Tag Archives: Canada

Zillow Now Has More Than 100 Canadian Listing Partners

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Zillow announces additional agreements with brokerages and franchisors in Canada

Seattle, WA – March 29, 2019 (PRNewswire) Zillow®, the leading real estate and rental marketplace in the U.S., shared today that more than 100 brokerages and franchisors have signed agreements to display listings on Zillow.com and Zillow’s mobile app. Brokerages that have recently signed on include Royal Le Page Urban, Royal Le Page Innovate, MaxWell Realty and Plintz Real Estate.

“Zillow is continuing its growth in Canada alongside so many outstanding brokerages and franchisors,” said Errol Samuelson, Zillow Group Chief Industry Development Officer. “The increased exposure of Canadian listings to millions of home shoppers is proving to be a win for both consumers and the broader industry.”

Canadian listings on Zillow get exposure to millions of global home shoppers, including more than half a million unique Canadian users per month.

“We are very excited to be amongst the early adopters to jump on board with Zillow in Canada,” said Anna Michaelidis, CEO and Broker of Record, Royal LePage Urban of East York, Ontario. “We look forward to the added exposure for our agents and view Zillow as a powerful tool that will both elevate and expand the presence of our agents in the marketplace. Welcome to Canada, Zillow!”

“At MaxWell Realty we have always strived to combine real estate technology with a personal touch to create an informed consumer,” said Bill Tarrabain, President, MaxWell Realty of Edmonton, Alberta. “With that in mind, a partnership with Zillow seemed very natural. We’re thrilled to be on the forefront of what is proving to be a very exciting time in real estate, for buyers and sellers across Canada.”

“Zillow has done an excellent job attracting home buyers and sellers to its platform,” said Shami Sandhu, President and Regional Director, Realty One Group of Western Canada. “The success Zillow has with consumers makes it a great resource for real estate professionals who want their listings to have the greatest exposure to home shoppers and also provides an additional source of leads.” 

“When the stakes are as high as with real estate, consumer access to information is tremendously important,” said Dennis Plintz, Broker and Owner, Plintz Real Estate of Calgary, Alberta. “Zillow not only provides a platform that gives consumers greater access to information, but also provides opportunity for industry professionals to reach a broader audience.”

“At Royal LePage Innovate, our mission statement is “Clients First!” We want our clients’ properties to get as much exposure as possible and Zillow does an amazing job doing this,” said Paul Seib, Broker and Owner, Royal LePage Innovate of Airdrie and Calgary, Alberta. “The real estate industry is always changing and we are excited to be one of the first Canadian companies to be working with Zillow.”

All brokers and franchisors signed on will have listings displayed  on Zillow’s mobile app and website, which will include a description and photos of the property, and prominently feature the listing agent – with contact information – as well as a link to the brokerage or franchise website. Posting listings on Zillow is free for listing agents and brokers, and leads to listing agents are also free. 

About Zillow 
Zillow is the leading real estate and rental marketplace dedicated to empowering consumers with data, inspiration and knowledge around the place they call home, and connecting them with great real estate professionals. Zillow serves the full lifecycle of owning and living in a home: buying, selling, renting, financing, remodeling and more. Zillow Offers provides homeowners in some metropolitan areas with the opportunity to receive offers to purchase their home from Zillow. When Zillow buys a home, it will make necessary updates and list the home for resale on the open market.

In addition to Zillow.com, Zillow operates the most popular suite of mobile real estate apps, with more than two dozen apps across all major platforms. Launched in 2006, Zillow is owned and operated by Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) and headquartered in Seattle.

Redfin Will Launch Real Estate Brokerage and Search Site in Canada in Early 2019

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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.

Redfin Logo

“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.”