software engineer

senior software engineer

real estate agent

specialist tours manager

associate agent

Redfin

The concept is good, However, there are now at least 2 companies competing directly with Redfin. They are Rex & Purplebricks and their approach is a lot better. I'll explain. Redfin has become essentially at touring company, because of the ease of arranging tours right from the app. If you work part time, independent contractor as an AA (associate agent) which is basically the touring person, you get paid for each event. It works if you want to do this as supplement income. However, your busiest days are really Friday - Sunday. You do get a couple of tours during the morning on weekdays but is usually a specialized inspection or just a one home tour nothing much. You can make some money but don't expect to be much. You can bring home average about $20,000 per year. This means having your calendar opened 7 days a week, say from 8am-7pm. Some AA's bring a bit more depending on their territory. I know of Touring agents that make more, they are always busier, but they cover a larger region, which means you also pay more on MLS Fees as you need to cover several counties. As an Associate Agent (Touring Agent) you are on a 1099 and you pay all your Real Estate fees. Now. the full-time folks, those are the buy-side Agents, sale-side agents or listing Agents. They are employees of the company and are on the company payroll with a salary (minimum) and benefits. They also get all expenses paid, meaning all the MLS, Realtor Boards, Mobile phone and any training, Plus they also get mileage reimbursement if they tour with a client. However, They don't get pay commission when they sale, instead they get a bonus based on the price which is equivalent to about 1% of the sales price. As a full-time agent you also are working more hours than as a 1099, You need to produce and the company expects you to bring revenue. You don't have the flexibility of an Independent Contractor. So the problem is that because is so easy to tour with Redfin, you often find client who use Redfin to see up to 10 homes in one tour with no serious intention of buying with Redfin. In fact some folks tour homes that are way above their price range and the algorithm in the system has no way of catching or preventing that. More often than not you find out the client is working with another agent and after going on multiple tours with Redfin, They make an offer on their dream home with a non Redfin Agent. As a touring agent this doesn't affect you at all because you get paid for each event whether the client buys or not. However, eventually this will hurt the company. The other drawback is that they normally promote you If you are related to someone in the company or if you are a YES to all person. The culture is that you should not tell your manager if something should be done more efficiently. If what you say makes sense them, they pitch your idea to upper management as their own. You will never get credit for something you suggested and is implemented. The work around to that is to submit a ticket to IT Help-desk with a suggestion and those are taken and resolved or enhanced accordingly. There are folks in managerial positions that have no Real Estate experience or corporate management experience. They come from industries non-related to IT or Real Estate. Managers with no managerial skill or background,not even with the minimum tech skills and this is a tech company after all so it will be beneficial to the company to hire more tech savvy folks. Is a good place if you have a steady income and want to do this on the side.

The demand for the Associate agents varies greatly during the year. It’s feast or famine. If you want to make money, then you need availability during the weekends and weekday evenings when the clients want to tour. Which is great for people that want a flexible par time schedule. The local management also hires a lot of associates so they enough people available during the week. How it works is the events are first given to the deal writing agents, and any events they can’t do will be given to us.  We mainly do tours, help out at the open houses and specialized inspections. There will not always be enough work to keep everyone busy so expect some downtime.  

The associates are paid a fixed amount per event. We are independent contractors with no benefits or perks though expenses are tax deductible. Tour pay starts off well for the first home but the pay for each additional home is minimal.  The company recently cut Associates pay across the board which makes doing some events less desirable.  One cannot pick which events you want to do. This is a car dependent job, if you don’t like driving, then this job is not for you. If the driving is too much you can limit the areas that you cover but this will affect how much work you will receive. 

There are a lot of unpaid hours with this job. Event pay doesn’t compensate for all the time it takes to setup appointments, rescheduling events with the clients, or researching the properties on the tour. Clients will expect you to be knowledgeable about the properties and locations. If you come off as unprepared they will slam you in a review. This makes us spend more time preparing for tours. 

Another dislike is the clients frequently do not show up to confirmed appointments or will cancel at that last minute which is bad if you have driven over an hour to a property. The cancellation pay is less than what the event would have paid. Clients will also make constant changes to their tours which makes it a hassle to schedule the homes with the listing agents. At least if a client does it excessively management will ban them from using Redfin's services.  

Lots of independence with the position. Associates don’t interact with the full-time staff or with each other on a regular basis. We work from home which is great. There is limited training besides the first mandatory training. Associates are left to their own devices with limited oversight. Which is good and bad. After a lot of negative feedback from associates, upper management directed the local offices to have monthly meetings so we could voice questions directly to management but that never materialized. Promotions are available into full time positions though they seem to be hiring more people from outside the company.

