I'm interested in both successful sellers and buyers-- did you use Redfin in a successful transition? How was the experience, good and bad?

I have used Redfin in Boston, as a buyer.  My first experiences were a little bit frustrating, as are most things when you are new to them.  However, I stuck with Redfin and am very pleased with the experience so far.  The business model is so appealing, I was drawn to it like a fly to honey, and was reluctant to give up on it quickly.  I am very pleased with my experience thus far (not quite all the way done yet!).  The biggest wild card for Redfin in Boston is going to be the response of the listing agents.  That could be problematic - but sticking to open houses will alleviate those issues for buyers.  And, the biggest issue that local listing agents have with Refin is that they don't understand it.  If they are informed enough to realize that the Redfin process does not change their end result (or payout) in any way, they can see that it is in their best interest to be amenable to Redfin buyers!  However, any time you throw a monkey wrench into a process where people are VERY stuck in their ways, it's going to take some time to smooth the bumps in the road.  I do hope that everything continues on the up and up for Redfin in Boston - b/c it's expensive enough to live here, the least we deserve is a break on realtor fees!

da NY'er

My husband and I just completed the purchase of our first home using Redfin, and we were very pleased with the process - and the refund check we just received! Quite honestly, we weren't in the immediate market for a house, but we went to Open Houses to better understand what we might want in a home when the time came.  We had seen a cute place in the western 'burbs, and fell in love with it - but given our financial situation, knew that we'd have to wait a bit longer before being able to make an offer. After seeing the 60 Minutes piece on Redfin, we immediately went to the website and checked the service out... When we learned we could get a refund of nearly $7k after purchase, we decided we should give it a whirl! We contacted the listing agent, did a showing with her, and told her we'd be in touch. We made an offer via the Redfin on-line tool late that night... Alex Coon called us the next day and got the ball rolling. Only snag we encountered was that the listing agent assumed we were using her as our buyer's agent as well. Given that we'd never purchased a home, we were slightly un-informed about the seller's agent's role - and I would say there was some slight animosity on her part, but ultimately, we found the house without any help from her.  Otherwise, Alex was always readily available - quick to respond to emails/calls. When it came to negotiating some concessions on the property after inspection, Alex drafted a well argued case to the sellers on why they should make the improvements before the close. I think his note to them was critical to us getting nearly $12K in improvements to the home before we closed. I would recommend Redfin highly - particularly if you know an area, and know where you want to buy.

Have you bought in Quincy/Braintree yet?

 

Has anyone sold using Redfin in Boston?