why on earth use a realtor v. redfin?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
But yet you respond to the PP with immaturity and no good retort because there is none. He/She doesn't angry at all. Just knowledgable. People can sell or buy their own house, just like they can book their own vacation. Real estate agents are going the way of travel agents. Technology will always be quicker than a human. People want immediate gratification. Sure, some people may need them if they live far away or work 60hrs a week or are just clueless. But the fact of the matter is, they aren't a necessity.

At one point, agents were useful. Now, I can just log onto Redfin or Zillow and see the houses for sale without an agent. I can find everything I need to know online in seconds. I don't have to call an agent and ask him to get it for me.

It's only a matter of time before people start buying houses online much like plane tickets and cars. I can't wait for that day to come.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why use Redkin? Just use no realtor and hire a real estate attorney for closing.

How does a RE attorney market your house?

Um, I do the marketing. FSBO. You go buy some signs, put an add for an Open House in the paper and list it online with your pictures.

I have yet to use a realtor or Redkin to buy or purchase a home.

You have yet to "use a realtor or Redkin to buy or purchase a home." Hmmmmm . . . . English 101. Buying and purchasing is THE SAME THING.

Hmm. . . Redkin. Is that affiliated with Redfin your other preferred brokerage you are always pushing here? You should at least learn how to spell the name of the firm correctly. Maybe graduate from high school? Or Janney?

And you are always slamming agents? Saying they "only need high school diplomas?"

Go work for Redkin, genius.

Yes, I am sure you have traded many of your own properties yourself . . . YAWN.

You are a jackass. If the moderators do not see you for what you are, perhaps they have some stake in Redfin - oh wait . . Redkin.

Holy crap lady - you are truly strange. First off, I meant buying and selling. Second off, you said "is the same thing" Was it a typo like mine? I guess you aren't perfect. I honestly have no idea what you are talking about. I am married, 3 kids and we have 2 condo rentals and a single family home. All purchased without an agent. We sold our last house (a townhouse) and one condo without an agent. Many people do a FSBO. We purchased the house I am sitting in - by the previous owners. If you open up a paper, you see lots of them too.

I don't work for Redfin or talk about high school diplomas on this site. WTF?? I said not to use Redfin so why would I have a stake in them? This is my 3rd post on real estate only because I came here to ask about turning a screened in porch to a 3 season room and saw this thread and wanting to post about FSBO - not using ANYONE except a lawyer to do the 2hr closing meeting. But whatever freak - think what you want. Sounds like you are a washed-up agent getting annoyed that people can do this on their own without you.

Sounds like you have anger management issues and you are still lashing out 12 hours later. I feel sorry for you and your family.

Sounds to be me like you don't want to admit he/she is right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The realtors I have spoken to or tried to work with make me do all the work (researching distances from metro, schools, etc.) and only put the zip codes into MLS and send me daily listings.

If I am going to do all the work (my budget is nowhere near big enough to catch anyone's attention I guess) why wouldn't I just use Redfin?

Am I missing something here?

Depends what you want and need.

When we were selling our house, we went with a realtor - we wanted someone with a lot of contacts; plus our house needed a lot of staging and random other 'fix it' work to get it ready to sell - we had zero desire to find these people ourselves or spend time working with them/figuring out what was needed etc. As it was, we basically handed the keys over to the realtor who got in touch with cleaning/maintenance/repair/interior decorator people and took care of all of it, which was a lot of work and time that we did not have to spend (nor did we pay for most of it, it came out of his commission). It was worth it, for us.

Same with purchasing a new house - we had no time to either do legwork (realtor emailed us very directed list of houses as opposed to a general MLS listing for a zipcode or similar) or figure out the paperwork to put in a bid/close the deal - realtor was very helpful. Also, new house needed a bunch of miscellaneous work and, once again, realtor found repair people and dealt with them.

So for us, a realtor was worth it and, IMO, earned his commission. If we had more time or were buying/selling a house that needed no work done, then probably not. It all depends on your circumstances.

The realtor paying for various repairs isn't really adding value, it's more like giving you a rebate/discount. I agree the network of contacts and the realtor coordinating all the repairs for you has value though.

[Anonymous]

Hmmm hmm. That it is why there are all of the moronic posts here from "buyers and sellers."

No one knows what to do - they ask for free advice from realtors. A conundrum, don't you think?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmmm hmm. That it is why there are all of the moronic posts here from "buyers and sellers."

