Buying my first house and could use some guidance. Is it worth it to get a realtor? Or better to just do it on my own via Redfin? I am leaning towards the latter but as someone with little experience, I’m wondering if I would be better off with a realtor.

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

As a buyer I’d absolutely go with a non-Redfin realtor. Nothing to lose as the seller pays the commission. Typically Redfin will pass you from agent to agent for each step of the transaction (offer, inspections, appraisal, closing, etc). They may not have the same knowledge or experience as an agent that does a high volume in your area, has good relationships with lenders in case you need a new lender or to get the transaction done. Many realtors (especially if they’re a friend or friend of a friend) will end up covering repairs or other things out of their commission that end up being as good of a deal or better than having a Redfin agent return some of the commission.

like

This; use a broker especially if you’re new to buying

Have used both, I’d say depends on your market and type of house you are going after, Redfin is great, handles all the paper work and the whole process was very smooth for us. But it lacks that relationships and inside info experienced agents have with selling agents when you are competing with multiples buyers.

like

You don’t pay realtor when you’re buying so use one? Only the seller pays

smart

Redfin gives you 1.5% back I believe

If you're buying or selling in a niche market (second home, waterfront etc.) don't use Redfin - those types of more complex transactions aren't their bread and butter. Having a relationship with a luxury broker (Berkshire Hathaway, Sothebys) will give you an inside track and a competitive advantage in many cases

like

Redfin is also just another realtor broker...
Not sure I see the difference.
Find a good realtor and ask for a rebate

Related Posts

I moved from my “homegrown” consulting firm to another, smaller firm- thinking they had better technology capabilities and I would get to do better work. The worklife balance is better as is the tech but for many other reasons its been a complete disaster and I hate it. I want to move into my industries tech field, and I am getting a few bites but it has been less than a year at my new job and i feel so nervous about making another “bad” move and feeling suck.

like

Any book recommendations for GC of a startup?

like
like

Anyone here made the move from technology risk (it audit) to technology in m&a in the big 4?

likefunny

I have worked in house for an insurer for 20 years plus. New to this group but excited to see dialogue and networking opportunities.

like

Hi all 👋 Looking for some advice. I’m in the latter stages of building my sustainable fashion platform and need investment to get it over the line and complete the product. This investment would be for development and the first batch of paid ads. Would any of the fishbowl community be able to connect me relevant sources/ links/ people?

like

Has anyone ever done a postnuptial agreement? At the time of marriage, my spouse and I were relatively equal in terms of finances. I recently came into a large inheritance, and have also had more rapid career success. I’m not trying to be cynical, just trying to be smart. Nobody thinks they will get divorced. This would make me feel much more comfortable. Any guidance?

like

Should I send an external email at 2am or send it the next day?

like

Sloan or CBS?

like

Excuses you've used when you've run late for meetings or work engagements?

like

Lately I’ve been seriously considering making the transition to product marketing. Current PMMs please weigh in — on average, how many hours do you actively work in a day?

like

COVID halted living out of suite case and allowed dinner at home with family. Discovering what my life should have been. With rapid vaccination, I cringe at the thought of meaningless nights on the road again. Since I am older (and wiser, hopefully), see how things unfold and probably make a different choice (than did as a younger person).

like

Any advice on how to control “morning sickness” while working, especially when I will be working in the office.

like

Have you ever noticed when you’re swiping on Tinder that the last profile you swipe right on before you need to pay is the hottest. Coincidence? I think not.

like

What are some of the best workflow tools you use internally to manage campaigns? Why? Do your clients use them as well?

like
like

Is Deloitte Canada bowl still working? Transferred phones and don't seem to be able to find it anymore.

like

Tips on being a ‘top performer’ in FDD?

like

Current IBD Analysts/Associates/maybe VPs- when you have a networking chat with an undergrad, do you typically have a hit list of topics to discuss? I have a general list, but want to hear everyone’s

like

We have a friend for the weekend! The chunker in the front is working hard to get to a healthy weight! My dog (in the back) is unsure how he feels about this new visitor 😁 Happy (almost) weekend, everyone!

