Payment Terms

Last Updated: September 27, 2025

These Payment Terms outline the financial relationship and obligations between users and Aloha My Home regarding fees, payments, and our non-circumvention policy. By using our platform and engaging in transactions, you agree to these Payment Terms in addition to our general Terms of Service.

Key Points

• Listing your property and using Aloha My Home is free until you close a deal.

• Aloha My Home charges a flat platform fee to sellers at closing (currently $995).

• Users are expected to honor this fee and not attempt to circumvent it by conducting transactions off the platform.

• Payment handling is facilitated through third parties (such as title or escrow companies).

  These terms also explain what happens in scenarios such as cancellations, disputes, or non-payment.

1. Platform Fee and What It Covers

Service Fee: Buyers and Sellers agree to pay Aloha My Home a transaction service fee (the “Service Fee” or “Platform Fee”) at closing, in the amount specified on our website’s Pricing page (currently $995, subject to change at our discretion).

Amount of Fee: Aloha My Home’s service fee is a flat $995 for each completed home sale transaction. This amount may be adjusted in the future, or promotional rates may apply (for example, certain discounts for military members as described in our PCS Pay-It-Forward program).

Who Pays: By default, the platform fee is charged to each the buyer at closing and deducted from the seller’s sale proceeds. The buyer and seller can negotiate a different allocation of the fee in the purchase contract (for example, the buyer might agree to pay or split the fee as part of their offer), but unless we are expressly informed otherwise, our platform will distribute the fee equally among buyer and seller.

Services Covered: This fee covers the use of our platform and all its features to list your property, connect with buyers, negotiate terms, and coordinate the transaction through closing. Specifically, the platform fee covers:

• The cost of hosting your listing and the marketing features we provide (for example, displaying your property on our site and any syndication to other listing sites).

• Use of our platform’s messaging system and offer management tools.

• Support provided throughout the process (such as customer service assistance and transaction checklists).

This fee is not a commission for real estate brokerage, as we are not acting as a real estate broker on your behalf. It is a platform service fee for the use of our software tools and support services. Additionally, the platform fee does not pay for any third-party closing services like escrow or title insurance – those charges are separate (you will see title company or escrow fees listed independently on your closing documents). Our fee is solely for the services provided by Aloha My Home.

Platform Fee is Earned at Closing: We collect the platform fee only if and when your sale successfully closes. If the sale does not close for any reason (for example, due to inspection issues, a financing failure, or you exercising a contractual contingency to cancel), then no platform fee is due. Our model is “only pay if you close,” meaning we provide our services upfront at our own risk and expect to be paid only upon a successful transaction.

If you ultimately do not sell your property via our platform (e.g. you withdraw the listing, a deal falls through and you decide not to sell, or you choose to hire a traditional agent later), we do not charge the platform fee. In other words, there is no upfront fee and no termination fee for ending or not completing a sale through Aloha My Home. The only potential exception would be if you purchased an optional service or upgrade from us; any fees for such optional add-on services (if offered) may still be due even if your home doesn’t sell. (At this time, Aloha My Home does not offer any paid optional upgrades, so this is a purely hypothetical scenario.)

Discounts and Promotions: We may offer promotions or discounts for certain users or referral situations from time to time. For example, at this time we offer:

• Military Discount via the PCS Pay-It-Forward Program: A 5% discount on the platform fee if either party (buyer or seller) is an active or former military service member, and a 15% discount if both the buyer and seller are service members. Proof of military status (such as a military ID) may be required. This program is intended to support our service members. While the policy may be adjusted or discontinued in the future, any user who qualifies during the promotional period will receive the discount as promised.

All discounts or promotional terms must be documented. If you believe you qualify for a discount and it is not reflected in your account or documentation, you should contact us and clarify before closing so that the closing paperwork can accurately include the discount.

Changes to Fee: We reserve the right to change our standard platform fee for future transactions. If we decide to change the fee, we will update these Payment Terms and provide reasonable advance notice to users (for example, by emailing users with active listings and posting an alert on your dashboard or our website). Typically, any fee change would apply only to new listings or transactions initiated after the effective date of the change, and not to transactions already under contract. We will not impose a higher fee in the middle of an ongoing transaction. If you do not agree to a changed fee for future use, you retain the option to stop using the platform for new transactions.

