Redfin

Sorry for the silence lately... until we close on the 28th, there won't be too much to talk about renovation-wise. Since our last post, we've received official bank approval for our mortgage, so now it's just a matter of arranging utility hookups, insurance, and staying patient until closing day!

For the last three years, we've been saving up our down payment and stalking the online listing sites to familiarize ourselves with the local market. About two years ago, when some friends of ours went through the whole home-buying process, they introduced us to a site called Redfin, with which we instantly became fascinated. Redfin is an online real estate brokerage that allows you to browse listings in your area and essentially act as your own agent - you choose the properties you want to see by adding the ones you like as "favorites," and a Redfin agent then arranges for the tour. After you find a property you like, your agent will work with you to draw up an offer and submit it to the listing agent, and the whole thing happens online. After your offer is submitted, Redfin opens an online "Deal Room" for you, so you can keep track of what's happened so far and see all the next steps in the process. The best part is that when you close, Redfin refunds you part of the agent's commission! (The amount refunded varies according to state law, but our Redfin refund will more than pay for our new fridge.)

When the time came to make a move, we were sure that we wanted to buy through Redfin, and we have definitely not been disappointed! The concept was great for us, because the last three years of looking had given us an excellent sense of what we wanted (and more importantly, what we could realistically expect to get for our money). We only needed one tour to find our house, but if we'd needed more time, we could have done an unlimited number of tours. The entire process has been incredibly smooth, and our agent is just awesome (and I am not saying this just because she reads this blog - hi, Liane!). She responds instantly to emails, no matter what time of day it is, and her recommendations for a home inspector and a closing attorney have been spot on. It's readily apparent that she completely adores her job, and she has done so much to make the biggest purchase of our lives just about as easy as buying a cheeseburger at the drive-through.

The only drawback to Redfin is that it isn't yet available in all real estate markets, but they're expanding all the time. If you're looking for a house and Redfin is available in your area, we can't recommend it strongly enough!