I prefer to work with clients who prefer Nordstrom over K-Mart - they understand that value & quality are far more important than cost.

I recently had a sale that I put 33% of my commission made on the sale into marketing their home to get them an unexpected number of buyers, Offers and ultimately more than they hoped for in a sales price as a result. What motivates a discount broker to go above and beyond to market/advertise in that manner?

The days may be limited for the several hundred thousand surplus agents.

I haven't seen a single Redfin sign anywhere in my state or across state lines in NY.

Trusting you are seeing them my answer would be- there's a small % of people who will look for a way to cheap-out of using an agent. They want to do it themselves or use a discounter because they have no idea what is involved & think we just get paid a lot to do nothing. What I see happen to those people is they fail. They fail miserably.  Foxton's model was not good, they went out of business. I see Expired listings that I take from Discounters on a regular basis. Why are they expiring? Because sellers are not selling & they are regretting their initial decision & going another route; the traditional route, the best route.

I just met a woman who spent $4,000 upfront to get listed on MLS by Purple Bricks. In addition she would have to pay 2.50% to a buyers agent. Is there some sort of savings there? And how did it go? No offers & she's out $4,000 & now she has to list it with an Agent. Now she's looking for a cheap agent who'll take it for less. After hearing that I passed on her & do you know why? Because she's an idiot. She got burned trying to do it the cheapskate way & now she is looking to do it all wrong again. Our service is very valuable. Just because there's other options out there doesn't mean they are good options. 

No, I did not see it

Nope

No at all. All in all, it's just another brick in the wall.

Interesting comments from Rain members in other areas.  None here in western PA yet.

I do think the "independent" agent days are numbered, but more from court cases seeking to force agents to become full employees and get benefits and taxes withheld, than from Redfin.  Currently in California we ARE EMPLOYEES of a Broker in every sense of the word, except for taxation, insurance and benefits.  Anyone who tells you we are fully an "Independent Contractor" is completely wrong.

Get lost punk, you are UNLICENSED and do not know what you are talking about.

Redfin just came to our area. I still don't see much of them, but that may change.

I rarely see Redfin signs.

Redfin started in Seattle and is spreading around the Pacific NW.  We have seen a few signs in our local market.  However, they do not have a big presence yet and refer their buyers out (one of our agents is referred these).

There are lots of choices.

I don't believe so.

Redfin is a real estate agency with agents who hang their licenses under it's shingle.  The are independent real estate agents, just like any other agent.

Your question makes no sense.

Some will

Some won't

So what

Next

Not much popular for listings in my hood. Why to bother if you can negotiate % with a realtor who will give you a better service than R..n agent? 

No idea.

Some will always seek a bargain, others will seek quality, plenty of business for all.

no....

Not by a long shot!

He have a RF office, but only see a few signs a year. I think this is still a personal relationship business, and regardless of affiliation, consumers/clients are going to go with those that produce results. So if a licensee is with an independent and produces, they will stay busy. If they are with a national brokerage, then they will still stay busy.

Doubtful.

Saw my first one in Columbus this week, but I know they have been advertising for agents

I have yet to see a Redfin sign in my area.  I echo Peter Testa 

No redfin signs here.  Each market is SO Different.  One cannot generalize. 

No

They pay for staging, repair and painting sell for less than 2%. You get a rebate buying homes. A few agents are also lawyers to protect clients.

From San Diego to Seattle big boards displaying their model on interstate freeways.

However, this kind of low Bud does not strike well with Wall Street. Its stocks tanked with Z flipping homes model  ~ -35% last few days......

Not in my area.

Redfin is an active competitor here. We shall see how thinks shake out for all the "disruptors" as our market has changed.

Never seen one. 

NO and yes i put that in all caps. Here in NH, the franchises have already bought up most of the independent companies. It actually benefits us that survive and flourish offering a greater personal service. Redfin poked its head in our market.  I just saw a home down the block that expired after being for sale all summer in a market that had seen listing sell in days. Now that the market is slowing, agents have to prove their worth by attracting buyers and fostering the sale. Therefore a marketing plan of putting in a sign and posting the home in MLS doing nothing else is failing. 

Here on Active Rain, every month a new class of real estate agent students ask the question, What are the qualities of the broker I should work for?"

This is an EMPLOYEE mentality and fits well within the business model of REDFIN and COLDWELL BANKER.

But the problem with your question is you do not know what an independent real estate agent is.

  Maybe.

Not in my world! 

Not really, am independent, and hold my own.

EXP is having a major push also.

Redfin has not hit my area,.  I suspect they will be a pain in the neck until people figure out that they are  not getting what they are paying for