No one knows what to do - they ask for free advice from realtors. A conundrum, don't you think?

what free advice from realtors? they take an onerous 3% cut. charge fee for service like a real estate lawyer and we're all good.

when we bought i didn't trust realtor with contacts or references, we use a few full service agents but they really didn't have any insight on home inspection or neighborhoods but could fill out those contract forms like a champ.

as far as selling, i'm still waiting to here *one* novel idea from a realtor regarding how to market the property outside of MLS and open houses. And balloons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The realtors I have spoken to or tried to work with make me do all the work (researching distances from metro, schools, etc.) and only put the zip codes into MLS and send me daily listings.

If I am going to do all the work (my budget is nowhere near big enough to catch anyone's attention I guess) why wouldn't I just use Redfin?

Am I missing something here?

You are dealing with the wrong realtor. Some of the really experienced will listen to your criteria and send you a selected list of homes. Others, hoping you will like any house listed will send you everything in your price point in whatever zip codes you selected. I don't have time every day to go through an enormous list and prefer those who listen to me and do some work on their own. Negiotation is a lot more than smiling at each other. Networking with other realtors will not add too much value to my search so...I'd go with Redfin or other discounter.

[Anonymous]

We bought and sold with Redfin and saved 25k in the process that truly would have just been thrown away had we gone with a "full service" agent. On the house we sold we had 3 full-price offers within a week thanks to my own work getting it prepped and ready. For the house we bought, we beat out other offers thanks to guidance to help us be the most competitive. So, for us, we missed out on nothing by passing on a regular agent.

What is interesting is in between homes we are in a temporary rental. When we went under contract on the home we bought, we gave notice here and the property is now listed by the owners' "full service" agent, who has been quite flaky. The owners live out of state now, but this guy they depend on listed their home about 1.5 weeks after he said he would, and 2.5 weeks after we gave our notice. It then took him another week to even get the lock box on, so I've gone out of my way to be here for agents who have wanted to show the home and let them in. I completely did not have to do that but I'm a decent person and feel bad that the owners don't even realize what a flake they are paying all that extra cash to. He doesn't even know who is coming or follow up with them after. And then to top it off, they had an open house and he wasn't even the agent present. Please, tell me, what on earth makes this goon worth an extra 10k???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But yet you respond to the PP with immaturity and no good retort because there is none. He/She doesn't angry at all. Just knowledgable. People can sell or buy their own house, just like they can book their own vacation. Real estate agents are going the way of travel agents. Technology will always be quicker than a human. People want immediate gratification. Sure, some people may need them if they live far away or work 60hrs a week or are just clueless. But the fact of the matter is, they aren't a necessity.

At one point, agents were useful. Now, I can just log onto Redfin or Zillow and see the houses for sale without an agent. I can find everything I need to know online in seconds. I don't have to call an agent and ask him to get it for me.

It's only a matter of time before people start buying houses online much like plane tickets and cars. I can't wait for that day to come.

Really? You draw an equivalence between buying a house to a plane ticket or even a car?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We bought and sold with Redfin and saved 25k in the process that truly would have just been thrown away had we gone with a "full service" agent. On the house we sold we had 3 full-price offers within a week thanks to my own work getting it prepped and ready. For the house we bought, we beat out other offers thanks to guidance to help us be the most competitive. So, for us, we missed out on nothing by passing on a regular agent.

3 full price offers in a week when you sold and beat out other offers when you bought?

Sounds like this agent sold your house for too little and made sure you paid more than anyone else for the new house.

Anonymous wrote:What is interesting is in between homes we are in a temporary rental. When we went under contract on the home we bought, we gave notice here and the property is now listed by the owners' "full service" agent, who has been quite flaky. The owners live out of state now, but this guy they depend on listed their home about 1.5 weeks after he said he would, and 2.5 weeks after we gave our notice. It then took him another week to even get the lock box on, so I've gone out of my way to be here for agents who have wanted to show the home and let them in. I completely did not have to do that but I'm a decent person and feel bad that the owners don't even realize what a flake they are paying all that extra cash to. He doesn't even know who is coming or follow up with them after. And then to top it off, they had an open house and he wasn't even the agent present. Please, tell me, what on earth makes this goon worth an extra 10k???

There are good doctors and bad doctors, good lawyers and bad lawyers, good cashiers and bad cashiers, good realtors and bad realtors. Some people are not worth what they are paid. Some are.

I can tell you, however, that just as a good doctor, a good lawyer, and a good cashier wouldn't slum it out at a cut-rate shop, the good realtors would not be working at a cut-rate agency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But yet you respond to the PP with immaturity and no good retort because there is none. He/She doesn't angry at all. Just knowledgable. People can sell or buy their own house, just like they can book their own vacation. Real estate agents are going the way of travel agents. Technology will always be quicker than a human. People want immediate gratification. Sure, some people may need them if they live far away or work 60hrs a week or are just clueless. But the fact of the matter is, they aren't a necessity.

