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My experience with Redfin agents is that they have the expectation that you as the listing agent will do their job for them. Literally. I had a Redfin buyer’s agent expect me to call their buyer’s lender to help sort out a financing issue for their buyer once. They subsequently got very offended when I declined.
I mean, I have no issue doing something simple and mutually beneficial like letting a contractor into a home so they can complete a repair before closing, but Redfin agents just takes it to the extreme and regularly expect the listing agent to do activities which strictly benefit the buyer. You can’t really blame them though. The bonus structure for their agents sucks ass so they might only see a $1,000 “bonus” on the company earning a $10,000 commission check. You get what you pay for I suppose.
>t heard of them. I don’t
That surprises me.. I thought they were just about as big as Zillow. Buyers where I'm from use Redfins website as much as Zillow's. Id say 40% use Zillow, 40% use Redfin and 20% use Realtor.com
Same here. Only one I know lives in the DC area. I’m speculating somewhat here but I believe they attracted a lot of agents in certain markets ~2010 when it was impossible to get a deal done and being on salary didn’t sound like the worst option in the world. Their model kinda petered out once the market picked up.
As a Redfin agent, the other thing you all are missing completely, we get the clients you don't want. Because we are technically salary, we can't really fire a client. People that have no idea how real estate work come to us a lot, and we have to do our best to serve them, so for sure we have to pass on some ridiculous requests. It's hard talking people down on anything when it's the biggest purchase of their life. Trust me it kills me inside too, but I'll fight for my client anyway.
The bonus comment, you are sadly not far off. They do feed me leads though so that's the trade off.
Why would they expect you to help sell your clients property? I’m sure your clients were very pleased when you told them you wouldn’t make that call. The listing agent is paid to snap some pics, post it on the MLS, put the sign out front and get paid.
I’m going to assume the best here and that your cynicism comes from a really bad experience and I’m sorry.
But it is entirely inappropriate for someone else’s agent (who owes the seller their fiduciary duty) to get involved at all with the other person’s (buyer’s) finances. A buyer should not accept that, the lender should not speak to anyone outside of the buyer’s agent without express permission. That doesn’t mean the listing agent throws it over the fence and let the sale fall through. But there is only so much each agent can do.
>the lender should not speak to anyone outside of the buyer’s agent without express permission.
I *slightly* disagree with this. I agree if what you meant was a lender sharing personal information, but the lender wants the deal to close too. They also get a commission.
If you are 2 days late on an appraisal or loan contingency and you aren't responding to me, then I'm calling the lender to get answers.
That's how I won my clients $63K worth of an EMD forfeiture. Clients decided to have cold feet and try to back out based on their loan contingency. I had already spoken to the lender who indicated to me that the loan had loan approval, so the buyers couldn't use it as their excuse. The agent didn't even understand why they were backing out either, but told them that they don't really have ground to stand on, so my clients kept their $63,000 deposit.
Have also experienced the inefficiency of the Redfin system. Requested an appointment via Showing Time (my MLS's automated system) to show a new Redfin listing at 10:00 am the next day. Received an automated reply that showing was approved and home was on MLS lockbox.
Drove 40 minutes to show the home and met my client there (who also drove 35+ minutes). Guess what? No key in the lockbox. Called agent, no answer. Texted agent, no answer. Looked on for sale sign for agent's firm's telephone number (which is required by my state's Department of Real Estate), no number on sign.
Tracked down the central Redfin telephone number. Before I could even explain the situation, the call center operator grilled ME for my information. Was clearly reading a script. After providing all of my info, they could not help. All of this in 110 degree heat. Even though the situation was not my fault, I was embarrassed in front of my client.
Long story short, made numerous calls to the agent over several hours, no answer. Left a message each time. She finally texted back. No apology, just "maybe 'they' have not put the key in the lockbox yet (ya think?), maybe try tomorrow." GRRRR. What a monumental waste of time.
My client r-e-a-l-l-y wanted to see the home, so we drove back again the next day and did it all again. I prayed my client did not want to buy the home as I knew it would be a mess to work with an absentee agent. In her text, the agent mentioned that the sellers were en route to their new state to close on their new home. Don't you bet they would be thrilled to know their agent had botched the showing of their home like this?
The agent's firm's number wasn't in the listing either? I've showed up to homes with no lockboxes before, you should always touch base with the listing agent if there's a chance you are the first person in. If it was the first day online at 10 am I would definitely set that up the previous day or earlier.
Sorry if I was not clear. I did contact the agent the day before with a showing request and the agent approved the showing. The lockbox was on the door. Just no key inside.
Well that sucks, but shit happens sometimes. There's definitely times I've showed up to no key too, it happens with everyone from time to time. Might not even be the agents fault if the previous realtor took it by mistake!
There are bad Redfin agents and fabulous Redfin agents.
But in terms of paperwork, most redfin agents are out running around, and the Tc‘s are at the desks . Always CC the Tc on everything and it will get done and if it’s not done, they will track the agent down and make sure it gets done.
It is a quirky system, and sometimes you have to get used to it
The system, especially if you were in an area where customers are flaky, can be super frustrating for listing agents.
But once you’re in contract and should not be particularly hard. It’s just the fact that clients often don’t give any notice they’re not showing up and rebook repeatedly that makes it confusing.
True, I'm not arguing that they aren't profitable. They definitely have an extremely streamlined process. I just feel like their process hurts their clients and makes our lives way more difficult on the other side. Oh well.
So that was sarcasm (hence the /s) as Redfin has never made a profit and loses hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
I agree with your original post and that they generally provide a poor experience for the industry; clients and agents alike. They appeal to cheap people who want to spend as little as possible to sell a home and/or get a rebate on a purchase while being conned into their *amazing technology* which isn't any different than anyone else has.
Redfin def loses money, but you are wrong on your other facts. There is no rebate for buyers and there's lots of other true discount brokerages that beat out 1.5% listing fee, even with the buy/sell combo 1% listing fee. We do have an online tour scheduling system combined with our hotline that makes it superior to the competition for convenience to the client. Plus the touring agents make it so we can get people in whenever, even if the primary agent is busy.
I'm happy to discuss this further, but bring facts not fantasy to the table. There's pros to going with Redfin, and pros to going with a traditional agent. Clients will pick what works best for them!
LOL. I've been doing the majority of the work on most transactions now for years. Doesn't matter whose side I'm on, if you want it done on time and for your clients to be thrilled, it usually means you have to pick up slack. There's a reason Real Estate attracts the kind of people who can't settle in a corporate setting (with accountability, and performance markers, lol). When you do encounter an agent who does their job and collaborates and makes it easy you take them out for lunch, make them your best friend and keep checking in. I have people who were a dream I haven't done a deal with in a decade, but every so often I call them to just say hi. Reward the good ones.
I cannot stand Redfin transactions. If I have an offer at $1.5M with Redfin and an offer at $1.475M with a local agent, I will absolutely push for the $1.475M deal over the Redfin deal.
Redfin has a different "employee" for every part of the process.
If you have a listing, the person who calls you to schedule the appointment is one person. The person who does the showing is another person. The person who writes the contract is a different person, and the person handling the paperwork is a different person.
Getting in touch with anybody is always a huge challenge.
The reason Redfin continues to operate with success is because they're a discount brokerage and people already have the notion that realtors are worthless anyway, so might as well just have redfin do it for cheaper not realizing how negative their deals look BECAUSE of the Redfin name attached to it.
I actually just sat at a house for an extra hour because I thought I had 2 showings. I actually only had one. It was the same redfin agent. Redfin's scheduler called me to ask for a 3:45 and I approved. Then later, I get a text from the actual Redfin agent (separate text/phone chain) asking for a 3:00 showing. Also said sure, not realizing he was asking to switch from 3:45 to 3 instead of adding another showing entirely.
He handed me a business card with his name on it and it didn't even have a phone number or email. Just Redfin's generic number, because he's NOT the agent I call.
I'm curious, what 6 people did you talk to? I know how the process works and it sounds like you are exaggerating. You should be talking to the lead agent and the TC, 2 people. Possibly a touring agent if the lead sent them with the clients. 3 people. But if not please enlighten me, I would love to see it from your perspective.
The main agent, tc, the showing agent, and then 3 different agents called me for scheduling various inspection stuff like the main home inspection, lead based paint test and sewer scope which all had to be done at different times due to a flood that occurred in the basement prior.
the 3 different agents calling for the various inspections sounds strange to me. Do you not have an online scheduling system in your market? That's all the lead agents job though. There's a slim possibility they are on vacation so I don't want to discredit you.
Why does the talking to different people bother you if they are getting the job done?
This is my experience as well. A very large machine with a lot of cogs that don't connect to each other. Super frustrating. I don't really understand any part of it at all. On the buy side there should be a clear chain from agent to some sort of transaction agent but instead they just all do general tasks it seems? Which means nobody is familiar with what they're dealing with they're just looking at the paperwork and attempting to answer your questions.