Post Photo
likefunny

Additional Posts in The Real Estate Bowl

Anyone work in real estate or familiar with the Realogy rebrand to Anywhere? Curious about opinions.

like

Hi, need some advice because very new investor when it comes to owning personally versus LLC. Currently own my home and planning to purchase two lots of land sooner rather than later. With three real estate assets under my arm, getting a little worried about having them all under my personal name. Should i create an LLC and purchase the lots under that name? Should i transfer my first home?

like

600k cash, 250k/ yr TC, would you pay off a one bed condo and be mortgage free? Or mortgage additional 300k to get a 2 bedrooms?

like

First time home buyer here…my wife and I make a combined income of $282,000. Her current townhouse payment is $1900 a month. How much can we realistically afford for a new house? (~550K)

like

What are recommended steps to take when you are about to put your house for rent ? Anything I should look into or do to make sure the process is smooth ?

like

In NYC, saw several properties structured as condops. It has more lenient rules about subletting than co-ops and no board approval when transacting. Granted it’s building by building, but would someone recommend condop over co-op in general? Do they appreciate the same as condos?

like

Making an offer. The sellers said they had 30+ people walk through the open house today, and are asking for best and final. They’ll make a decision on Monday. The list price is 775k. We were originally thinking of offering 700 to start since comps are around 735k. However, this is nicer than the comps renovation-wise. What would you all suggest we offer? We’d rather lose the house than overpay, so this concerns us.

like

Seeking advisement on HELOC…..
Currently married with one child. Own two condos in the state of Hawaii. We moved in with my in laws to get some help with our 2 yr old during Covid. I owe about $150k (market value $530k) on property one and owe $490k (market value $790k) on property two. My wife and I both work and have a combined gross income of $370k/yr. With about $120k in liquid cash, should we try pay off prop one and get a heloc for a SFH?

like

Anyone cash flow positive on an investment condo in Brookline/Brighton?

like

Look! House prices are coming down in the Toronto area! Owning a decent home seems almost attainable now 😭

Post Photo
like

My offer just got accepted for a home in Austin but feeling very uneasy about it. Lots of work required and the housing market is unstable. Thoughts from anyone else?

like

Landlords of fishbowl, how do you protect yourselves from bad tenants? I want to eventually be a landlord but my S/O's family had a couple bad experiences and she doesn't want to deal with the headaches

like

Moved into first home and planning to flip in couple of years. Does not want to spend much on blinds.From where I should get the cheapest blinds?

like

I work in London. For a while I have been considering buying an apartment in the city. However with working from home I thought going out of London will give me better value for money. Does anyone have recommendations for good areas, with quick access to London, and young people around.

like

Lincoln Property Company. How much would a leasing agent make/year in New Jersey? Any connections that can help me secure a job there?

like

Anyone have experience or perspective on whether or not real estate investments are a good hedge vs inflation?

like

Has anyone gone through process to buy in Hawaii and use for vacation home / Airbnb? How was the experience? Does it make financial sense? Any lessens learned?

like

Anyone in the DMV area and interested in joining a young RE investors club?

like

We own a rental property that has appreciated quite a bit and have the opportunity to do a 30-yr cash out refi at 75% LTV that would leave us with about $200,000 at the end of the deal. Rent currently wouldn’t cover the costs and we’d need to deploy the cash and earn about $750/mo to break even. We’d ideally like to use the money to invest in other property and syndicates. Seem like a good idea? Not sure if we are over leveraging ourselves and it’s worth the risk.

like

We moved into a 25 year old home recently and inspection was clean. There’s one room downstairs with built in cabinets that we ripped out and patched / repainted, however the non-uniform drywall texture was very obvious so we called drywall repair out to retexture (orange peel look). They spent a day sanding down and retexturing and it looked great, waited 2 days per their instruction and primed / repainted…

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Send download link to your phone

OR

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Messaging rates may apply

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal