real estate brokerage that has expanded internationally with an agent-platform-first model. While primarily U.S., it represents the well-capitalized tech-brokerage competitor Dwelly benchmarks against.
• RE/MAX Canada: One of Canada's largest traditional real estate brokerages with deep agent networks and brand recognition. Serves as the incumbent Dwelly disrupts via its 1% listing fee, and owns Zoocasa.
• Royal LePage: Major Canadian real estate brokerage with nationwide agent network and traditional commission structure. Represents the legacy brokerage model Dwelly undercuts with its flat-fee approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dwellyhomes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dwellyhomes
• Instagraminstagram.com/Dwelly.ca
• Xtwitter.com/dwellyhomes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dwelly