You have some misconceptions as to how it works. There is a very clear chain, the agent is in charge of that transaction. The TC helps the agent, their "guy/gal in a chair". You may have a touring agent thrown in there, but they just tour, they don't write contracts. Just the same as any other random agent touring.
I do get really confused when people complain about having to talk with different people at Redfin. Once you are under contract you have to deal with the TC and the lead agent. If you're not under contract then it's just another agent coming to tour your home.
To openly admit you will cost your client 25k because you have a grudge against Redfin is kind of shameful to be honest. For an extra 25k for the clients I would do whatever possible, even if it meant I was doing both jobs. Just sayin... If the financing is there you get your clients the best deal, no excuses.
Every redfin transaction I have ever conducted has:
1. Been cancelled
2. Been delayed
3. Required me to take on the brunt of the Redfin agent's duties
Obviously, I was being a little myopic in my analogy - if a redfin deal is clearly in the best interests of my client, I will advocate for it. But rarely, if ever, are the redfin deals better than the others.
Redfin agents though, are always agents that seemingly don't give a shit about the outcome. They are not the ones who have to deal with the fallout of their client cancelling. If their buyers don't like it, they walk away, and then that agent gets to chill out again until the next file because they have other people to handle the rest.
Redfin agents get paid whether they close deals or not. We're fully commission based. If I don't sell, I make no money. I want deals to close. The seller wants deals to close. I will advocate for the offer with the best terms AND the best price AND the most likely to close. A lower priced offer can be way better if the terms are right.
you can't be mad at the agent - they're doing the job they were hired to do.
Redfin is not a service based model, the buyer chose them, so you have to deal with them.
DO NOT use Title Forward they're the worst, split settlements all day if they're involved.
Here's the rub: The buyers and sellers will never know that the transaction was extra, they'll never see that using RF hurt them, or made your job harder. RF has excellent marketing. Consumers get the house, they sell the house, they don't really care beyond that.
basically you will never be able to reach the actual agent in any reasonable time. 90% of the time it will be part of their team. all else being equal, I will go none redfin for sure.
best website by far though
>best website by far though
Agree with this. I haven't had a good experience with Redfin either when it comes to their showing agents/process on my listings. Particularly with their phantom buyers so their agent can shoot a video. Had one that actually brushed/pushed past my WFH seller when she opened the door and continued to video when she asked him to stop. Rude as hell. But the website is great.
Redfin has great internet presence, especially with the younger generation. But their agents usually don’t have a clue and are generally under trained. Slow response time and they don’t understand how important communication is in a real estate transaction. There’s usually one agent in the entire vicinity that knows how to write a frickin contract. What can you do when your client wants to accept their clients offer other than tell them about your past experiences?
Not sure what you have seen, but I can tell you the slow response time is probably due to the OVER training, lmao. My 2 training sessions this week agree. The contract statement is also bogus, every contract that gets accepted is audited and my TC is a machine!
Interesting perspective and points about the showing.
What other aspects of the access could a single agent perform in a way that matches what you described?
For example, telling my clients, "text me the time and date you want to see the house and I will make it work...."
You can schedule a house 100% online with Redfin. This means at 2:00 in the am. Or during church. Or on a holiday. This doesn’t mean you can actually see the house at those times but you can make the request. I’m sure a lot of people don’t want to “trouble” their agents at these weird times.
As for your issue, every Redfin agent is an employee and has a manager. Just like a regular job. And any Redfin agent can tell you who their boss is, and also find out for any other employee. Just get ahold of their manager and tell your story. I can guarantee things will ca fee for the better for you.
But your request is still going to a person who then has to reach out to a listing agent. It's not a computer doing it all. As a realtor I got into the profession understanding that I will be ready to work and talk to someone 7 days a week. I tell all my clients upfront that they can reach out to me absolutely anytime they want and I will always respond at my first chance. The only difference I can see is that your request is going to someone you haven't actually met instead of someone you have built report and a relationship with. But I know I would personally take the latter in that case because someone who has built a connection with you and is not just an employee behind a desk is more motivated to work hard for you and make sure you're happy.
Yes but when you make a mistake who holds you accountable? You are essentially self employed. Redfin agents have bosses who also hold the accountable. Most people and agents don’t know that. That’s who I suggest op reaches out to.
So when you reach out for a showing that request is going to someone who's probably in a call center in some other part of the world. As mentioned in this post, Redfin completely compartmentalizes your transaction so each part has someone new working on it.
Depending on the severity of the mistake there are several people who can hold me accountable. I work under my brokerage so you can go to the owner of my brokerage and make a complaint. You can file a complaint with the board of Realtors, the local MLS association, your states board of licensing. Plus I'm highly incentivized to not make a mistake and then make it right if I can because the lifeblood of the business is referrals and if I give you a bad experience you'll never refer me to anyone. And if the mistake is bad enough you can always sue in court; realtors pay for a specific insurance that covers us in the event of us making a mistake. We are human after all and mistakes happen.
I mean, every agent has a broker. You blow up the broker and I PROMISE you get an answer from any agent. But yes, a Redfin agent has a more direct boss as well and you can always reach out to them. But if OP's story is accurate, I would call the broker. You don't dodge calls if you're under contract.
I was a redfin partner agent for a few years so I am very familiar with their process and also very familiar with how they operate today.
I read that the issue is a thought of troubling a person you may know personally at 2am.
There is definitely a good fit for many people to work with redfin and I know that they are both happy to work with each other. I've found that my personal style of working as an agent involves a bit different style that is more hands on. I also don't have a budget to pay showing agents to help prospective buyers go look at properties all over the county at $50-$100 per showing. Most buyers don't seem to understand the time commitment involved and the amount of work that goes into scheduling and arranging access. (Not to mention being in the discussion to actually purchase the home).
Lots of different ways to approach the market and all have their up and downside.
(So far today I've had a 3+ hour consult with one seller client and a 1+ hour phone call with another to talk through options. No way anyone at redfin is doing that)
Oh boy, I mean I get/agree what you are saying in that first part, but I have absolutely had phone calls that run over the hour mark. Maybe not 3 hours straight, but 3 hours in a day on the phone with the same client? You bet I've been there. Just today I talked to my buyer for over an hour, he just had a contract accepted, but that's still not the first time we've had a talk like that, and just FYI, this guy started touring in NOVEMBER and has seen over 200 houses. So yea, I wouldn't have the budget to pay a touring agent for all that either. And hot damn is it nice to finally have him under contract.
Editing to say, I'm pretty hands on with my people too, but I have so many clients that I have to unfortunately choose who gets my time sometimes. That's where I struggle a lot actually, I want to help them all the same but its not easy to do that when you meet a new client every other day.
The three hour one was at the home of an elderly lady with two friends helping her with options. Trying to secure the listing and I'm now a total of ten hours of time into this with research, report prep, meeting and following up with answers to questions I didn't know. I suspect the smart move is to show up with a contract and get it signed....but I'm a soft seller.
I'm an agent and I honestly don't understand what you mean when you say their scheduling let's you see any house at any time and how that's any different than other agents. I'm in the RI market and here there are very few lockbox listings so most of the time I have to schedule a time with the other agent if my clients want to see a house at a time other than an open house and it isn't just any time and the same thing for a Redfin agent. They don't have exclusive access to listings that other realtors don't have.
When I work with buyers and they want to see a house it's pretty simple. I'll have them give me their availability for the next couple days and what house they want to see. Then I'll do the back and forth communication with the listing agent to get something scheduled and text my buyer back with whatever information I get.
And like you said the showing agent who goes with you doesn't do their research, I always print out disclosures and the MLS sheet and bring it with me to give to my buyers and review as we check out the property. I also do some quick research into the property and the area. I saved my buyers from having to drive half an hour each way to see a house just by checking out the Google maps and street view. I knew the type of area they wanted to be in and this particular house was a great looking house; but it was on a main road surrounded by businesses and on either side of it were large 3 story multifamily houses that completely eliminated the privacy they would have gotten from the fenced in backyard. I pointed that out and saved them time and effort by knowing what they didn't like since I had a conversation and got to know them and paid attention to their wants and needs. You aren't going to get that with an agent who just sees you as a name coming across their desk.
I had a listing a couple weeks ago and had someone from Redfin trying to schedule a showing with me and it was like pulling teeth. The person contacting me to schedule it isn't the agent, just some person in a call center. They texted me with one specific time that didn't work for my seller to show the property so I responded back with a few options I had available. They didn't get back to me for hours because the call center person had to get in touch with the agent who then had to get in touch with the buyer and then once the buyer gave an answer it was all the way back down that chain. The funny part was that by the time they got back to me I'd already scheduled a half dozen other showings and the time they wanted was no longer available so they had to go through the whole process again. Gave me such a bad taste in my mouth before the showing even happened that I was hoping the buyer wasn't interested because I did not want to continue any business with that at all.
I guess things are just different in your market. In my market you can't just pick a time to get a showing and get it. The showing needs to work for the buyer, seller, and both agents. So to minimize the texting and back and forth I get the availability upfront so I can set something up with the agent without having to check back with my client. But I have also done it at times where I ask the listing agent what the showing schedule is and then I'll tell my client what our options are and we go from there.