No Commission / Not an Agent: To reiterate, paying our platform fee does not mean that Aloha My Home is acting as your real estate agent, nor does it create any broker representation obligations. You handle your transaction directly; our role (and our fee) is solely for providing the platform and support tools that enable you to complete your sale. Consequently, we do not get involved in sharing commissions with agents or other third parties. If a buyer is represented by an agent and agrees to pay that agent a commission, that agreement is separate and outside of our platform. Our platform fee remains due in full regardless of any other commissions or payments you agree to pay in the transaction.

2. How Payment is Collected

At Closing via Settlement Statement: The primary method for collecting the platform fee is through the normal real estate closing process handled by the title or escrow company. This typically works as follows:

• Contractual Provision: When a buyer and a seller enter into a purchase agreement through Aloha My Home, that agreement will include a provision authorizing the platform fee to be paid by each the buyer and seller to Aloha My Home at closing. Often, the standard contract or an addendum will explicitly state this obligation, or you may sign a separate Aloha My Home payment agreement to this effect.

• Notifying the Closing Agent: We (or you) will inform the chosen title or escrow company about the platform fee and provide them with an invoice or payoff instruction. Typically, our instructions to the closing agent will state: “Disburse $1990 to Aloha My Home, LLC. $995 should come from the seller’s proceeds at closing and $995 collected from buyer at closing unless paid in advance.”

• Settlement Statement Entry: On the HUD-1 Settlement Statement or Closing Disclosure, the seller's fee will appear on the seller’s side of the transaction, likely labeled as an “Aloha My Home Platform Fee,” and it may be grouped under the closing costs section. The buyer's fee will appear on the buyer's side of the transaction and will be due at closing with other closing costs unless the buyer has paid in advance.

• Disbursement of Funds: When the transaction closes and funds are disbursed, the escrow or title agent will send the platform fee to Aloha My Home, often via a check or wire transfer in the amount of $1990, taken from the seller’s proceeds and collected from the buyer at closing.

In this way, sellers do not need to make any separate payment to us at the moment of closing; the fee is seamlessly handled as part of the closing disbursements.

Alternate Collection if Not Through Escrow: In the rare event that the closing agent does not handle our fee, the following will apply:

• You are still obligated to pay the platform fee. The obligation does not disappear simply because it wasn’t included in the escrow paperwork.

• We will invoice you directly for the fee under those circumstances. You agree to pay the invoiced amount promptly, typically within 10 days of receiving the invoice, unless a different timeframe is specified.

• If we have your payment details on file, we may use a third-party payment processor to charge your account for the fee. We will provide prior notice if possible before charging any saved payment method.

• We work hard to prevent this situation by coordinating with closing agents ahead of time. You agree to cooperate with us and to sign any reasonable instructions or documents needed to ensure the fee is included in the closing process, so that direct invoicing can be avoided.

Authorization and Instructions: By using our platform to list and sell your property, you authorize Aloha My Home to communicate and work with your selected title or escrow company to ensure our platform fee is included on the settlement statement and properly disbursed to us. You agree to sign any documents reasonably necessary to facilitate payment of the fee such as a fee authorization or disbursement form.

Non-Payment: If for some reason the platform fee is not paid at closing, the fee remains due and payable by you to Aloha My Home. In such a case:

• We will contact you to arrange payment of the fee immediately after closing. You are expected to promptly remit the payment directly to us.

• If you do not pay the fee within a reasonable period after we notify you (for example, within 10 days of our notice), this will constitute a breach of these Payment Terms and may even be treated as a theft of service. We reserve the right to take appropriate actions to recover the fee, which may include initiating legal proceedings or enlisting a collection agency to collect the fee along with any additional costs such as interest and reasonable attorneys’ fees, as permitted by law.

• We may also report the non-payment to credit bureaus or pursue it as a contract claim in court. If legal action becomes necessary and we prevail, you may be required to pay our attorneys’ fees and costs in addition to the fee. See Section 9. Fee Recovery and Attorneys' Fees below for more details.

