Compare SimpleShowing and Redfin
For Sellers
For Sellers
For Buyers
For Buyers
For Buyers
Answer: SimpleShowing is a full-service real estate agent that offers savings to homebuyers and home sellers while Redfin is a full-service real estate agent and a referral fee network
Buying and Selling with SimpleShowing
SimpleShowing is a multi-state savings broker, offers consumers listing savings and buyer’s refunds in select areas across Florida, Georgia, Alabama.
SimpleShowing Pricing
SimpleShowing offers listing savings to sellers ($5,000 flat listing fee) and commission refunds to buyers (50% of the Buyer's Agent Commission). After the first five showings, the buyer’s refund will decrease 5% for each set of five showings requested. Buyer’s refund is subject to a minimum net commission of $3,500.
Listing Services
- MLS Listing
- Zillow, Trulia, etc. Listing
- Accept and Deliver All Offers and Counteroffers
- Hold Open Houses
- Professional Photography
- Professional Floor Plans
- Yard Signage Installation
- Spare Key Lock-box Installation
- Schedule Inspection Services
- Schedule Private Showings
- Closing Duties
Buyer's Agent Services
- Find the Property
- Accept and Deliver All Offers and Counteroffers
- Recommend Other Professionals
- Attend Inspection Services
- Schedule Private Showings
- Negotiate Needed Repairs
- Closing Duties
SimpleShowing Editor's Review:
SimpleShowing is a consumer-focused flat fee real estate broker. As a listing agent, SimpleShowing works with a seller to prepare homes for listing, including taking professional photos, pricing homes, and publishing marketing materials.
SimpleShowing lists all homes on the local MLS as well as typical MLS Aggregators. SimpleShowing maintains a well-designed online platform that allows sellers to communicate with all parties involved in a sale.
As a buyer’s agent, SimpleShowing works with buyers to find a home, schedule inspections, negotiate repairs and finalize the purchase.
SimpleShowing further offers unrepresented buyers to make direct offers to sellers. When a self-represented buyer approach SimpleShowing about seller’s listing, SimpleShowing waives the 2.5%-3% Buyer’s Agent Commission in favor of the seller.
SimpleShowing Direct option allows parties to save a significant amount in buy-side commissions, but also requires the buyer to accept the potential downside of dual representation.
Theoretically, a buyer can make an offer that is 2.5%-3% less than a competing offer from an agent-represented buyer, however, the buyer also loses all benefits of individual representation and forfeits an option to get a buyer’s refund from their agent.
Company extensively uses the current technology to help book showings with better coordination. SimpleShowing offers overall great value to consumers looking to buy or sell a home.
Where does SimpleShowing operate?
Buying and Selling with Redfin
WARNING: Unlawful Kickbacks, Broker-to-Broker Collusion, False Marketing, Wire Fraud, Price Fixing.
Redfin) is a broker-to-broker collusion scheme, where "partner agents" unlawfully agree to pay massive kickbacks to receive your information and engage in market allocation, consumer allocation, false advertising, unlawful kickbacks, wire fraud, and price-fixing practices in violation of, inter alia, 18 U.S.C. § 1346, 18 U.S.C. § 1343, 15 U.S.C. § 1, 15 U.S.C. § 45, 12 U.S.C. § 2607, 12 C.F.R. § 1024.14. As a consumer, you will always significantly overpay for Realtor commissions subject to hidden kickbacks and pay-to-play steering promoted in this scheme.
United States federal antitrust laws prohibit consumer allocation and blanket referral agreements between real estate companies.
Be smart; do not allow your information to be "sold as a lead" to a double-dealing Realtor in exchange for massive commission kickbacks paid from your future home sale, or your future home purchase.
A multi-state broker, a full-service company rebates buyer's part of the commission it receives, where allowed, and provides listing savings to sellers. In some cases, this company acts as an Internet referral fee network where it is unable to provide real estate services.
Redfin Pricing
Redfin offers listing savings to sellers (1% to 1.5% listing fee) and commission refunds to buyers where allowed by State law (21% rebate approximate.). Redfin works with about 3,100 Partner Agents in regions where it has no direct representation in exchange for a 30% referral fees.