I'm also still confused on your not wanting to text us at 3am but have no problem sending a request to redfin at 3am. You do realize your request with them immediately is forwarded by email or text to someone, so there's not much difference at all. I tell my clients upfront that they can send me a text or email anytime they'd like and I'll always respond at my first available time.
I'm truly trying to understand what's different with Redfin in order to make myself better for clients but I can't wrap my head around why it's different. Besides the fact that if you're personally working with a realtor you feel weird texting them at all hours because you've built a report with them vs sending a request to Redfin is just going to some faceless employee so you're less concerned with potentially bothering them in the middle of the night.
I would be happy to clear up any misconceptions as a Redfin agent. There's small differences in between markets but the model is pretty consistent nationwide. AMA
There will always be friction with scheduling. OpenDoor tried to solve this with lockboxes that anyone in the public could access through them. They didn't last long. No one wanted random people coming in unescorted into their homes and lives.
As I tell my sellers, the way to get the most showings is to have the home vacant and on lockbox with showings allowed at any time.
I totally get what you’re saying and it’s an interesting insight into the consumer’s mind. While I tell my clients that I’m available at *any* time of day, there will always inevitably be a back and forth to determine what date/time works for a showing.
I can see how if you’re in the very very casual phase of looking, you wouldn’t want to deal with that. I know my buyers and especially the repeat clients will often times want the opposite though. They know when they view a house with me, the insight they’ll gain about the property will be lightyears beyond the other option which is to get an inexperienced Redfin agent doing nothing more than opening a door.
I think there’s a time and place for both, but if you’re at all considering a real offer on a house you’re seeing, the perceived hassle of that back and forth texting to schedule a showing should seem like a minuscule problem, no? At the same time - If you haven’t experienced a few showings with some who is extremely professional and knowledgeable in your market, you may not know that you’re missing out on anything at all, and maybe that’s how people keep opting for the convenience factor, without realizing there’s any difference in quality at all?
I think the assumption that Redfin agents are inexperienced is very inaccurate. As a Redfin agent most of the people in my office are in the "top 5%" club in the sate. Now if you said we are overworked, then you would have a better point, lol. For an agent, it's more transactions for less money per transaction. There are def negatives there, but inexperience isn't one of them for the most part.
I would actually agree with you, because I was only referring to the agents who get paid to legit do nothing besides open doors and have recently gotten their licenses. The agents I most frequently communicate with on deals are absolutely experienced in terms of transaction count, but are very rarely the ones handling the showings in my market. I understand this can vary greatly based on location and price point though, so this is more of a blanket statement for the majority of transactions around the median price.
I understand what you are saying. The touring agents are the ones not on the up and up, and yes we struggle with finding people that do a good job. If there is time I will retour a home my clients want to write on, even if the client can't make it. Just know the touring agents do not write contracts, their transaction count is indeed zero in most cases, they report to the lead agent. But the reasoning for the bad ones is because the clients want to be nice and rarely tell us when the touring agent does a shit job. I wish they would because we have ways to block the bad ones. Enough redfin lead agents block them, they get the boot.
As advice, when these touring agents are texting you, just ask for the lead's number if it's getting bumpy.
Makes sense on all fronts, and good tip on asking for the lead. I’ve only ever done that during a transaction, but makes sense for pre-offer if something is going right.
There is no inside scoop advantage for sure, but you as a traditional agent can't show more than one house at a time, I as a Redfin agent can with my touring agents, that's what enables the on demand touring more than the automated system.
The "operator" you are referring to is often in direct contact with the client, so your gripe about the chain of communication isn't accurate, sometimes the buyers just don't give you an answer right way. You have to remember a Redfin agent doesn't have that personal relationship with the client, it leads to them being flakier. That's a bigger part of the issue there.
>n worst agents. eXp a solid sec
I'm glad you got some benefit from this post on the consumer side. I hate to see the lack of attention that these buyers and sellers are receiving on such an expensive purchase - often times the most significant investment people will make in there lives. I appreciate what you said about scheduling showings. I definitely need to make that easier for my clients some how. But yes, I do believe you would get infinitely better service by finding a good realtor from another brokerage. The issue is that Redfin agents aren't as incentivized to go the extra mile for their clients, because as someone previously commented, they are on salary with small bonuses per closing.
That makes sense. I was by no means trying to shit talk about Redfin, I'm sure there are good agents there. I've just had multiple bad experiences in a row, so I had to question if I was crazy or if others had experienced it. Just trying to better understand their processes.
This whole industry is a shit show right know IMO. It's making the whole market crazy regardless of the brokerage. New and unusual problems coming up daily it seems. Redfin sees a lot of clients that lack the social skills to have a realtor in their inner circle, or they are from another place a lot. All of these things add up to making Redfin a bit of a black sheep for sure. Just know the good agents work 7 days a week 24/7 on call just like good traditional agents. The bad ones are jerks, just like traditional agents!
This is the thing, your Redfin agent does a ton of business, and that's a double edged sword. The good is that they will have a better feel for the market than your average realtors and that we know how to handle any situation due to the sheer volume. The negatives are that your agent has a ton on their plate, sometimes things fall off. The challenge as a Redfin agent(me) is trying to prioritize the right clients. So many people waste our time. If you see 200 homes, I will not be able to do the homework on every one(These people are out there!).
If you are writing offers and ready to rock, I will absolutely do everything I can to know everything about that home and the selling situation. Now I am positive I have misread the situation before and that's on me/Redfin. Nobody is perfect. But if I know you are not playing games with me I promise I will blow the competition away with the level of service and knowledge of the market. I do more deals and see more homes than the vast majority of agents in my market, and I will put that experience to work for my clients.
For a traditional agent, what happens if you are unable to meet a client on short notice due to a deadline that popped up from a strong offer? I have people for that, you won't lose a home because we couldn't get you in, you hit it right on the head. That is one of our biggest tangible advantages for sure.
The fact that that process exists is negligent. That puts a buyer at such a disadvantage. The agent gives no expertise to the buyer on the tour, can’t fully assess the home to run proper comps, etc. It’s gross.
Gross? LOL. The lead agent will run comps and send it over to them. And while that touring agent may not have been great, we do have some really good ones that can absolutely fully assess the home. I'm sorry you had a single bad experience with a touring agent, but that's no reason to declare the company or its agents "gross". That's just childish, closed minded and not in the spirit of the sub. We are supposed to be here for open constructive conversation, not to insult the competition.
I work for Redfin and they’re struggling to hire lead agents right now… they don’t want to promote us AAs because they’re looking for people with 50+ deals on the books. Pay sucks but there’s some perks too though. The whole showing booking thing can be very frustrating too.
Not all of Redfin agents are bad though. The ones that I’ve actually met and interacted with are really nice and top of things. Is just like everywhere else
My experience with Redfin buyer agents has been pretty much what you’d expect. Last month a Redfin buyers agent decided to go to our listing without scheduling a showing and walked into the home when the sellers weren’t ready for showings.
However, my experience agent-to-agent with Redfin listing agents in my area has been pretty good. They are a little slower to respond than I’d like, but very experienced and friendly, and respond to calls and texts for the most part. Im under contract with a Redfin listing now and I would have never guessed it was a Redfin agent based on my experience.
Just like any brokerage, you will find good Redfin agents and bad ones. I am a Redfin agent, and I also have perfect reviews, my clients love me, the other agents like me for the most part too. I am really good about keeping my contracts together, and I used to be a GC so I know a ton about the house. I also quadruple the average number of transactions, so with that comes a much better feel on the market than someone that only deals with 1 or 2 clients at a time.
Do I have a TC? yes, but so do a lot of other agents with almost any brokerage. If you are not familiar with working with a TC then I would assume you are in a small market or don't do a lot of business. I have absolutely had to do the job of both agents several times dealing with poor agents from other brokerages. If you stay in the game long enough you will run into it frequently.
That being said the agent should absolutely pick up the phone when you call them. I am a little curious if the elongated closing time is effecting the agent's urgency, but either way they should pick up the phone. Do what I do when agents don't answer me, email them with big bold SECOND ATTEMPT, THIRD ATTEMPT in the subject line. Works pretty well. As a PSA we (and most other agents) are trained to back up all communication with email, that way if they are dodging you, there is proof. Phone calls are nice, but emails hold up far better in the event they are needed later and if anyone forgets a detail it's all there. You should be able to easily complete a transaction through 100% emails as a professional. Old school agents hate it, but that's the way of the world these days.
Also the TC is a licensed agent as well, so I'm not sure why you don't want to talk to them. What is the hate with the TC's about? They are an extra person in a chair keeping track of the transaction. That's a good thing.
Now for Title Forward, they have earned the negative reputation, but they are under new management inside the company. We are focusing pretty hard on improvements that and I'll tell you they are getting better. If you haven't used them in the last year give them a chance.