We trust that all parties will make every effort to ensure the platform fee is handled at closing, and we prefer to avoid such measures. However, the steps above outline our remedies if the fee is not paid as agreed.

Taxes on Fees: Our platform fee is a fee for software as a service. Depending on the jurisdiction, sales tax or similar taxes may apply to services of this nature. Some jurisdictions have enacted taxes on digital services or listing services. The platform fee amount we charge is quoted before any such taxes. If applicable law requires us to collect a sales tax, excise tax, VAT, or any similar tax on the service, we reserve the right to add that tax to the platform fee and will clearly disclose it to you.

If you are located outside the United States, you are responsible for complying with any tax laws that apply to you as the service user. This could include value-added tax (VAT) or other taxes on our service fee required by your country. In general, because our service is delivered in the U.S. for a U.S. property transaction, U.S. sales tax rules would apply and VAT would not, but we mention this for completeness.

Changes in Payment Method: If prevailing industry practices change or if we introduce alternative methods for fee payment in the future (such as giving sellers the option to pay the fee via credit card or ACH bank transfer before closing), we will provide details and instructions at that time. As of now, our standard procedure remains collecting the platform fee at closing through the settlement process, which we believe is the simplest approach for all parties.

3. Non-Circumvention Agreement

By using Aloha My Home, you agree not to circumvent our platform in order to avoid paying the platform fee.

Definition: In these terms, “circumvention” means that after discovering or connecting with a buyer or seller through Aloha My Home, you complete a property sale (or a substantially similar transaction) outside of the Aloha My Home platform — in other words, you finalize the transaction without using our platform or otherwise intentionally exclude our platform from the process — with the intent or effect of not paying the platform fee that would have been due had you closed through our platform.

Our business model relies on receiving the platform fee when a deal closes through our marketplace. We do not charge any upfront listing fees. If users utilize our resources and platform to find a buyer or seller and then deliberately cut us out of the closing to avoid the fee, it undermines the fairness and sustainability of our service.

User Obligations:

• If you, as a seller, find a buyer through Aloha My Home, you must ensure that the closing process for that transaction includes payment of our platform fee. We provide built-in processes to facilitate this (such as integrated title company partnerships and closing procedures). You are expected to use these processes or otherwise notify us if you plan to use an alternate closing method, so we can work with you to make sure our fee is paid.

• If a buyer or any other party suggests completing the transaction off-platform to avoid the fee, you must refuse and should inform us of that suggestion. Both sellers and buyers are obligated to uphold this non-circumvention agreement. While the primary responsibility to pay the fee is on the seller, a buyer who knowingly participates in an off-platform deal to help evade the fee is also violating our terms (such behavior would violate our Acceptable Use policies and could lead to action against the buyer’s account as well).

• If you inadvertently complete a sale outside of our platform with someone you initially met through Aloha My Home (for instance, perhaps communications lapsed on our platform and you later reconnect with the buyer months afterward and close a deal off-platform), you should inform us and you are still expected to honor the platform fee. We understand unusual cases may occur and will review them on a case-by-case basis, but the default expectation is: if the introduction between buyer and seller happened via our platform and a sale occurs within a reasonable timeframe, our fee is due.

Time Period: The non-circumvention obligation extends for 12 months from the date you last interacted with a prospective buyer or seller on our platform or from the date your listing went live, whichever is later. This means that if you connect with a party through Aloha My Home, and you close a property sale with that party within 12 months of your last communication on the platform, you are required to pay the platform fee for that transaction, even if you close it outside the platform.

Consequences of Circumvention:

• If we determine or have a reasonable belief that you have circumvented the platform to avoid the fee, we will invoice you for the full platform fee. You agree to pay the invoiced fee immediately upon demand.

• You will be liable for any costs we incur in enforcing collection of the fee due to circumvention. This includes reasonable attorneys’ fees, court or collection costs, and any other related expenses (see Section 9. Fee Recovery and Attorneys' Fees below). We may also seek additional damages or penalties as allowed by law. While we have not instituted a predefined circumvention penalty or “conversion fee”, we reserve the right to seek compensatory damages if your circumvention causes us significant harm.

• Your Aloha My Home account will likely be terminated for breach of our Terms of Service if we confirm that you circumvented the platform fee.

