As someone who is currently looking to buy a house in the crazy Bay Area, I can tell you exactly why Redfin doesn't quite work. The Redfin real estate agents t

As someone who is currently looking to buy a house in the crazy Bay Area, I can tell you exactly why Redfin doesn't quite work. The Redfin real estate agents themselves aren't as dedicated to the clients as a traditional real estate agent is. Sure, you can see places, they will give you advice, and place orders for you. But with a dedicated agent who is getting fully commission, you are getting a lot more soft services than you would with a Redfin agent. Case in point: I have a friend who was looking strictly through Redfin, and whenever he found a house he would like, he would talk with the Redfin agent, and they would get a bid together. He was getting nowhere, and what was more frustrating is that even though they had the Redfin agent, they still felt alone and frustrated. I suggested my real estate agent. She went to his house, talked to them about what they wanted, and then proactively started looking for houses for them, in addition to him scouring MLS at the same time. She would actually suggest different areas of the Bay Area, instead of just SF because it looks like $850k won't buy you a decent house in a decent area anymore. The other thing that is really helpful in today's market is that she encouraged my friend to submit multiple offers at the same time, ie. bidding on 2-3 different houses. This is something Redfin actively discouraged. It's a bit grey area, but in this market, you can't afford to pass up any opportunities since the probability of getting a house is so low. As well, she works for a large brokerage, so she is always trying to get the inside scoop on new houses that are about to hit the market. They still haven't gotten a house yet, but they are less frustrated by the process and they feel a lot better knowing that they are getting good guidance from someone who is dedicated to helping them getting a house. If you are a sophisticated real estate buyer, and all you need is an agent to do all the documentation for you, then Redfin will likely work for you. But most people aren't, and in a broken market like today in the Bay Area, Redfin will be less successful, because what you really need is someone that knows the tricks of the trade and will help you bend the rules a bit.