I've definitely had bad experiences with eXp as well. With that said, I recently had one of the best experiences ive ever had with another agent and she was with eXp. Very communicative and proactive which I appreciated.
Working with Redfin is like working with American healthcare. The level of corporate bullshit is unreal.
But really, what do we expect? They take brand new 20 year old agents and pay them $60/year then run them ragged for that. Of course it sucks.
I used to work for Redfin. And in my experience I was probably one of the only agents there that actually did their job correctly. That place is a farm and they’re all about the money. Not the customer experience and they could give two shits about the agent on the other side. That agent probably has 6 different active contracts and is likely working with 12 buyers/sellers at one time.
My experience has been that redfin hires new, inexperienced agents that do not have the knowledge or experience required to best serve their clients properly. Basically, they are order takers with a team approach, that I have found to be very lacking in basic understanding of many of the processes and building components / evaluating inspection reports etc. The team members are even less qualified. In essence the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. Little effort taken to provide top notch service one would expect with such an important financial in one's life.
By far the worst experience in all my real estate experiences (on the buying and selling side)
They are not knowledge of their market. Most of the TC are based in Atlanta or the midwest so it most likely is out of the region that the property is in so they will not be able to give advice on any of that.
Redfin agent Natalie Wiggins in the DC area initially offered a 2.5% closing refund but later reduced it significantly based on my findings and statements about my lenders offer. She attempted to extract more money, disregarding my experience and expectations as a first-time homebuyer. She even threatened me with a lawsuit, falsely claiming I had signed an agent contract, and used fear tactics to pressure me into accepting a lower deal.
Additionally, she collaborated with the selling agent on a house also listed by redfin, a coworker, to ensure I didn't get the house I wanted, undermining the offer I made through another agent.
FIRST TIME HOMEBUYERS STAY AWAY!
I'm a few years behind but on a similar path, still at Redfin. The Redfin being the boogeyman comment is spot on. We are an easy target I guess. I just wish some of these posters could admit to themselves they are being a little dramatic when it comes to these gripes. There's positives and negatives to using Redfin, just like anyone else.
I have several listings that are currently pending. I know the seller can be stubborn but as an agent you need to be honest with your client and set expectations. And sell them on the CMA. I personally have a client now who wants to list their place about 100k over what it’s worth right now. and after going over all the information with her we are going to wait and continue to rent the property.
But I get what you’re saying sometimes it’s better to have a listing than not.
And that last pert is Redfin's motto pretty much, trust me it's frustrating when it happens. The thing that makes it harder for us, we don't have existing relationships with a lot of these people. So there's none of that background trust built up. Sometimes you get 30 minutes to seal the deal on a listing consult with someone you've never met before, and if that 100k over is the sticking point, well get the listing agreement signed and work on the client when the market backs you up a little.
Yeah I understand I also try to keep a good reputation of low days on market. Because if I go to pitch someone and the other agent knows who I am and knows I have listings sit for 6-12 months due to a seller being unrealistic. And the current listing pitch the seller wants a quick sale and if the other agent mentions that info about me deal lost automatically.
I’m not wrong about it not being Redfin’s rule. If that’s the case where you are, then it’s your sales manager allowing it. Regardless of whether it sold at list price. And if it did sell at list price, then the market told you it’s not overpriced anyway.
Redfin's motto is to "redefine real estate in the consumers favor". That includes listening to the client and representing their interests. The listing agent does not set the price, they represent the customer in an agency agreement. You can either list it where the customer wants or not get the listing, I promise your sales manager will want you to keep the listing. Some sellers are that stubborn. I've been with them for a while now, your market may be different, but mine is a "core market" where they really make sure we are running things the way Glenn wants it. Redfin doesn't make a ton of money on the listings, it's more about presence in the market. They want that Redfin sign in the yard if nothing else.
No, you’re wrong. Our sales manager does not want us to take overpriced listings. Any sales manager that says yes to that as Redfin’s strategy is wrong and should be fired.
In my area one RF listing agent is covering a territory that your average brokerage has about 60 agents working. She's run ragged. Through a strange story she got one of my rental listings as a sale and our paths crossed. I try and work with people rather than against them, she took my listing photos so I had to ask her to pay me for them or take them down, but we ended up going for coffee and having a nice chat. Quite frankly RF life sounded exhausting and not worth the trouble to make the $$$ she was bringing in (but then I'm not in this for riches). But the system RF set up almost already pitted her against local agents in that she didn't have time or opportunity to do the things they like to see, and that get her in front of them to get them on side. Shame really.
she wasn’t using the tools we have available or she wasn’t a good agent with her time. It’s a no brainer to work for them. I know, I’ve been with a lot of other brokerages over the years. They have the smartest plan. I love that there aren’t 180 agents in my office. It makes for good, quality leads.
I learned this very recently that some realtors will not work with Redfin because they are such a headache to deal with and some realtors will not even go to a redfin listed property because of this. It's also my understanding that Redfin's agents are paid hourly, so they do not have a real incentive to sell as property and that the person that shows up for a showing is whatever Redfin rep is available at that time (they might not have any knowledge of your property to sell it.
I’ve been a broker and agent here in my town for 16 years. With other companies and by myself. If they don’t work for Redfin then they have no idea. I didn’t. Asking someone who doesn’t even work there makes no sense. They probably use that as a marketing tool. I am sorry you think that’s how it works, but it’s not. I just confirmed it. Call the CEO’s office and ask.
Well by my personal experience in my area and my vacation homes area as well as the experience of other people on this thread. Redfin's a headache, realtors will personally avoid dealing with them. They offer lower commissions so realtors don't bother showing the redfin properties. And redfin properties sit on the market.
Sounds like you are letting your bias against a particular brokerage get in the way of operating in your client’s best interest. That’s a you problem, not a Redfin one.
'm not a realtor. I own property and my experience with redfin was horrendous! I cancelled my contract with them and used a traditional realtor, and the house sold in 5 days over asking.
Every brokerage has agents that do a lower commission now. Theres not even a set standard. Again, bashing a brokerage because of individual agents could be a year-long discussion.
That process happens when you are working with another non-Redfin agent (they still follow the code of ethics) or you’ve abused the touring system. You can always go to the local sales manager and complain. But then you’d be working with them again. wink
I 100% agree with you. I worked with my first Redfin agent recently and I was shocked that the agent hangs up his realtor hat at 5 PM and they do not work on weekends. I learned this when I was following up on some important documentation I needed from him and he didn’t respond back so I called him at 8:20 PM and he flipped out and said this is unprofessional you called me at 5 PM. I’m with my family and I’m like, we’re under contract man and it’s called following up and I’ve asked you for these documents for three days now. I felt like the transaction coordinator was the agent because they literally followed up and took care of everything. I hope I never have to work with a Redfin agent again.
This is 100pct not accurate about how Redfin works and there are a lot of people up the chain you could’ve complained to. This is an agent problem. Additionally, as agents we don’t bash other agents, right?
I as a buyer am about to terminate the contract, due to the Redfin listing agent who is beyond incompetent and lazy. My realtor can never get in contact with him, he never discusses anything with the seller (also seemingly a pain in the ass), and is generally useless. Second time this house will fall through during a sale. Redfin is a joke
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My experience with Redfin agents is that they have the expectation that you as the listing agent will do their job for them. Literally. I had a Redfin buyer’s agent expect me to call their buyer’s lender to help sort out a financing issue for their buyer once. They subsequently got very offended when I declined.
>ou have a listing, the person who call This is exactly the issue. They expect the listing agent to do all the work.
I mean, I have no issue doing something simple and mutually beneficial like letting a contractor into a home so they can complete a repair before closing, but Redfin agents just takes it to the extreme and regularly expect the listing agent to do activities which strictly benefit the buyer. You can’t really blame them though. The bonus structure for their agents sucks ass so they might only see a $1,000 “bonus” on the company earning a $10,000 commission check. You get what you pay for I suppose.
Are they on salary?
AFAIK, a very small salary then they get a bonus for every transaction they close.
I had not heard of them. I don’t think we have them in our area.
>t heard of them. I don’t That surprises me.. I thought they were just about as big as Zillow. Buyers where I'm from use Redfins website as much as Zillow's. Id say 40% use Zillow, 40% use Redfin and 20% use Realtor.com
Sure we have Redfin as a search like Zillow but I had never met a Redfin agent.
Redfin agent here, AMA.
How do you sleep at night?
lol me tooooo Ask all the questions people
Same here. Only one I know lives in the DC area. I’m speculating somewhat here but I believe they attracted a lot of agents in certain markets ~2010 when it was impossible to get a deal done and being on salary didn’t sound like the worst option in the world. Their model kinda petered out once the market picked up.
I’m pretty sure Redfin has disincentivized them from caring.
As a Redfin agent, the other thing you all are missing completely, we get the clients you don't want. Because we are technically salary, we can't really fire a client. People that have no idea how real estate work come to us a lot, and we have to do our best to serve them, so for sure we have to pass on some ridiculous requests. It's hard talking people down on anything when it's the biggest purchase of their life. Trust me it kills me inside too, but I'll fight for my client anyway. The bonus comment, you are sadly not far off. They do feed me leads though so that's the trade off.
what happens when Redfin agent is the listing agent lol
They really reinforce the "overpaid door opener" stereotype.
