The translation? “Not using a broker is like not using protection” 🙂
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This Foreign Real Estate Ad Really Makes a Point To Cover Everything! ;)
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Redfin Will Launch Real Estate Brokerage and Search Site in Canada in Early 2019
Buyers and sellers in Toronto and Vancouver will soon be able to work with Redfin agents
Toronto, Canada – Jan. 14, 2019 (PRNewswire) (NASDAQ: RDFN) Redfin (www.redfin.ca), the next-generation real estate brokerage, plans to launch a national Canadian real estate search site and brokerage service in Toronto and Vancouver by March, with plans to expand to other provinces in the future.
“Our goal is to make buying and selling Canadian homes more affordable, with Redfin agents who always put customers first,” said Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman. “We believe Canadians will love our local full-service agents, low fees and on-demand home showings. Our website and mobile apps will show all the homes for sale via the local Multiple Listing Services used by brokerages. And Redfin will show sale prices for Toronto and Vancouver homes that for years had been unavailable to consumers.”
As a technology-powered real estate brokerage, Redfin can provide full service and charge less because it attracts most customers through its site and has built software to automate tasks and paperwork, making the entire process more efficient. Once someone chooses to work with a Redfin agent, the service is tailored to each client’s needs with Redfin agents guiding clients through the entire home-buying and selling process. Redfin’s local, full-service agents are employees, not independent contractors, and their bonuses are based in part on customer-satisfaction.
For home sellers, Redfin will charge a 1 percent listing fee. Redfin agents provide a complete home-selling service, including pricing and staging advice, free professional photography, a 3D walkthrough of the home, open houses, yard signs and beautifully designed marketing materials. Redfin listings will receive premier placement on Redfin.ca and will be displayed on Realtor.ca and other Canadian real estate websites via the Multiple Listing Services.
By working with a local Redfin agent, a seller in Toronto will save $11,250 on a $750,000 home sale when compared to paying a listing commission of 2.5 percent. The one-percent listing fee does not include a buyer’s agent commission, which is typically paid by the seller.
Homebuyers who work with Redfin also save because the company refunds part of its commission to the buyers it represents. Redfin technology helps buyers act fast with instant alerts that let them know when homes hit the market or drop in price. With Redfin’s Book It Now feature, homebuyers can set up property showings with a few taps on a smartphone.
Blair Anderson, a Toronto native with more than a decade of experience in real estate, will lead Redfin’s operations in the greater Toronto area.
“I was attracted to Redfin’s mission to redefine real estate in the consumer’s favor and have experienced firsthand that it isn’t just a nice sound bite, it’s truly a mindset that is woven into the fabric of who we are as a company,” said Anderson. “I’m proud to introduce Redfin to Canada. Canadian consumers are discerning and tech-savvy and I believe they will be blown away by Redfin’s unmatched combination of agent service, technology and value. Not only will we provide full real estate services for a lower fee, the Redfin model rewards customer service, so our agents are accountable to deliver the best outcome for their clients.”
Redfin customers, whether they buy a home or not, are asked to review the service they received from their Redfin agent. The reviews are published on the agent’s online profile and agent bonuses are based in part on these reviews.
By posting agent reviews and agents’ insights on client offers they’ve written and homes they’ve toured, Redfin aims to empower consumers to make more informed homebuying and selling decisions. Redfin supported making Canadian home sale data more accessible to the public in testimony to the Canadian Competition Tribunal in 2015. Appeals for that case concluded in August 2018, with a Canadian court ruling that real estate sales data can be shared online, paving the way for Redfin to provide this valuable information to Canadian consumers.
For more information and to sign up to be alerted when Redfin launches in Canada, visit www.redfin.ca.
About Redfin Canada
Redfin (www.redfin.ca) is a technology-powered, residential real estate brokerage with a mission to redefine real estate in the consumer’s favor. Redfin will launch brokerage services in Toronto and Vancouver in early 2019, joining more than 85 markets throughout the United States where Redfin already serves homebuyers and sellers. In its first non-US expansion, Redfin will launch mobile apps and a Canadian version of its industry-leading website, allowing consumers to search for homes for sale across most of Canada. In a commission-driven industry, Redfin’s local, full-service agents put the customer first. By pairing Redfin agents with technology, Redfin offers a service that is faster, better, and costs less. Redfin is headquartered in Seattle and Redfin stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “RDFN.”