• We may also take action against other involved parties as appropriate. For example, if a buyer on our platform encouraged a seller to circumvent our fee, that buyer’s account may be banned as well for violating our terms.

• If we become aware of an attempt to circumvent before the sale closes, we reserve the right to intervene. This could include seeking an injunction or other legal remedy to halt the closing until arrangements are made to include our fee. We view legal intervention as a last resort and would typically attempt to resolve the issue by communicating with you first.

Example of Circumvention: You list your home on Aloha My Home and connect with a buyer, Jane, through our platform. Jane tours your home and then suggests that instead of submitting her offer through the Aloha My Home system, you both proceed with an offline transaction — for instance, by signing a standard purchase agreement privately and closing the deal through her friend’s title company — in order to avoid paying Aloha My Home’s platform fee. If you agree and complete the sale without involving our platform or paying the fee, that is a clear circumvention of these terms.

4. Refund Policy

No Closing, No Fee: If your real estate transaction does not close, we do not collect the platform fee at all. If for any reason any portion of the fee was charged or collected before closing (for example, due to an error), that amount will be refunded to you in full.

After Closing (Completed Transaction): Once a sale has successfully closed and our platform fee has been paid, the fee is generally non-refundable. At that point, you have received the full benefit of our service — namely, a completed home sale (likely saving you a substantial amount in commissions you might have paid otherwise). Even if issues arise after closing between you and the other party (for example, a post-closing dispute, or in the extremely rare event of a legal reversal or rescission of the sale), such events do not entitle you to a refund of our fee. We consider our service fully rendered upon facilitating a successful closing.

Exceptions: In unusual circumstances, we may consider a full or partial refund of the platform fee on a case-by-case basis. Examples might include a situation where the sale is legally unwound shortly after closing (e.g. a court voids the transaction due to fraud or some critical defect) or if the fee was charged in error. Unless applicable law requires otherwise, we are not obligated to provide a refund in these cases, but we will review the specific facts and exercise discretion fairly.

Service Issues: If you believe you deserve a refund because of a failure in our service, you may request one. For instance, perhaps there was a major platform outage or error that you feel cost you a buyer, and yet you still ended up paying the platform fee at closing without getting full value. We will evaluate such concerns, but we make no promise of a refund under these circumstances. Please understand that our standard disclaimers of liability, as outlined in our Terms of Service apply to the use of our platform. The platform fee is a success fee (paid for a successful outcome) and is not guaranteed based on your satisfaction level. That said, we do strive for customer satisfaction and will consider serious complaints in good faith to determine if any remedy is warranted.

Promotional Refunds: If we have explicitly offered a satisfaction guarantee or refund as part of a promotion or special program, we will honor that promise according to the specific terms and conditions of the promotion. Any such offer will be clearly described, and if you qualify under its terms, we will provide the stated refund or credit.

Optional Services: In the future, Aloha My Home may offer optional paid services or upgrades, i.e. a professional photography package for your listing or other add-on services. Any fees for optional services will be separate from the platform fee and will come with their own cancellation or refund policies. We will clearly communicate those policies when such services become available. For example, if you hired a photographer through us and then canceled the day before the appointment, there might be a partial refund or a cancellation fee as per the photographer’s terms. Please note that these optional service fees would be handled independently of the platform fee, which is only paid upon a successful closing.

5. Payment Methods & Authorization

By agreeing to these terms, you authorize the closing agent and any payment processor working on behalf of Aloha My Home to charge or collect the platform fee as described in this agreement.

Backup Payment Method: Although not currently required, we reserve the right to request a backup payment method in the future to ensure the platform fee can be collected. If we do ask you to provide a credit card or alternate payment method when you list your property, you agree that Aloha My Home is authorized to charge that card for the amount of the platform fee only if the fee is not otherwise paid at closing. We would typically notify you before charging a backup payment method, and we would only charge it after a closing has occurred and our fee was not included in the closing disbursements.

If the backup payment method we have on file is declined or invalid when we attempt to charge the platform fee, you still remain responsible for paying the fee. In such a case, you agree to promptly provide an alternative payment method or make arrangements to pay the amount due.