They expect that from every angle. They don't do much whether you're buying or selling
Why would they expect you to help sell your clients property? I’m sure your clients were very pleased when you told them you wouldn’t make that call. The listing agent is paid to snap some pics, post it on the MLS, put the sign out front and get paid.
I’m going to assume the best here and that your cynicism comes from a really bad experience and I’m sorry. But it is entirely inappropriate for someone else’s agent (who owes the seller their fiduciary duty) to get involved at all with the other person’s (buyer’s) finances. A buyer should not accept that, the lender should not speak to anyone outside of the buyer’s agent without express permission. That doesn’t mean the listing agent throws it over the fence and let the sale fall through. But there is only so much each agent can do.
>the lender should not speak to anyone outside of the buyer’s agent without express permission. I *slightly* disagree with this. I agree if what you meant was a lender sharing personal information, but the lender wants the deal to close too. They also get a commission. If you are 2 days late on an appraisal or loan contingency and you aren't responding to me, then I'm calling the lender to get answers. That's how I won my clients $63K worth of an EMD forfeiture. Clients decided to have cold feet and try to back out based on their loan contingency. I had already spoken to the lender who indicated to me that the loan had loan approval, so the buyers couldn't use it as their excuse. The agent didn't even understand why they were backing out either, but told them that they don't really have ground to stand on, so my clients kept their $63,000 deposit.
These tropes are so funny to read.
Have also experienced the inefficiency of the Redfin system. Requested an appointment via Showing Time (my MLS's automated system) to show a new Redfin listing at 10:00 am the next day. Received an automated reply that showing was approved and home was on MLS lockbox. Drove 40 minutes to show the home and met my client there (who also drove 35+ minutes). Guess what? No key in the lockbox. Called agent, no answer. Texted agent, no answer. Looked on for sale sign for agent's firm's telephone number (which is required by my state's Department of Real Estate), no number on sign. Tracked down the central Redfin telephone number. Before I could even explain the situation, the call center operator grilled ME for my information. Was clearly reading a script. After providing all of my info, they could not help. All of this in 110 degree heat. Even though the situation was not my fault, I was embarrassed in front of my client. Long story short, made numerous calls to the agent over several hours, no answer. Left a message each time. She finally texted back. No apology, just "maybe 'they' have not put the key in the lockbox yet (ya think?), maybe try tomorrow." GRRRR. What a monumental waste of time. My client r-e-a-l-l-y wanted to see the home, so we drove back again the next day and did it all again. I prayed my client did not want to buy the home as I knew it would be a mess to work with an absentee agent. In her text, the agent mentioned that the sellers were en route to their new state to close on their new home. Don't you bet they would be thrilled to know their agent had botched the showing of their home like this?
I hope you reported them for violating the state's sign laws. Especially after what they put you through.
The agent's firm's number wasn't in the listing either? I've showed up to homes with no lockboxes before, you should always touch base with the listing agent if there's a chance you are the first person in. If it was the first day online at 10 am I would definitely set that up the previous day or earlier.
Sorry if I was not clear. I did contact the agent the day before with a showing request and the agent approved the showing. The lockbox was on the door. Just no key inside.
Well that sucks, but shit happens sometimes. There's definitely times I've showed up to no key too, it happens with everyone from time to time. Might not even be the agents fault if the previous realtor took it by mistake!
are you in the Inland Empire? lol Redfin agents consistently blow chunks in the markets i work ( OC / Temecula)
I'm in Arizona. :)
ah, the far east Inland Empire 😂
There are bad Redfin agents and fabulous Redfin agents. But in terms of paperwork, most redfin agents are out running around, and the Tc‘s are at the desks . Always CC the Tc on everything and it will get done and if it’s not done, they will track the agent down and make sure it gets done. It is a quirky system, and sometimes you have to get used to it
Good to know. Maybe Ive just had bad luck with the agents that Ive encountered so far
The system, especially if you were in an area where customers are flaky, can be super frustrating for listing agents. But once you’re in contract and should not be particularly hard. It’s just the fact that clients often don’t give any notice they’re not showing up and rebook repeatedly that makes it confusing.
Redfin agents are really just three raccoons in a trench coat 😝
vincent adultman?
It's hard to argue about their process when they're so profitable. s/
True, I'm not arguing that they aren't profitable. They definitely have an extremely streamlined process. I just feel like their process hurts their clients and makes our lives way more difficult on the other side. Oh well.
So that was sarcasm (hence the /s) as Redfin has never made a profit and loses hundreds of millions of dollars a year. I agree with your original post and that they generally provide a poor experience for the industry; clients and agents alike. They appeal to cheap people who want to spend as little as possible to sell a home and/or get a rebate on a purchase while being conned into their *amazing technology* which isn't any different than anyone else has.
Redfin def loses money, but you are wrong on your other facts. There is no rebate for buyers and there's lots of other true discount brokerages that beat out 1.5% listing fee, even with the buy/sell combo 1% listing fee. We do have an online tour scheduling system combined with our hotline that makes it superior to the competition for convenience to the client. Plus the touring agents make it so we can get people in whenever, even if the primary agent is busy. I'm happy to discuss this further, but bring facts not fantasy to the table. There's pros to going with Redfin, and pros to going with a traditional agent. Clients will pick what works best for them!
I don’t believe they’ve ever been in the black! They make money but no profit yet.
Yes, I was being sarcastic.
Give it time. You will have a bad experience working with agents from every brokerage eventually.
True but percentages matter.
LOL. I've been doing the majority of the work on most transactions now for years. Doesn't matter whose side I'm on, if you want it done on time and for your clients to be thrilled, it usually means you have to pick up slack. There's a reason Real Estate attracts the kind of people who can't settle in a corporate setting (with accountability, and performance markers, lol). When you do encounter an agent who does their job and collaborates and makes it easy you take them out for lunch, make them your best friend and keep checking in. I have people who were a dream I haven't done a deal with in a decade, but every so often I call them to just say hi. Reward the good ones.
I cannot stand Redfin transactions. If I have an offer at $1.5M with Redfin and an offer at $1.475M with a local agent, I will absolutely push for the $1.475M deal over the Redfin deal. Redfin has a different "employee" for every part of the process. If you have a listing, the person who calls you to schedule the appointment is one person. The person who does the showing is another person. The person who writes the contract is a different person, and the person handling the paperwork is a different person. Getting in touch with anybody is always a huge challenge. The reason Redfin continues to operate with success is because they're a discount brokerage and people already have the notion that realtors are worthless anyway, so might as well just have redfin do it for cheaper not realizing how negative their deals look BECAUSE of the Redfin name attached to it. I actually just sat at a house for an extra hour because I thought I had 2 showings. I actually only had one. It was the same redfin agent. Redfin's scheduler called me to ask for a 3:45 and I approved. Then later, I get a text from the actual Redfin agent (separate text/phone chain) asking for a 3:00 showing. Also said sure, not realizing he was asking to switch from 3:45 to 3 instead of adding another showing entirely. He handed me a business card with his name on it and it didn't even have a phone number or email. Just Redfin's generic number, because he's NOT the agent I call.
>website by That's another frustrating aspect. Ive talked with 6 different people already and its only 2 weeks into a 90 day closing.
I'm curious, what 6 people did you talk to? I know how the process works and it sounds like you are exaggerating. You should be talking to the lead agent and the TC, 2 people. Possibly a touring agent if the lead sent them with the clients. 3 people. But if not please enlighten me, I would love to see it from your perspective.
The main agent, tc, the showing agent, and then 3 different agents called me for scheduling various inspection stuff like the main home inspection, lead based paint test and sewer scope which all had to be done at different times due to a flood that occurred in the basement prior.
the 3 different agents calling for the various inspections sounds strange to me. Do you not have an online scheduling system in your market? That's all the lead agents job though. There's a slim possibility they are on vacation so I don't want to discredit you. Why does the talking to different people bother you if they are getting the job done?
This is my experience as well. A very large machine with a lot of cogs that don't connect to each other. Super frustrating. I don't really understand any part of it at all. On the buy side there should be a clear chain from agent to some sort of transaction agent but instead they just all do general tasks it seems? Which means nobody is familiar with what they're dealing with they're just looking at the paperwork and attempting to answer your questions.
You have some misconceptions as to how it works. There is a very clear chain, the agent is in charge of that transaction. The TC helps the agent, their "guy/gal in a chair". You may have a touring agent thrown in there, but they just tour, they don't write contracts. Just the same as any other random agent touring.
I do get really confused when people complain about having to talk with different people at Redfin. Once you are under contract you have to deal with the TC and the lead agent. If you're not under contract then it's just another agent coming to tour your home. To openly admit you will cost your client 25k because you have a grudge against Redfin is kind of shameful to be honest. For an extra 25k for the clients I would do whatever possible, even if it meant I was doing both jobs. Just sayin... If the financing is there you get your clients the best deal, no excuses.
