5 ms·

Aside from being crushed right now, Redfin has one of the better real estate listing browsing experiences IMHO.

rhizome 9y ago
Though, like many things, it used to be better. Over the years they have made obviously manipulative design choices that I can't imagine have anything to do with facilitating purchases, and what I assume were/are driven by their relationships with MLSes and the real estate profession in general. But I agree with your implication that Zillow et al are worse.
- johnbrodie 9y ago
  Any examples?
- slg 9y ago
  Do you have any examples? I used Redfin years ago and was very satisfied with it. I am curious what changed.
  - rhizome 9y ago
    I usually use the map view with the sidebar list, and the picture gallery there has shrunk, the map has also been shrunk. On a property's view page, the map was moved way down the page. They also monkey around with the listing/sales history. Lots of little things that accumulate in one's mind over the years.
  - Rebelgecko 9y ago
    For some places, they say it's illegal to show you pictures unless you sign up for an account. The message is vague enough that it sounds a little BS-y to me- it just refers to "local rules" and not "$specific_area rules". If they're going to claim that it's not their fault content is hidden behind a login, I wish they would give more details.
- gpawl 9y ago
  Are you referring to the legal compliance practices, like requiring logins to see some listing details?
  - rhizome 9y ago
    I'm not aware of any legal obligation beyond agreements with the MLSes.
nedwin 9y ago
Great listing experience + great buying experience.
- thebigspacefuck 9y ago
  What are the best features specific to redfin? As a first time home buyer, I had a mostly painless buying process. I got an agent, looked up properties on a website specific to my state, called my agent, he set up a time to show. When I decided to buy, the agent set up a few choices for the mortgages, I got cleared with one of them, did the inspection, appraisal, and we proceeded with closing. Where does redfin fit in, in that process, that makes the experience better?
  - bdamm 9y ago
    The buyer feels more in control with Redfin, since the buyer is using best of breed tooling to select the target house. It's hard to say if the ultimate result is any better for the buyer, but certainly many buyers want to feel in control and view broker fees as a regrettable overhead.
  - Chathamization 9y ago
    A few things: - You get a fairly substantial rebate if you use Redfin. - You're not locked into a contract. Most agents will make you sign an exclusive contract with them, and if you end up not liking their work you're in a messy situation. - Since Redfin agents are paid for their work and not commission, they're not just trying to get you to buy the most expensive property or pressuring you to buy ASAP so they can collect their money. - Since you're not under contract with them (other than for the houses they show you), they won't be upset if you decided to pop into an open house. The first reason is true not matter what agent you choose. The other three points might not come up if you get a good agent, but it's hard to get a good agent, and these are all pretty common problems. If you know someone who you're certain is a good agent, then it might be worth going with them (even considering the financial hit from the first point). If you don't, Redfin would probably be a better bet.
raisedbyninjas 9y ago
They also have a good market data tool at https://www.redfin.com/blog/data-center https://www.redfin.com/blog/data-center Trulia used to have a similar market trends page, but it is really limited now.

Though, like many things, it used to be better. Over the years they have made obviously manipulative design choices that I can't imagine have anything to do with facilitating purchases, and what I assume were/are driven by their relationships with MLSes and the real estate profession in general. But I agree with your implication that Zillow et al are worse.

johnbrodie 9y ago
Any examples?
slg 9y ago
Do you have any examples? I used Redfin years ago and was very satisfied with it. I am curious what changed.
- rhizome 9y ago
  I usually use the map view with the sidebar list, and the picture gallery there has shrunk, the map has also been shrunk. On a property's view page, the map was moved way down the page. They also monkey around with the listing/sales history. Lots of little things that accumulate in one's mind over the years.
- Rebelgecko 9y ago
  For some places, they say it's illegal to show you pictures unless you sign up for an account. The message is vague enough that it sounds a little BS-y to me- it just refers to "local rules" and not "$specific_area rules". If they're going to claim that it's not their fault content is hidden behind a login, I wish they would give more details.
gpawl 9y ago
Are you referring to the legal compliance practices, like requiring logins to see some listing details?
- rhizome 9y ago
  I'm not aware of any legal obligation beyond agreements with the MLSes.

nedwin 9y ago

Great listing experience + great buying experience.

thebigspacefuck 9y ago
What are the best features specific to redfin? As a first time home buyer, I had a mostly painless buying process. I got an agent, looked up properties on a website specific to my state, called my agent, he set up a time to show. When I decided to buy, the agent set up a few choices for the mortgages, I got cleared with one of them, did the inspection, appraisal, and we proceeded with closing. Where does redfin fit in, in that process, that makes the experience better?
- bdamm 9y ago
  The buyer feels more in control with Redfin, since the buyer is using best of breed tooling to select the target house. It's hard to say if the ultimate result is any better for the buyer, but certainly many buyers want to feel in control and view broker fees as a regrettable overhead.
- Chathamization 9y ago
  A few things: - You get a fairly substantial rebate if you use Redfin. - You're not locked into a contract. Most agents will make you sign an exclusive contract with them, and if you end up not liking their work you're in a messy situation. - Since Redfin agents are paid for their work and not commission, they're not just trying to get you to buy the most expensive property or pressuring you to buy ASAP so they can collect their money. - Since you're not under contract with them (other than for the houses they show you), they won't be upset if you decided to pop into an open house. The first reason is true not matter what agent you choose. The other three points might not come up if you get a good agent, but it's hard to get a good agent, and these are all pretty common problems. If you know someone who you're certain is a good agent, then it might be worth going with them (even considering the financial hit from the first point). If you don't, Redfin would probably be a better bet.

raisedbyninjas 9y ago

They also have a good market data tool at https://www.redfin.com/blog/data-center https://www.redfin.com/blog/data-center Trulia used to have a similar market trends page, but it is really limited now.