At one point, agents were useful. Now, I can just log onto Redfin or Zillow and see the houses for sale without an agent. I can find everything I need to know online in seconds. I don't have to call an agent and ask him to get it for me.

It's only a matter of time before people start buying houses online much like plane tickets and cars. I can't wait for that day to come.

Really? You draw an equivalence between buying a house to a plane ticket or even a car?

Not the PP but yes I do. Some people are informed. Others that aren't can give up their 3%

[Anonymous]

Okay, have at it and fend for yourself. Best of luck!

P.S. We will still be here long after Zillow, REDFIN, and you yourself trying to muddle your way through buying or selling.

[Anonymous]

Web MD. Allows me to diagnose myself. I put in the symptoms and web md uses the knowledge of the worlds greatest doctors to give me diagnosis .
Can't wait for web md to be able to order prescription for 5 bucks. Doctors days are numbered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But yet you respond to the PP with immaturity and no good retort because there is none. He/She doesn't angry at all. Just knowledgable. People can sell or buy their own house, just like they can book their own vacation. Real estate agents are going the way of travel agents. Technology will always be quicker than a human. People want immediate gratification. Sure, some people may need them if they live far away or work 60hrs a week or are just clueless. But the fact of the matter is, they aren't a necessity.

At one point, agents were useful. Now, I can just log onto Redfin or Zillow and see the houses for sale without an agent. I can find everything I need to know online in seconds. I don't have to call an agent and ask him to get it for me.

It's only a matter of time before people start buying houses online much like plane tickets and cars. I can't wait for that day to come.

Really? You draw an equivalence between buying a house to a plane ticket or even a car?

Not the PP but yes I do. Some people are informed. Others that aren't can give up their 3%

That's like saying "Yes, some are computer experts and can build a better computer out of parts for less, others that aren't will have to pay the retail premium."

It's also very questionable just how informed "some people" can be when it comes to home buying. Just as there are hacks and wanna-be experts who think they know how to build a PC because they can read Tom's Hardware and screw parts together, there are wanna-be experts to home buying who thinks they are as good or better than realtors. I'd wager that any one equates buying a home to the same level of complexity as that of a plane ticket or a car is solidly in the "wanna-be" group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But yet you respond to the PP with immaturity and no good retort because there is none. He/She doesn't angry at all. Just knowledgable. People can sell or buy their own house, just like they can book their own vacation. Real estate agents are going the way of travel agents. Technology will always be quicker than a human. People want immediate gratification. Sure, some people may need them if they live far away or work 60hrs a week or are just clueless. But the fact of the matter is, they aren't a necessity.

At one point, agents were useful. Now, I can just log onto Redfin or Zillow and see the houses for sale without an agent. I can find everything I need to know online in seconds. I don't have to call an agent and ask him to get it for me.

It's only a matter of time before people start buying houses online much like plane tickets and cars. I can't wait for that day to come.

Really? You draw an equivalence between buying a house to a plane ticket or even a car?

Not the PP but yes I do. Some people are informed. Others that aren't can give up their 3%

That's like saying "Yes, some are computer experts and can build a better computer out of parts for less, others that aren't will have to pay the retail premium."

It's also very questionable just how informed "some people" can be when it comes to home buying. Just as there are hacks and wanna-be experts who think they know how to build a PC because they can read Tom's Hardware and screw parts together, there are wanna-be experts to home buying who thinks they are as good or better than realtors. I'd wager that any one equates buying a home to the same level of complexity as that of a plane ticket or a car is solidly in the "wanna-be" group.

NP here but I think the value proposition has to be compared to the premium you're paying (say, for example, the 2% foregone rebate which is $14K on say a $700K house). So, it's not really a question of whether you the realtor is better (more responsive, does more of the research on pricing/comps, etc.) than a discount broker but whether you're adding more than $14K of value to the transaction because that's what someone is giving up by using your services. Unless realtors and customers address the issue in that context it's not really a productive discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Web MD. Allows me to diagnose myself. I put in the symptoms and web md uses the knowledge of the worlds greatest doctors to give me diagnosis .
Can't wait for web md to be able to order prescription for 5 bucks. Doctors days are numbered.

Hah I think this is tongue in cheek but two things:

1) planet money was talking about this very thing, Watson type computers replacing doctors in next decades.

2) I *love* how realtors love to compare themselves to highly trained, licensed professionals like doctors, lawyers, and i guess now computer engineers. If you believe that, you deserve to be replaced by a website.