Redfin Announces 'Sign & Save' Program Which Offers Homebuyers Refunds

Redfin has announced Sign & Save, a new way for consumers to get a better deal in real estate. Homebuyers who sign up to work with a Redfin agent before the second tour can get a refund of 0.25 - 0.5% of the purchase price at closing. For example, an eligible homebuyer purchasing a $500,000 home will save $1,250. For a $2 million home, eligible Sign & Save customers will get a $10,000 refund.

"Redfin is putting money back in homebuyers' pockets at a time when many are struggling with high prices and mortgage rates," said Jason Aleem, Redfin's senior vice president of real estate operations. "The concept is simple: as a Sign & Save customer you get extra savings because we know you're serious about buying a home, and we're serious about getting you into one. We started piloting Sign & Save in a handful of cities in September and the customer response has been fantastic. We're now rolling it out to dozens more markets because we believe it will help our agents close more sales and increase profits by identifying and rewarding homebuyers who are ready to make a purchase."

How Sign & Save Works

When a homebuyer goes on their first home tour with a Redfin agent, the agent learns about the customer's goals, explains the benefits of working with Redfin to achieve those goals, and asks the customer to sign a buyer agency agreement. This is a contract that creates a formal working relationship between the customer and Redfin. Customers who sign up to work with a Redfin agent before the second tour get a refund when they close on their new home.

The standard Sign & Save refund is 0.25% of the purchase price. For customers who purchase a luxury home through Redfin's Premier service, Redfin offers a 0.5% Sign & Save refund. Because Redfin earns a larger commission on a luxury home sale, it's able to give the homebuyer a larger refund.

Redfin's Commitment to Savings and Transparency

The program is part of Redfin's commitment to giving customers a better deal by offering great service from exceptional agents at a lower cost.

"Saving customers money has been central to our mission to redefine real estate in the consumers' favor," said Aleem. "Homebuyers are becoming more aware of the high cost of agent fees and less apologetic about negotiating commissions. We've helped usher in this new era of price transparency by advertising our low listing fee and publishing the buyers agent commission on every listing on our website. Sign & Save is another opportunity for our agents to explain the fees involved in the transaction and the benefits of working with Redfin."

With Sign & Save, Redfin is rewarding customers who commit to working with a Redfin agent early in the process. Customers who don't want to sign a buyer agency agreement can still work with Redfin agents to tour homes with no obligation. In pilot markets, Sign & Save customers were significantly more likely to close than other customers. Buyers in the pilot markets are making offers with their Redfin agent at a significantly higher rate than buyers in comparable markets.

"Homebuyers today are often connecting with the first agent who responds to their online request without understanding how the process works or what the fees are," said Andrew Vallejo, a Redfin Premier agent in Austin, where Redfin piloted the program. "Sign & Save is a great way to start a conversation with new customers about why they should hire me and how I'll help them win and save."

Sign & Save is now available to Redfin's home-buying customers in more than 50 markets. A full list is available here. The refund is available to customers who sign an exclusive Buyer Agency Agreement before their second tour with Redfin and go under contract to purchase a property within 180 days of signing the agreement.