Master Today’s Fast-Paced Market – Start by Getting a Handle on Finances and Housing Needs, Urge RE/MAX Brokers
Chicago, IL – July 12, 2018 (PRNewswire) In the 2018 housing market, especially in more affordable precincts, strong demand and a shortage of homes for sale often result in multiple buyers competing for the same property.
“Chicago-area homes are selling as quickly as they were in 2005 at the height of the housing boom,” said Jeff LaGrange, Vice President of the RE/MAX Northern Illinois Region. “Average market time for homes sold in June this year was 62 days, the lowest average for any month since we began tracking this data in 2005.”
In a market where homes regularly go under contract in a week or less, RE/MAX brokers emphasize that buyers must be prepared to act. That means addressing basic questions that don’t always have easy answers.
- How much can you afford? Working with a trusted lender who offers a wide range of mortgage products is the best place to start, advises Kathie Anderson of RE/MAX Suburban, Libertyville, Ill. However, she advises buyers to focus more on what they’ll be comfortable paying monthly for housing rather than the maximum amount they can borrow.”I ask buyers whether they are buying for a few years or it’s their forever home. If it’s the latter, then maybe it makes sense to stretch a bit on price. If not, maybe it’s wiser to keep payments at a level where they can save some money every month,” Anderson advised.
- Where do you want to live? Especially in a larger metro area, the potential choices of location are many, so it pays to narrow them down. Julie Carr of RE/MAX Action, Lisle, Ill., said she starts by asking buyers what they want their new home to be near.”They may want to be in a specific school district or want access to public transit or a home near family members or even convenient access to an airport,” she said. Several brokers noted that it makes sense to limit an initial home search to just a few areas, and then broaden it out if necessary.
- What specific type of home do you hope to buy? Often the price they can afford to pay and the location they desire will largely define whether they can buy a single-family home or a townhouse, a two-bedroom condominium or a studio, but even then, there are choices to be made.For example, city condos can present buyers with a huge range of options, explained Michael Gerhardt of RE/MAX Edge, Chicago. There are high-rise units in amenity-rich buildings, hard lofts and soft lofts, vintage condos in three-story apartment buildings and new construction condos in three-unit and six-unit buildings, to name just some of the possibilities.”I want a buyer to understand how each of those choices might differ,” Gerhardt said. “In a vintage building, for example, the floors between units are typically wood and lack sound insulation, so you are more likely to hear your neighbors than in a high-rise with concrete floors.”
- Which features does the home absolutely need to have? Most buyers have an idea of what they want but haven’t pinned it down, according to Julie Wenzel of RE/MAX Town Lake and Country, Lake Carroll, Ill. “Buyers frequently start their home search with a big list of what they want, but they’ll refine and whittle that list down as they look. They might start with 14 things on their list, but eventually they will identify maybe five or six as their absolute ‘must have’ features,” Wenzel said.
- How much work are you willing to do? Attractive deals are possible on homes that aren’t in great condition, noted Gerhardt, but many buyers realize they lack either the skills or free time needed to fix things up, which is why many choose turnkey properties where all they need do is unpack.
- What is the current market environment? Depending on the type of home they are seeking and its price range, buyers may find they have lots of competition from others or very little. It’s important they understand that, explained Suzanne Stempinski of RE/MAX 2000, Crete, Ill.”Right now, the best houses sell very quickly, so when buyers find an appealing home, they must be ready to pull the trigger,” she said. “What often keeps buyers from doing that is the sense they’re being rushed. I practically apologize for holding their feet to the fire, but I know that’s what’s needed. Still, that’s not a good feeling for any buyer. I tell them that the right house doesn’t always have everything they want, but it just feels right, like putting on a favorite pair of shoes.”
Contact:
James Nathan
jim@jdnathanpr.com
(773) 588-0777