First and foremost, if you are used to working 100% commission and making your own rules, and can't accept that this is a VERY different job, don't even bother.  The first time I sent a commission check to corporate and knew what my bonus payment was going to be (assuming the client review was good), I nearly cried, but truly, as an agent at Redfin, you are merely the face of a giant team.  Think of it in terms of what you would take home on a transaction were you were paying for top level advertising, a team of assistants and a top notch CRM tool. All of our customers (we don't call them clients until they make an offer) are given to us, though we do get a slightly higher bonus for customers we introduce to Redfin, referred or repeat customers. Think about that. ZERO PROSPECTING. At times, it is a bit like drinking from a firehose. That said, you are expected to CLOSE an average of 3 deals per month (summer months you tend to do a lot more). If you're overloaded, you're setting yourself up for either poor reviews, which affect not only your compensation, but standing in the company. 
It is important to draw your own lines in the sand on work/life balance here. It is a tough nut to crack, because you want to be as available as you can to your customers, and the company is certainly not going to force you to take time away, so you have to put your foot down and just take it when you need it. 
The company thinks their average agent is making 6 figures, but more common is around 70-75k. That's for a about 30-40 transactions depending on what market you're in and the home prices.  It is frustrating to know that frequently the refund our buyer's get is higher than our bonus pay. Now, we DO get a base salary (starting is really, REALLY low, but it's really intended to tide you over and supplement the bonuses when things are slow), and we have an amazing benefits package. PTO is sort of a joke, since our hourly rate is a pitance, but it's there nonetheless and it's a substantial number of days. My goal this year is to actually TAKE the PTO- I tend to work all the time much to my family's dismay, but really that's on me. 
Over all, this is the only way I would want to do real estate (yes I was a traditional agent in the past for about 5 years). I fully believe in their business model, but they need to find better ways to compensate us for the time we spend. This is not a 40hr a week job and as long as we are competing in a traditional real estate market, it can't be.  I am somewhat comforted to know that corporate continually discusses the issues here and they seem to understand that their success lies with those of us on the front line. If we are not happy, they will not be successful.

Working at this establishment has been an incredibly disappointing experience. I can confidently say that this is one of the poorest places I have ever worked for. From the very beginning, it was clear that the environment was far from conducive to professional growth and success.

First and foremost, the workspace provided for our team could hardly be called an office. Cramped and inadequate, our group of five was forced to operate in less-than-ideal conditions, which significantly impacted our ability to collaborate effectively. The absence of a proper workspace set the tone for what was to come during my time there.

Meetings, supposedly intended to resemble those of a real estate office, were nothing short of demoralizing. Instead of fostering a sense of unity and motivation, these gatherings consistently devolved into discussions about how we were falling short and not doing enough. The perpetual emphasis on our supposed inadequacies only served to demotivate and discourage the team, creating an atmosphere of negativity.

One of the most glaring issues was the lack of associated agents to cover the workload. This placed an unfair burden on the lead agents, who were forced to take on all the property showings. This not only strained their resources but also hindered our ability to provide the best service to clients. It was a sad state of affairs when I realized that I was making more money from mileage reimbursement than from actual deals closed. This financial discrepancy highlights the stark contrast between the promises made during the hiring process and the grim reality of the job.

Furthermore, the way the office was run was far from normal, and not in a good way. The absence of clear communication and transparency meant that nobody really knew who was handling which deals. This lack of coordination led to confusion, overlapping efforts, and ultimately, a lack of efficiency. Additionally, the office's average performance was a mystery, as this crucial metric was never shared with the team. This lack of transparency only fueled the feeling of being kept in the dark about the company's overall performance.

In conclusion, my time at this workplace was nothing short of a disheartening experience. The inadequate workspace, demoralizing meetings, burdened lead agents, financial disparities, and lack of organizational clarity all contribute to a deeply unsatisfactory work environment. I cannot recommend this establishment to anyone seeking a positive and productive professional experience. It's a stark reminder that a promising façade can hide a reality far removed from what one expects or deserves in a workplace.