Payment Information Security: We will handle any payment information you provide to us (such as credit card details or bank information) in a secure manner and in accordance with our Privacy Policy. We take the protection of your financial information seriously.

Late Payment: If you fail to pay any amount owed under these Payment Terms, we may enforce any or all of the following, in addition to other remedies available:

• Interest and Late Fees: Charge late fees or interest on the outstanding amount. Interest may accrue at a rate of 1.5% per month (or the maximum rate allowed by law, if that is lower), calculated from the date the payment was due until the date it is paid.

• Account Suspension: Suspend your Aloha My Home account or your ability to use the platform for any future transactions until the overdue amount is paid in full (including any interest or fees for late payment).

6. Disputes Regarding Fees

If you have a dispute or question regarding a fee, please follow these steps:

• Contact Us Promptly: Notify us as soon as possible – and no later than 30 days after the fee was charged or the closing date – about the issue. Provide details about the discrepancy or concern. We will investigate the matter once we hear from you.

• Errors on Our Side: If we determine that the fee discrepancy was due to an error on our part or an error by the escrow/title company, we will correct it. This means we will refund any overcharge or promptly resolve any mistake.

• Misunderstandings: If the issue arises from a misunderstanding (for example, you believed a discount applied to you when in fact it did not, or you misunderstood the fee structure), we will explain the situation. If appropriate, we may make an accommodation or adjustment as a customer service courtesy, but we are not obligated to do so in cases where the fee was correctly assessed according to our terms.

• Obligation to Pay: If you are disputing the fee simply because you no longer want to pay after using our platform (for instance, if you had second thoughts about using Aloha My Home but still closed a deal through our platform), please remember that by completing a transaction on Aloha My Home you have agreed to pay the platform fee. There is no “opt-out” of the fee after a successful closing – the fee is part of the contractual obligations you accepted by using the platform.

• No Frivolous Chargebacks: You agree not to initiate chargebacks or payment disputes with your bank or credit card provider without legitimate cause. Filing a chargeback on the platform fee when it is due under these terms is considered a breach of this agreement. If you do initiate a chargeback for a fee that was legitimately owed, we will dispute the chargeback with documentation. This documentation may include these Payment Terms, records of your agreement to the Terms of Service, and the purchase agreement or other proof that you agreed the fee would be paid. Our goal will be to demonstrate to the financial institution that the charge was authorized and valid.

• Continued Responsibility: If, despite our dispute of a chargeback, the chargeback is granted in your favor and the fee is withdrawn from us, you are not relieved of your obligation to pay the platform fee. In such an event, we reserve the right to pursue the fee through other means, including legal action. We may also seek to recover any chargeback fees or additional costs incurred due to the chargeback. In summary, a successfully reversed charge will not excuse your debt to us – you will still owe the fee, and potentially additional costs, until the matter is resolved.

7. Fee Changes and Communication

We are committed to transparency regarding our fees. Our current pricing (including the $995 platform fee) is posted on our website (for example, in our FAQ or pricing page) and is typically emphasized when you create a listing on the platform.

If we plan to raise the platform fee or introduce any new fees, we will provide advance notice to users. For instance, we might send an email notification to active users and update information on our website at least 30 days before any such change takes effect. This gives you time to review the changes and decide whether to continue using the platform under the new fee structure.

Conversely, if we decide to lower our fees or grant a retroactive discount in a specific case (for example, waiving a fee as a one-time courtesy in an unusual situation), that decision is at our sole discretion. Any such decision to reduce or waive a fee in a particular case does not waive our right to charge and enforce our standard fees generally. In other words, if we make an exception or provide a discount in one instance, it does not prevent us from requiring the full fee in other cases going forward.

8. Additional Costs and Third-Party Payments

As noted earlier, our platform fee is separate from any third-party costs related to your real estate transaction. When you buyer or sell a home, there are other costs you may incur outside of our fee. For example, depending on your role (buyer or seller) and your agreement, you might be responsible for:

• Closing Costs: Standard transaction costs like title insurance premiums, escrow or attorney fees, recording fees, transfer taxes, and so on. If you are the seller, many of these may be deducted from your sale proceeds at closing, as is customary.

