I'm not a Realtor; I speak from the informed consumer position. With a service like Redfin, I can be much more informed, and that's a huge incentive to work for and with them.

Great blog and also excellent comments from your readers.

Great post, Marc and Sean makes an excellent point; why would a buyer work with an agent who ignores FSBO's? If FSBO inventory is as "polluted" as Jon claims then surely dealing with that bad data is another opportunity for an agent to add value.

At Zillow we have one of the largest (if not the largest) inventory of FSBO listings in the country. We plan to distribute FSBO and Make Me Move listings (for free) via an upcoming API. If you're interested in early access to this new data feed, please contact me [davidg AT zillow DOTCOM]

Louis –

Since Zillow doesn't access listings via a an MLS membership it's not subject to MLS policies that Estately is.

I would love to take advantage of your service but unfortunately I am in New York. The "other" Orange County. If you do expand to New York though let me know and I'll be the first to sign the dotted line.

Keep in mind consumers don't care about your issues or concerns. They just want a good deal, and these get-rich-quick, buy your next house at 50% off FSBO and foreclosure sites have huge traction that Realtors are leaving unanswered. Buyers want bargains, and they perceive these other opportunities as bargains, and they don't believe Realtors can help them. It is time for Realtors to stand up and say we can be your source for everything real estate, and we are ready to help.

Joshua – we are ready to provide foreclosure feeds to any Realtor in CA that wants one, and we have the foreclosure "MLS" to back it up and allow Realtors to pull comps and respond to inquiries.

Century 21 M&M in Modesto, CA actually launched full foreclosure search using our tool well before this Redfin announcement, and they got more than 200 inquiries their first month. The buyers are ready for this, are you?

Is it sorta like Britney Spears or the Paris Hilton type hype…where their actual deeds and contributions warrant planet wide media coverage? Yeah, it sorta is.

Including FSBO listings is interesting, but is there anyway to know what percentage of FSBO listings in the Redfin market area are included on their site.

Including them is a start, but if it isn't at least 50%+ of the FSBO listings in their market areas aren't included what's the big deal…they have a wee bit more inventory for a prospective buyer to ponder. Yawn.

Here's what I think happens in our little corner of the world (Houston). Yes, 75% to 85% of the home buyers START their search on the internet, dreaming, researching, etc. When the time comes to plunk down money and pick a property, what happens? I don't what the percentage is, but the majority of home buyers select a real estate agent to work with. Together they comb the available inventory in the areas/neighborhoods/communities/streets they want to live in. This final search would include new up to the moment MLS searches, the discovery and introduction of possible pocket listings or soon to come on the market listings (information that a well networked agent might know about on an informal level). Also, when driving through the various neighborhoods to view properties, FSBO signs will be visible and if a buyer wants to see them, they will…no big deal.

My conclusion, Redfin is an interesting and progressive company, their every move, however large of tiny generates fantastic amounts of buzz for their company. The lesson I take – "Figure out how to generate big buzz." Controversy is one smart way.

Thanks for your thoughts, they're informative and thought provoking.

The Make me move postings are entry level FSBO's testing the waters.

Fsbillowif you willow.

Also if you want to have a complete listings data base add in new home builders and foreclosures.

Might I recommend 3 books especially to those who want to take the other side in the debate.

Corporate Creativity by Alan G. Robinson & Sam Stern
Einstein Picasso by Arthur I.Miller
Organizing Genius by Warren Bennis

"Redfin says it’s going to support the addition of these listings through a flat fee. Which means, I presume, as a buyer, if you want to put an offer on a FSBO through Redfin, they’ll help you write it up and just charge you X."

Very well played Redfin, very well played. What amuses me most about Redfin is how everyone claims they have no right being in real estate because Kelman's never been "in the trenches" and doesn't "get" real estate. Yet they're changing the game. Maybe you don't need to be in real estate to be a game changer.

I wish Kelman well, I really like this new feature.