Listing Services
- MLS Listing
- Zillow, Trulia, etc. Listing
- Accept and Deliver All Offers and Counteroffers
- Hold Open Houses
- Professional Photography
- Professional Floor Plans
- Yard Signage Installation
- Spare Key Lock-box Installation
- Schedule Inspection Services
- Schedule Private Showings
- Closing Duties
- Home Cleaning (Optional)
- Home Painting (Optional)
- Home Staging (Optional)
- Landscaping (Optional)
Buyer's Agent Services
- Find the Property
- Accept and Deliver All Offers and Counteroffers
- Recommend Other Professionals
- Attend Inspection Services
- Schedule Private Showings
- Negotiate Needed Repairs
- Closing Duties
Redfin Editor's Review:
Redfin is one of the largest real estate agents in the United States that offers service of a traditional agent with a competitive commission. It is important to separate Redfin services into three distinct categories: a real estate agent, a referral network and a direct cash buyer.
This review is focused on its operations as a real estate agent and a referral network. RedfinNow is further segregated into its own category because it operates as an investor and not a professional agent service model built to represent consumers.
Redfin went public in 2017 with an IPO that has raised $138 million and have thus saved consumers millions in commissions over typical rates offered by traditional real estate brokers. However, Redfin’s operations as a referral network result in an inefficiency known as reverse competition and possible price fixing. Such practice may result in lower quality of service and higher commissions due to added fees.
Agent Listings
Redfin Agents are salaried employees who are also paid bonuses based on client feedback and are not motivated by commissions. Redfin Agent Listing includes posting home on the MLS and MLS Aggregator services, professional photos, 3D tour and all typical services offered by a traditional real estate agent.
Redfin gives sellers access to a well-designed dashboard to track buyers viewing your home and other communication features.
Where Redfin cannot directly serve consumers, the company relies on a referral network of approximately 3,100 independent agents at other brokerages. Approximately 40% of all real estate transactions originated by Redfin are executed by this referral network.
Referral agents pay 30% of their commission back to Redfin when they close a transaction. Once Redfin refers a customer to a Partner Agent, that agent, not Redfin, represents the customer from the initial meeting through closing. In the past, Redfin had actively dictated that Partner Agent commission listing rates are set at 1.5%, or that Partner Agents issue rebates set at 15% to buyers (15% went to Redfin as a kickback.) Redfin has since revised this policy because it violates antitrust law.
In the United States, all independent brokerage fees are always negotiable and each real estate agent establishes its own policy for a fee structure, amount of commissions, and the sharing of any listing commissions.
Price fixing is prohibited by antitrust legislation. To fix, control, recommend, suggest or maintain commission rates or fees for other agents' services is an improper practice. Redfin Corporation has recently stopped such blatant price fixing strategy, where a statement on the company’s website now reads: "Since Partner Agents aren't employed by Redfin, we can't guarantee our 1%–1.5% listing fee or offer a Redfin Refund for customers who work with a Partner Agent." This statement means not only that Redfin "can't guarantee" these savings, but also that consumers shouldn't expect to receive savings from a Partner Agent.
Redfin still heavily engages in market-allocation and consumer brokering practices in their efforts to earn referral fees, instead of actually providing representation services. In 2019 Redfin has made a massive move by allowing with RE/MAX brokerage to participate as Partner Agents, where consumers are "sold as leads" to RE/MAX brokers for 25% cut of their commission.
Consumers a highly likely to overpay for listing commissions and receive little or no refund using Redfin Partner Program, when buying or selling a home, because the added 30% referral fee makes it impossible for Partner Agents to negotiate a fair market rate.
By utilizing Partner Agents, consumers are not just getting nothing, but are being subjected to thousands and sometimes tens of thousands in useless fees paid for the privilege of getting connected to a random agent.
Redfin Partner Program is one of the worst consumer brokering programs in the market because it implies that consumers will get a lower listing rate, or a refund from the Partner Agent shown on the Redfin website, but due to price fixing antitrust law this is not true.
Consumers should absolutely avoid using Redfin Partner Program agents.
Concierge Service
In November 2017 Redfin has launched a program called Concierge Service in select areas that offer home sellers added benefits of coordinating, supervising and paying for services such as deep cleaning, painting, staging, and landscaping in exchange for a 2% listing fee.