• Agent Commissions: Any commission you have agreed to pay to a real estate agent or broker. For example, if a buyer’s agent is involved and the buyer agreed to pay that agent a commission, the buyer will need to pay the buyer's agent commission separately at closing.

• Optional Services: Any optional or ancillary services you choose to purchase in the course of the transaction, such as a home warranty, inspection fees, appraisal fees, or any services that Aloha My Home might offer as add-ons in the future (photography, premium listings, etc.).

Aloha My Home is not involved in collecting or paying any of these third-party costs. They will be handled as part of your closing through the escrow/title company or directly between you and the service provider. Please budget for and address third-party costs separately as needed, as they are outside the scope of our platform fee.

If any third party mistakenly attempts to obtain payment from Aloha My Home for something unrelated to our service, we will clarify the mistake and refuse such payment. For example, if a buyer’s real estate agent believes that, because the deal was facilitated on our platform, Aloha My Home should pay them a referral fee or commission, we will make clear that we do not pay those fees – any arrangement for an agent’s commission is strictly between the seller or buyer and their agent. Similarly, any other vendor or third party (appraiser, inspector, etc.) will bill you directly or through the closing.

If a title or escrow company mistakenly disburses our platform fee to someone else or fails to disburse it to us, we will work with that company to correct the error. Resolving that mistake is our responsibility, not yours – although we may require your reasonable cooperation to fix it (for example, you might need to sign a corrected closing statement or help coordinate with the escrow agent). We will handle such errors promptly.

9. Fee Recovery and Attorneys’ Fees

If you breach these Payment Terms and it becomes necessary for Aloha My Home to engage a lawyer or a collections agency to recover the platform fee (or any other amount you owe under these terms), you agree to reimburse us for all reasonable costs of such collection efforts. This includes, but is not limited to, our attorneys’ fees, court filing fees, collection agency fees, and applicable interest on the unpaid amount, as allowed by law.

This obligation to cover our collection costs is in addition to any other rights or remedies we may have. For example, if your circumvention of our fee or other breach of these terms causes us to incur additional losses beyond just the fee (say, significant business or reputational damage), we could pursue a claim for those damages as well. (Typically, recovering the fee plus any associated costs will address the issue, but we reserve the right to seek full compensation for any harm caused by a serious breach.)

Furthermore, in the event that any dispute over fees or payments leads to a legal action between you and Aloha My Home, the prevailing party in that action will be entitled to recover its reasonable attorneys’ fees and court costs from the other party. This means if we have to sue you to collect the fee and we win, you’ll be responsible for our legal costs in addition to the fee (and vice versa, if you were to legitimately win a dispute, we would owe your legal fees).

10. Arbitration of Payment Disputes

In general, any dispute or claim arising out of or relating to the payment of the platform fee, or the non-circumvention obligations discussed in these terms, is subject to the Dispute Resolution provisions in our Terms of Service. This typically includes an agreement to arbitration and a class action waiver, as described in the Terms of Service. By agreeing to these Payment Terms, you acknowledge that those same dispute resolution terms apply to payment-related disputes with Aloha My Home.

However, we reserve the right to seek collection of unpaid fees through a small claims court or another appropriate court if the situation warrants it. For example, if you owe the platform fee and refuse to pay, and if pursuing arbitration would cost more in fees than the amount in dispute, we may choose to file a claim in small claims court or another local court to recover the fee in a more efficient manner. Using small claims or court remedies for fee collection in such cases does not contradict the arbitration clause for other types of disputes.

Our overall approach is to try to resolve any payment issues amicably before escalating to formal dispute resolution. Communication is key. If you have any concerns or confusion about the platform fee or any related policy, we encourage you to reach out to us and discuss it rather than withholding payment or immediately resorting to legal action. We value our users and prefer to find a mutually agreeable solution whenever possible.

Summary

We appreciate your compliance with these Payment Terms. Adhering to these terms ensures we can continue to offer Aloha My Home as a cost-effective alternative to traditional real estate commissions. When all users honor these agreements, sellers save money on their transactions and we’re able to sustain our business – a mutually beneficial outcome. Thank you for your cooperation, and we wish you a successful sale!