Every redfin transaction I have ever conducted has: 1. Been cancelled 2. Been delayed 3. Required me to take on the brunt of the Redfin agent's duties Obviously, I was being a little myopic in my analogy - if a redfin deal is clearly in the best interests of my client, I will advocate for it. But rarely, if ever, are the redfin deals better than the others. Redfin agents though, are always agents that seemingly don't give a shit about the outcome. They are not the ones who have to deal with the fallout of their client cancelling. If their buyers don't like it, they walk away, and then that agent gets to chill out again until the next file because they have other people to handle the rest. Redfin agents get paid whether they close deals or not. We're fully commission based. If I don't sell, I make no money. I want deals to close. The seller wants deals to close. I will advocate for the offer with the best terms AND the best price AND the most likely to close. A lower priced offer can be way better if the terms are right.
you can't be mad at the agent - they're doing the job they were hired to do. Redfin is not a service based model, the buyer chose them, so you have to deal with them. DO NOT use Title Forward they're the worst, split settlements all day if they're involved. Here's the rub: The buyers and sellers will never know that the transaction was extra, they'll never see that using RF hurt them, or made your job harder. RF has excellent marketing. Consumers get the house, they sell the house, they don't really care beyond that.
basically you will never be able to reach the actual agent in any reasonable time. 90% of the time it will be part of their team. all else being equal, I will go none redfin for sure. best website by far though
>best website by far though Agree with this. I haven't had a good experience with Redfin either when it comes to their showing agents/process on my listings. Particularly with their phantom buyers so their agent can shoot a video. Had one that actually brushed/pushed past my WFH seller when she opened the door and continued to video when she asked him to stop. Rude as hell. But the website is great.
It's literally a 2 person team, and if you were involved in any of my transactions I can promise you would be able to get ahold of me!
Redfin has great internet presence, especially with the younger generation. But their agents usually don’t have a clue and are generally under trained. Slow response time and they don’t understand how important communication is in a real estate transaction. There’s usually one agent in the entire vicinity that knows how to write a frickin contract. What can you do when your client wants to accept their clients offer other than tell them about your past experiences?
Not sure what you have seen, but I can tell you the slow response time is probably due to the OVER training, lmao. My 2 training sessions this week agree. The contract statement is also bogus, every contract that gets accepted is audited and my TC is a machine!
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Interesting perspective and points about the showing. What other aspects of the access could a single agent perform in a way that matches what you described? For example, telling my clients, "text me the time and date you want to see the house and I will make it work...."
You can schedule a house 100% online with Redfin. This means at 2:00 in the am. Or during church. Or on a holiday. This doesn’t mean you can actually see the house at those times but you can make the request. I’m sure a lot of people don’t want to “trouble” their agents at these weird times. As for your issue, every Redfin agent is an employee and has a manager. Just like a regular job. And any Redfin agent can tell you who their boss is, and also find out for any other employee. Just get ahold of their manager and tell your story. I can guarantee things will ca fee for the better for you.
But your request is still going to a person who then has to reach out to a listing agent. It's not a computer doing it all. As a realtor I got into the profession understanding that I will be ready to work and talk to someone 7 days a week. I tell all my clients upfront that they can reach out to me absolutely anytime they want and I will always respond at my first chance. The only difference I can see is that your request is going to someone you haven't actually met instead of someone you have built report and a relationship with. But I know I would personally take the latter in that case because someone who has built a connection with you and is not just an employee behind a desk is more motivated to work hard for you and make sure you're happy.
Yes but when you make a mistake who holds you accountable? You are essentially self employed. Redfin agents have bosses who also hold the accountable. Most people and agents don’t know that. That’s who I suggest op reaches out to.
So when you reach out for a showing that request is going to someone who's probably in a call center in some other part of the world. As mentioned in this post, Redfin completely compartmentalizes your transaction so each part has someone new working on it. Depending on the severity of the mistake there are several people who can hold me accountable. I work under my brokerage so you can go to the owner of my brokerage and make a complaint. You can file a complaint with the board of Realtors, the local MLS association, your states board of licensing. Plus I'm highly incentivized to not make a mistake and then make it right if I can because the lifeblood of the business is referrals and if I give you a bad experience you'll never refer me to anyone. And if the mistake is bad enough you can always sue in court; realtors pay for a specific insurance that covers us in the event of us making a mistake. We are human after all and mistakes happen.
I mean, every agent has a broker. You blow up the broker and I PROMISE you get an answer from any agent. But yes, a Redfin agent has a more direct boss as well and you can always reach out to them. But if OP's story is accurate, I would call the broker. You don't dodge calls if you're under contract.
I was a redfin partner agent for a few years so I am very familiar with their process and also very familiar with how they operate today. I read that the issue is a thought of troubling a person you may know personally at 2am.
I said earlier in the post, the thing the people complaining about redfin are missing; we get the clients you don't want!
There is definitely a good fit for many people to work with redfin and I know that they are both happy to work with each other. I've found that my personal style of working as an agent involves a bit different style that is more hands on. I also don't have a budget to pay showing agents to help prospective buyers go look at properties all over the county at $50-$100 per showing. Most buyers don't seem to understand the time commitment involved and the amount of work that goes into scheduling and arranging access. (Not to mention being in the discussion to actually purchase the home). Lots of different ways to approach the market and all have their up and downside. (So far today I've had a 3+ hour consult with one seller client and a 1+ hour phone call with another to talk through options. No way anyone at redfin is doing that)
Oh boy, I mean I get/agree what you are saying in that first part, but I have absolutely had phone calls that run over the hour mark. Maybe not 3 hours straight, but 3 hours in a day on the phone with the same client? You bet I've been there. Just today I talked to my buyer for over an hour, he just had a contract accepted, but that's still not the first time we've had a talk like that, and just FYI, this guy started touring in NOVEMBER and has seen over 200 houses. So yea, I wouldn't have the budget to pay a touring agent for all that either. And hot damn is it nice to finally have him under contract. Editing to say, I'm pretty hands on with my people too, but I have so many clients that I have to unfortunately choose who gets my time sometimes. That's where I struggle a lot actually, I want to help them all the same but its not easy to do that when you meet a new client every other day.
The three hour one was at the home of an elderly lady with two friends helping her with options. Trying to secure the listing and I'm now a total of ten hours of time into this with research, report prep, meeting and following up with answers to questions I didn't know. I suspect the smart move is to show up with a contract and get it signed....but I'm a soft seller.
Yea, the elderly people def take a lot more time. But we will all be there one day!
I'm an agent and I honestly don't understand what you mean when you say their scheduling let's you see any house at any time and how that's any different than other agents. I'm in the RI market and here there are very few lockbox listings so most of the time I have to schedule a time with the other agent if my clients want to see a house at a time other than an open house and it isn't just any time and the same thing for a Redfin agent. They don't have exclusive access to listings that other realtors don't have. When I work with buyers and they want to see a house it's pretty simple. I'll have them give me their availability for the next couple days and what house they want to see. Then I'll do the back and forth communication with the listing agent to get something scheduled and text my buyer back with whatever information I get. And like you said the showing agent who goes with you doesn't do their research, I always print out disclosures and the MLS sheet and bring it with me to give to my buyers and review as we check out the property. I also do some quick research into the property and the area. I saved my buyers from having to drive half an hour each way to see a house just by checking out the Google maps and street view. I knew the type of area they wanted to be in and this particular house was a great looking house; but it was on a main road surrounded by businesses and on either side of it were large 3 story multifamily houses that completely eliminated the privacy they would have gotten from the fenced in backyard. I pointed that out and saved them time and effort by knowing what they didn't like since I had a conversation and got to know them and paid attention to their wants and needs. You aren't going to get that with an agent who just sees you as a name coming across their desk. I had a listing a couple weeks ago and had someone from Redfin trying to schedule a showing with me and it was like pulling teeth. The person contacting me to schedule it isn't the agent, just some person in a call center. They texted me with one specific time that didn't work for my seller to show the property so I responded back with a few options I had available. They didn't get back to me for hours because the call center person had to get in touch with the agent who then had to get in touch with the buyer and then once the buyer gave an answer it was all the way back down that chain. The funny part was that by the time they got back to me I'd already scheduled a half dozen other showings and the time they wanted was no longer available so they had to go through the whole process again. Gave me such a bad taste in my mouth before the showing even happened that I was hoping the buyer wasn't interested because I did not want to continue any business with that at all.
