Zip Realty?

[laura]

Has anyone used them? I feel drawn in by their 20% commission back policy (we are buying, not selling), but it also seems kind of used-car-salesman-y, so I'm just looking for real-life feedback on them. TIA!

[Katie1]

I think it depends on the salesperson you use. Every real estate company has good agents and sleazy agents. When I was a realtor, I dealt with agents from Zip Realty from time to time- some of them were good, some weren't. At that time in Massachusetts buyers agents were more of a rarity, so there was a lot of mistrust of them by other realtors . Their undercutting of commissions also doesn't endear them to other realtors. However, from a consumer point of view there is a great benefit to those practices. Whatever you do, I wouldn't sign a buyer's agency contract until you've really gotten to know the realtor and are sure you want to use them long term. I don't know if it's possible in your area, but if so I would advise against signing a contract at all- it just lets you keep your options open.

[laura]

Yeah, we definitely will keep our options open, and I am going to interview a few agents, but my spare time is tight, so I don't want to bother if there are any *obvious* reasons to avoid an agency entirely. This does not seem like a "big name" agency in this area, so that's why I was wondering. Almost all agents strike me as sleazy (ie. from their pics and profiles online), so it is extremely hard to differentiate! :)

[KristyK]

We've been dealing with one in Orlando. At first he was car-salesmany, but mostly because we were just looking at that point. He's actually been very helpful and gone and taken pictures for us, etc. Now that DH is there, he's been to several of the houses, and the guy is really nice and knows exactly what we're looking for. Of course we haven't closed on a house yet, so we'll see what happens on that end of things, then I'll really let you know! :D Good luck!

[pixielou]

we are using a zip agent in the boston area. mainly because that is the agency that the agent i wanted to use works at - she was previously with coldwell banker. the 20% cash back is an added bonus to working with her.

zip's philosophy of the 20% cash back is that most buyers are searching the mls themselves and deciding on their own which houses they want to look at, and thus the agent isn't really doing the work of screening listings for you. i've actually seen other agencies here in the boston area also offering a cash back deal to buyers - but none of the national chains.


pretty much i think it is more important to find an agent you feel comfortable with. and if it happens to be a zip agent, then that is a bonus. once we close, the check we get back is going to be just over $2k - yeah, nice money to have, but not a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. surely not enough money to make me use an agent i don't feel comfortable with.

~pixie

[~queen~]

I used one in the DC area when purchasing my last house. I do agree that you can get good and bad, same as with any other agent. The cash back is a nice bonus, especially if you are a DIY kind of person (i.e. can find your own listings and only need them to show you into the property)

The key is to find someone who you feel most comfortable with.

[laura]

Yes, I understand the key is to find someone I feel comfortable with, which I will do. Mostly I just wanted to know if there was any obvious 'catch' with them re: the 20%. I agree 20% back in a not a HUGE issue in the grand scheme of things, but it would cover almost entirely our closing costs and thus we could use our money for new furniture or something we can actually enjoy in our home. Not a necessity, but a nice perk.

[Bloomwood]

Hey Laura - we are using a ZR guy up in Marin. I don't know how DH came across him, but he's been terrific. He is definitely putting in the time with us as we'll have been out with him for over a year before we buy. I have total faith in him, so I don't think there's anything hidden about it. Of course, since we haven't bought yet, I'll have to report back in a few months!