I have been with Redfin for a year and what a crazy year it has been! I came on as a new transaction coordinator, got my real estate license in another state, and as soon as I was up and running... the pandemic hit. My manager made sure I had access to him and any other resource I needed. He made sure I had access to him all day, he offered to do my work if I got overwhelmed, always offered positive feedback, was my biggest champion when I achieved goals (like getting my 3rd state license), and if I made a mistake he taught me how to fix it and avoid it in the future without making me feel bad for making the mistake. He even made sure that anyone affected by a mistake I made knew that I was new and that the issue was corrected. I was NEVER thrown under the bus or made to be a scapegoat as I have experienced at other companies. This positive environment has made being here during a crazy time rewarding. You can truly thrive here!

The company as a whole, from the CEO down, banded together to do everything they could to make it through the pandemic and make sure all of us who were there had access to whatever we needed to survive. Those who were on furlough were taken care of in some ways and always kept up to date on what was happening and what needed to happen to bring them back. Those of us who stayed made it our mission to bring our work family back as soon as we could, and they were brought back months ahead of schedule! There was stress but it was external and not brought on by the company. This company and it's management team are like no other company I have worked for, and I have been in the work world since the 1980's. (I know what horrible bosses are like!) 

Redfin is that rare company that truly makes you feel like you matter no matter what role you play in the company. The CEO has given us each his cell phone number to use and call if we ever feel like we need something that isn't being addressed at lower levels. He has monthly (Zoom) meetings with us, recognizes performance award winners, and takes questions from us so he can address what is important to us instead of just throwing talking points or a company agenda at us. His monthly calls are so popular that we overwhelm Zoom with the number of participants. Most company meeting are something you dread. We have people upset if they miss the monthly meeting. That speaks volumes about how we all feel about Redfin.

As you can see, I truly fell that this company cares about every single one of us! I am thankful to be here!

Redfin is a technology based real estate firm and I believe they are at the cutting edge of blending technology with the real estate business. For a consumer, they have some great home search apps and a creative webpage with current home listings. However, they are not a good company to work for and promote a cult-like atmosphere. Everyone who works for Redfin has “drank the Kool-Aid” and become a Redfinian and that included me. I worked for Redfin for 2 years as an Associate Agent, one of their contracted positions. I barely made enough to survive, but hung in there because I thought they would promote me to one of their full time W-2 Agent positions, which is what their "Market Managers" led me to believe. Regardless of what I was told about the position when I was hired, it was part time income at best. I never got promoted despite receiving consistent 10s on their Redfin customer satisfaction reviews and my tenured experienced as a successful real estate agent. Redfin is a clickish company managed by nerds with marginal people skills. They preach inclusion and transparency, but they do not practice the mantra with their own employees. The deal writing salaried agents do well income-wise and do get great benefits, but they pay dearly for them in the way of slave labor. They are required to be on-call 24/7, have a huge volume of clients to handle and might as well be working for minimum wage in comparison to the work hours logged. The consistent consumer complaint by Redfin clients is that their agents are too busy to provide adequate customer service. I met many buyers/sellers that used Redfins technology to search for homes, but hired a non-Redfin agent to negotiate their home purchase. The Redfin business model is based on sales volume, which allows Redfin to offer benefits, but their agents are not able to keep up with the work load and get burnt out. I witnessed allot of turnover in the time I was there and typically when staff quit, it was strangely kept quiet. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid, run the other way and find another place to work for. If I sound sarcastic and angry, it’s because I am. They treated me like dirt, along with allot of others who got fed up and quit.

I'm not sure why these reviews are so angry! I joined Redfin as an Associate Agent this year, and couldn't be happier! An AA is an independent contractor that is paid for every single event that you perform. One of the many positives is that you make your own schedule. Do you have family obligations? Close your calendar. Want to go on vacation? Close your calendar. There is a whole team of AA's in the area available to make sure that a customer can see a house on their schedule. 

It's true that the income isn't entirely reliable. It's based on the waves of business. If people aren't wanting to buy or sell, there is nothing for you to do. But I worked full time without any issue over the summer. The winter is quieter, but anyone in the business (or researched real estate before getting their license) knows that it isn't as crazy in the winter months. If you didn't save any money, go out and get a part time seasonal job. You can close your calendar! 

The Redfin business model is customer centric. We are taking real estate to the next level by putting the needs and wants of our customers first instead of the possibly desperate traditional agent who is wondering where the next paycheck is coming from. Redfin is a business and pays its employees a salary and offers them a great satisfaction bonus in lieu of working for commission only. It allows an agent the opportunity to focus on the customer without struggling to survive.