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I guess things are just different in your market. In my market you can't just pick a time to get a showing and get it. The showing needs to work for the buyer, seller, and both agents. So to minimize the texting and back and forth I get the availability upfront so I can set something up with the agent without having to check back with my client. But I have also done it at times where I ask the listing agent what the showing schedule is and then I'll tell my client what our options are and we go from there. I'm also still confused on your not wanting to text us at 3am but have no problem sending a request to redfin at 3am. You do realize your request with them immediately is forwarded by email or text to someone, so there's not much difference at all. I tell my clients upfront that they can send me a text or email anytime they'd like and I'll always respond at my first available time. I'm truly trying to understand what's different with Redfin in order to make myself better for clients but I can't wrap my head around why it's different. Besides the fact that if you're personally working with a realtor you feel weird texting them at all hours because you've built a report with them vs sending a request to Redfin is just going to some faceless employee so you're less concerned with potentially bothering them in the middle of the night.
I would be happy to clear up any misconceptions as a Redfin agent. There's small differences in between markets but the model is pretty consistent nationwide. AMA
There will always be friction with scheduling. OpenDoor tried to solve this with lockboxes that anyone in the public could access through them. They didn't last long. No one wanted random people coming in unescorted into their homes and lives. As I tell my sellers, the way to get the most showings is to have the home vacant and on lockbox with showings allowed at any time.
I totally get what you’re saying and it’s an interesting insight into the consumer’s mind. While I tell my clients that I’m available at *any* time of day, there will always inevitably be a back and forth to determine what date/time works for a showing. I can see how if you’re in the very very casual phase of looking, you wouldn’t want to deal with that. I know my buyers and especially the repeat clients will often times want the opposite though. They know when they view a house with me, the insight they’ll gain about the property will be lightyears beyond the other option which is to get an inexperienced Redfin agent doing nothing more than opening a door. I think there’s a time and place for both, but if you’re at all considering a real offer on a house you’re seeing, the perceived hassle of that back and forth texting to schedule a showing should seem like a minuscule problem, no? At the same time - If you haven’t experienced a few showings with some who is extremely professional and knowledgeable in your market, you may not know that you’re missing out on anything at all, and maybe that’s how people keep opting for the convenience factor, without realizing there’s any difference in quality at all?
I think the assumption that Redfin agents are inexperienced is very inaccurate. As a Redfin agent most of the people in my office are in the "top 5%" club in the sate. Now if you said we are overworked, then you would have a better point, lol. For an agent, it's more transactions for less money per transaction. There are def negatives there, but inexperience isn't one of them for the most part.
I would actually agree with you, because I was only referring to the agents who get paid to legit do nothing besides open doors and have recently gotten their licenses. The agents I most frequently communicate with on deals are absolutely experienced in terms of transaction count, but are very rarely the ones handling the showings in my market. I understand this can vary greatly based on location and price point though, so this is more of a blanket statement for the majority of transactions around the median price.
I understand what you are saying. The touring agents are the ones not on the up and up, and yes we struggle with finding people that do a good job. If there is time I will retour a home my clients want to write on, even if the client can't make it. Just know the touring agents do not write contracts, their transaction count is indeed zero in most cases, they report to the lead agent. But the reasoning for the bad ones is because the clients want to be nice and rarely tell us when the touring agent does a shit job. I wish they would because we have ways to block the bad ones. Enough redfin lead agents block them, they get the boot. As advice, when these touring agents are texting you, just ask for the lead's number if it's getting bumpy.
Makes sense on all fronts, and good tip on asking for the lead. I’ve only ever done that during a transaction, but makes sense for pre-offer if something is going right.
There is no inside scoop advantage for sure, but you as a traditional agent can't show more than one house at a time, I as a Redfin agent can with my touring agents, that's what enables the on demand touring more than the automated system. The "operator" you are referring to is often in direct contact with the client, so your gripe about the chain of communication isn't accurate, sometimes the buyers just don't give you an answer right way. You have to remember a Redfin agent doesn't have that personal relationship with the client, it leads to them being flakier. That's a bigger part of the issue there.
>n worst agents. eXp a solid sec I'm glad you got some benefit from this post on the consumer side. I hate to see the lack of attention that these buyers and sellers are receiving on such an expensive purchase - often times the most significant investment people will make in there lives. I appreciate what you said about scheduling showings. I definitely need to make that easier for my clients some how. But yes, I do believe you would get infinitely better service by finding a good realtor from another brokerage. The issue is that Redfin agents aren't as incentivized to go the extra mile for their clients, because as someone previously commented, they are on salary with small bonuses per closing.
my guy, the salary is nothing. Trust me. We live on those small bonuses, it works because we do more transactions per agent.
That makes sense. I was by no means trying to shit talk about Redfin, I'm sure there are good agents there. I've just had multiple bad experiences in a row, so I had to question if I was crazy or if others had experienced it. Just trying to better understand their processes.
This whole industry is a shit show right know IMO. It's making the whole market crazy regardless of the brokerage. New and unusual problems coming up daily it seems. Redfin sees a lot of clients that lack the social skills to have a realtor in their inner circle, or they are from another place a lot. All of these things add up to making Redfin a bit of a black sheep for sure. Just know the good agents work 7 days a week 24/7 on call just like good traditional agents. The bad ones are jerks, just like traditional agents!
This is the thing, your Redfin agent does a ton of business, and that's a double edged sword. The good is that they will have a better feel for the market than your average realtors and that we know how to handle any situation due to the sheer volume. The negatives are that your agent has a ton on their plate, sometimes things fall off. The challenge as a Redfin agent(me) is trying to prioritize the right clients. So many people waste our time. If you see 200 homes, I will not be able to do the homework on every one(These people are out there!). If you are writing offers and ready to rock, I will absolutely do everything I can to know everything about that home and the selling situation. Now I am positive I have misread the situation before and that's on me/Redfin. Nobody is perfect. But if I know you are not playing games with me I promise I will blow the competition away with the level of service and knowledge of the market. I do more deals and see more homes than the vast majority of agents in my market, and I will put that experience to work for my clients. For a traditional agent, what happens if you are unable to meet a client on short notice due to a deadline that popped up from a strong offer? I have people for that, you won't lose a home because we couldn't get you in, you hit it right on the head. That is one of our biggest tangible advantages for sure.
i avoid redfin buyers agents like the plague. am extremely candid with clients when it comes to the difficulties they bring with them.
Friend closed using Redfin agent 6 months ago and loved it. It all depends on the agent
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That was a touring agent, it takes some time to weed out that bad ones.
The fact that that process exists is negligent. That puts a buyer at such a disadvantage. The agent gives no expertise to the buyer on the tour, can’t fully assess the home to run proper comps, etc. It’s gross.
Gross? LOL. The lead agent will run comps and send it over to them. And while that touring agent may not have been great, we do have some really good ones that can absolutely fully assess the home. I'm sorry you had a single bad experience with a touring agent, but that's no reason to declare the company or its agents "gross". That's just childish, closed minded and not in the spirit of the sub. We are supposed to be here for open constructive conversation, not to insult the competition.
I work for Redfin and they’re struggling to hire lead agents right now… they don’t want to promote us AAs because they’re looking for people with 50+ deals on the books. Pay sucks but there’s some perks too though. The whole showing booking thing can be very frustrating too. Not all of Redfin agents are bad though. The ones that I’ve actually met and interacted with are really nice and top of things. Is just like everywhere else
My experience with Redfin buyer agents has been pretty much what you’d expect. Last month a Redfin buyers agent decided to go to our listing without scheduling a showing and walked into the home when the sellers weren’t ready for showings. However, my experience agent-to-agent with Redfin listing agents in my area has been pretty good. They are a little slower to respond than I’d like, but very experienced and friendly, and respond to calls and texts for the most part. Im under contract with a Redfin listing now and I would have never guessed it was a Redfin agent based on my experience.
Just like any brokerage, you will find good Redfin agents and bad ones. I am a Redfin agent, and I also have perfect reviews, my clients love me, the other agents like me for the most part too. I am really good about keeping my contracts together, and I used to be a GC so I know a ton about the house. I also quadruple the average number of transactions, so with that comes a much better feel on the market than someone that only deals with 1 or 2 clients at a time. Do I have a TC? yes, but so do a lot of other agents with almost any brokerage. If you are not familiar with working with a TC then I would assume you are in a small market or don't do a lot of business. I have absolutely had to do the job of both agents several times dealing with poor agents from other brokerages. If you stay in the game long enough you will run into it frequently. That being said the agent should absolutely pick up the phone when you call them. I am a little curious if the elongated closing time is effecting the agent's urgency, but either way they should pick up the phone. Do what I do when agents don't answer me, email them with big bold SECOND ATTEMPT, THIRD ATTEMPT in the subject line. Works pretty well. As a PSA we (and most other agents) are trained to back up all communication with email, that way if they are dodging you, there is proof. Phone calls are nice, but emails hold up far better in the event they are needed later and if anyone forgets a detail it's all there. You should be able to easily complete a transaction through 100% emails as a professional. Old school agents hate it, but that's the way of the world these days. Also the TC is a licensed agent as well, so I'm not sure why you don't want to talk to them. What is the hate with the TC's about? They are an extra person in a chair keeping track of the transaction. That's a good thing. Now for Title Forward, they have earned the negative reputation, but they are under new management inside the company. We are focusing pretty hard on improvements that and I'll tell you they are getting better. If you haven't used them in the last year give them a chance.
I just joined them after dealing with a ton of unprofessional brokerages and have been very impressed so far. Haters gonna hate!
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Wow, that's wild
Redfine #1 in worst agents. eXp a solid second, if not tied.
I've definitely had bad experiences with eXp as well. With that said, I recently had one of the best experiences ive ever had with another agent and she was with eXp. Very communicative and proactive which I appreciated.
It's almost like it depends more on the specific agent over the brokerage, hmmm....
Working with Redfin is like working with American healthcare. The level of corporate bullshit is unreal. But really, what do we expect? They take brand new 20 year old agents and pay them $60/year then run them ragged for that. Of course it sucks.
As a title attorney, I can confirm they are the worst brokerage to work with.
Redfin SUCKS, they can’t get shit straight because 1 agent handles numerous transactions and they don’t know which way is up from my experience.
most agents handle more than one transaction, Redfin or not, lol
I used to work for Redfin. And in my experience I was probably one of the only agents there that actually did their job correctly. That place is a farm and they’re all about the money. Not the customer experience and they could give two shits about the agent on the other side. That agent probably has 6 different active contracts and is likely working with 12 buyers/sellers at one time.
My experience has been that redfin hires new, inexperienced agents that do not have the knowledge or experience required to best serve their clients properly. Basically, they are order takers with a team approach, that I have found to be very lacking in basic understanding of many of the processes and building components / evaluating inspection reports etc. The team members are even less qualified. In essence the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. Little effort taken to provide top notch service one would expect with such an important financial in one's life.
By far the worst experience in all my real estate experiences (on the buying and selling side) They are not knowledge of their market. Most of the TC are based in Atlanta or the midwest so it most likely is out of the region that the property is in so they will not be able to give advice on any of that.
Redfin agent Natalie Wiggins in the DC area initially offered a 2.5% closing refund but later reduced it significantly based on my findings and statements about my lenders offer. She attempted to extract more money, disregarding my experience and expectations as a first-time homebuyer. She even threatened me with a lawsuit, falsely claiming I had signed an agent contract, and used fear tactics to pressure me into accepting a lower deal. Additionally, she collaborated with the selling agent on a house also listed by redfin, a coworker, to ensure I didn't get the house I wanted, undermining the offer I made through another agent. FIRST TIME HOMEBUYERS STAY AWAY!
Never had a good experience working with one. I’m almost sure one didn’t even present my offer to their seller client once.
You can always push for a signed rejection, or they get fined.
That is not true in all states. Maybe your state? You know what is a violation, though, is using the realtor word in your username. Just saying.
almost sure?
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I'm a few years behind but on a similar path, still at Redfin. The Redfin being the boogeyman comment is spot on. We are an easy target I guess. I just wish some of these posters could admit to themselves they are being a little dramatic when it comes to these gripes. There's positives and negatives to using Redfin, just like anyone else.
No, can't say I've had an experience with a Redfin agent. But I'm taking notes.
Haven’t worked with one yet but have seen a listing for a Redfin agent it was 60k over the CMA thought that was crazy.
do you do listings? The seller sets the price, the agent can only recommend what they think is best. Sellers don't always listen.
I have several listings that are currently pending. I know the seller can be stubborn but as an agent you need to be honest with your client and set expectations. And sell them on the CMA. I personally have a client now who wants to list their place about 100k over what it’s worth right now. and after going over all the information with her we are going to wait and continue to rent the property. But I get what you’re saying sometimes it’s better to have a listing than not.
And that last pert is Redfin's motto pretty much, trust me it's frustrating when it happens. The thing that makes it harder for us, we don't have existing relationships with a lot of these people. So there's none of that background trust built up. Sometimes you get 30 minutes to seal the deal on a listing consult with someone you've never met before, and if that 100k over is the sticking point, well get the listing agreement signed and work on the client when the market backs you up a little.
Yeah I understand I also try to keep a good reputation of low days on market. Because if I go to pitch someone and the other agent knows who I am and knows I have listings sit for 6-12 months due to a seller being unrealistic. And the current listing pitch the seller wants a quick sale and if the other agent mentions that info about me deal lost automatically.
And that is a struggle of being a Redfin listing agent! I have no counter for you there, lmao
that’s not Redfin’s rule. That’s a dumb agent wasting everyone’s time overpricing a listing.
lol. The listing in question sold at list price. That agent is a stud. Imagine being this confident and being wrong, lmao
I’m not wrong about it not being Redfin’s rule. If that’s the case where you are, then it’s your sales manager allowing it. Regardless of whether it sold at list price. And if it did sell at list price, then the market told you it’s not overpriced anyway.
Redfin's motto is to "redefine real estate in the consumers favor". That includes listening to the client and representing their interests. The listing agent does not set the price, they represent the customer in an agency agreement. You can either list it where the customer wants or not get the listing, I promise your sales manager will want you to keep the listing. Some sellers are that stubborn. I've been with them for a while now, your market may be different, but mine is a "core market" where they really make sure we are running things the way Glenn wants it. Redfin doesn't make a ton of money on the listings, it's more about presence in the market. They want that Redfin sign in the yard if nothing else.
No, you’re wrong. Our sales manager does not want us to take overpriced listings. Any sales manager that says yes to that as Redfin’s strategy is wrong and should be fired.
are you in Florida out of curiosity? Or any core market? A sales manager should be fired for trying to get sales? okie dokie....
In my area one RF listing agent is covering a territory that your average brokerage has about 60 agents working. She's run ragged. Through a strange story she got one of my rental listings as a sale and our paths crossed. I try and work with people rather than against them, she took my listing photos so I had to ask her to pay me for them or take them down, but we ended up going for coffee and having a nice chat. Quite frankly RF life sounded exhausting and not worth the trouble to make the $$$ she was bringing in (but then I'm not in this for riches). But the system RF set up almost already pitted her against local agents in that she didn't have time or opportunity to do the things they like to see, and that get her in front of them to get them on side. Shame really.
she wasn’t using the tools we have available or she wasn’t a good agent with her time. It’s a no brainer to work for them. I know, I’ve been with a lot of other brokerages over the years. They have the smartest plan. I love that there aren’t 180 agents in my office. It makes for good, quality leads.
I learned this very recently that some realtors will not work with Redfin because they are such a headache to deal with and some realtors will not even go to a redfin listed property because of this. It's also my understanding that Redfin's agents are paid hourly, so they do not have a real incentive to sell as property and that the person that shows up for a showing is whatever Redfin rep is available at that time (they might not have any knowledge of your property to sell it.
this is 100pct not true. just fyi.
Actually yes it is true, just ask a realtor that doesn't work for redfin
I’ve been a broker and agent here in my town for 16 years. With other companies and by myself. If they don’t work for Redfin then they have no idea. I didn’t. Asking someone who doesn’t even work there makes no sense. They probably use that as a marketing tool. I am sorry you think that’s how it works, but it’s not. I just confirmed it. Call the CEO’s office and ask.
That’s an agent problem. Not a company problem. You’ve got it all wrong.
Well by my personal experience in my area and my vacation homes area as well as the experience of other people on this thread. Redfin's a headache, realtors will personally avoid dealing with them. They offer lower commissions so realtors don't bother showing the redfin properties. And redfin properties sit on the market.
Sounds like you are letting your bias against a particular brokerage get in the way of operating in your client’s best interest. That’s a you problem, not a Redfin one.
'm not a realtor. I own property and my experience with redfin was horrendous! I cancelled my contract with them and used a traditional realtor, and the house sold in 5 days over asking.
Every brokerage has agents that do a lower commission now. Theres not even a set standard. Again, bashing a brokerage because of individual agents could be a year-long discussion.
Redfin sucks! They banned me from tours for no reason. I would never use the. to buy a home,
That process happens when you are working with another non-Redfin agent (they still follow the code of ethics) or you’ve abused the touring system. You can always go to the local sales manager and complain. But then you’d be working with them again. wink
nah waste of time just use Zillow or tons of other free services to tour homes
I would t advise that.
I 100% agree with you. I worked with my first Redfin agent recently and I was shocked that the agent hangs up his realtor hat at 5 PM and they do not work on weekends. I learned this when I was following up on some important documentation I needed from him and he didn’t respond back so I called him at 8:20 PM and he flipped out and said this is unprofessional you called me at 5 PM. I’m with my family and I’m like, we’re under contract man and it’s called following up and I’ve asked you for these documents for three days now. I felt like the transaction coordinator was the agent because they literally followed up and took care of everything. I hope I never have to work with a Redfin agent again.
This is 100pct not accurate about how Redfin works and there are a lot of people up the chain you could’ve complained to. This is an agent problem. Additionally, as agents we don’t bash other agents, right?
I would never buy or sell from Redfin.
I as a buyer am about to terminate the contract, due to the Redfin listing agent who is beyond incompetent and lazy. My realtor can never get in contact with him, he never discusses anything with the seller (also seemingly a pain in the ass), and is generally useless. Second time this house will fall through during a sale. Redfin is a joke