Redfin isn't for everyone. Perhaps the other reviewers weren't as successful as they could have been because they didn't have the right attitude. It isn't an easy way to make money in real estate. It's a choice to be an advocate for your client in the confusing process of buying or selling real estate. You still hustle and work to build and maintain client relationships while working on their deals. You just have a whole team of people working with you to achieve the same client satisfaction goal!

Redfin is awesome. I feel like I have finally found a career and a place where all of my many years of customer service experience is put to good use! I "drank the Kool-aid" and I could not be happier!

As an Associate Agent at Redfin, they provide very little training to help you start your career in real estate. It is expected that you know how to do a visual inspection, open houses, show homes, and do pick up and drop offs of Supra boxes and flyers. Depending on your choices of areas/cities you want to cover, you will find out that you will be driving quite a bit. You will be responsible for the cost of the MLS, association fees, gas and maintenance of your vehicle. 

You do have control on how much you want to work each day. Even if you take a week off, no one will care. There are no quotas to maintain nor the reviews by clients will not affect your pay like the Redfin Buying/Selling agents. You are paid by event. The more events you do, the more you will be paid. So it is really an easy position to do with lots of great client satisfaction and feedback. You will just "feel" you are alone because of the lawsuit that now forbids employees of Redfin from interacting with the Associate Agents who are all independent contractors. 

If you decide you want to apply for a Redfin Selling/Buying agent position, think again if you don't have prior transaction experience. Without it, you will be told you do not qualify for the position. I was told that if I spend more time as an Associate Agent, they will reconsider me for the position. Sounds like they are dangling a fake carrot. In the Associate Agent role, you are not able to participate in the buying/selling contract portion of the business. So how is one to obtain this experience as an Associate Agent? You can't which means if you don't have transaction experience already, the Associate Agent position is as far as you will go. If you just want to show homes and are not interested in other positions within Redfin, then this would be a perfect job to pick up good side income. No ride alongs, no quotas, no responsibilities other than showing up to your appointment. An easy and fun part-time, full-time job with no advancement.

I have never worked in a more supportive, kind, encouraging environment. For a large company, they treat each employee like they are important, cared for, valued and trusted. CEO always says that above all, family comes first. He speaks it, management follows through. The company cares about the employees, provides amazing benefits at a super low cost, encourages you to be a present, active, low-stress parent/spouse/person. Opportunity for growth and change is all over. The people are REAL, enthusiastic, helpful, and encouraging. Management legitimately wants you to do well. PTO is always approved. Flexibility is a way of life. The culture is the best I have ever experienced. As a salaried employee, the base salary is fair. The bonus is not capped. The benefits are amazing and cost next to nothing. They never throw you under the bus. If you make a mistake, they explain what you could do to not make it again, explains why it happened, and forgive you immediately. It’s a true team environment. This is by far the best company I have ever worked for. You feel like you’re working with family. You believe in the mission and WANT to do your part. Company meetings are so much fun, engaging and real. Glenn (CEO) is the kindest, most respectful, most amazing person. He genuinely cares, and openly encouraged all employees - even down to entry level positions- to email and call him as needed. Even just for support if you’re feeling down during the pandemic. The company provided each employee a Covid19 cash bonus to ease some of the financial stress of the times. The CEO said, and meant it, that when it comes to the choice between family and work, family always wins. Every time. Redfin should be the bar for all other companies to strive to be. 

I was interested in working with Redfin as a transaction coordinator after being a realtor for a while. After applying for the position a recruiter told me that there is not any roles at the current moment for TCs but that he can connect me to another recruiter to talk about the possibility as an associate agent. At first I was hesitant but decided to go through with it because my license was just hanging at my previous brokerage collecting dust. I started the application process midway through September and got called into an interview right away. It was a self recorded video interview where you have to answer a series of questions that are prompted. If you prepare appropriately and go through general interview questions you should be fine. Make sure to relate your personal work experience through them and also know a bit about Redfin. They look for enthusiasm and people who want to work for the AA position. Afterwards I was contacted the following week stating that they liked my interview and called me to explain how onboarding works. I had to wait a month due to a hiccup but I got on the boarding call and started early November. 

Since then I really enjoyed being an associate agent with Redfin. November and December were slow because they are the holidays but now at the end of January things are slowly picking up and I can see how associate agents can make good money on the weekends. If you have the flexibility to work weekends and odd times for showings this position will be perfect for you. You can fill out your own schedule and tour coordinators will book your appointments for you. Definitely something to think about and a good way to get your foot in the door with an amazing company. 

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