Read the series intro: Alternative Brokerages Flourishing Around Seattle
Next up in the in-depth series on alternative brokerages around Seattle is Surefield. Surefield just launched this week, started by Redfin founder David Eraker, Redfin veteran Rob McGarty, and Nvidea tech wizard Aravind Kalaiah. I worked with Rob during my time at Redfin, and he gave me a pre-launch sneak peek at Surefield. If you think virtual tours are old news, forget the “virtual tours” that are nothing more than a slideshow of listing photos set to elevator music and check out the Surefield Tour. Give it a whirl right in this post below, or choose a sample tour from their site.
You can read launch stories about Surefield on the Seattle Times and GeekWire.
Rob sent me his responses to the series Q&A, which are reproduced unedited below.
What is the single most important advantage your brokerage offers vs. using a traditional agent?
Surefield is the only real estate brokerage with an in-house computer vision research and development team. This means that only Surefield sellers get our exclusive online 3D tour, the Surefield Tour, to sell their home for more money with less hassle.
The Surefield Tour let’s more people experience your home, at your convenience.
- Local buyers can immediately take a Surefield Tour without having to get in their car or waiting to schedule an in-person visit.
- Remote buyers are able to experience your home before they get on a plane.
The Surefield Tour gives buyers what they need online before they come into your home.
- Before Surefield, buyers had to tour your home in-person to assess suitability. Now only serious buyers need to show up in-person because they’ve already invested their time online touring your home with the Surefield Tour.
- In addition, Surefield takes care of everything including cleaning, professional staging, professional photography, custom floor plans and the Surefield Tour–all at no additional cost.
Explore a Surefield Tour right here:
In 200 words or less, what factors make your brokerage different from a traditional brokerage? e.g. – Cost, services offered, agent compensation, etc.
Surefield is a real estate brokerage that combines technology with savvy agents to get you more buyers with less hassle.
Surefield provides a premium service at the typical price. Surefield sellers get free staging, professional photography, floor plans and our exclusive online 3D tour, all at no additional cost.
Surefield takes the hassle out of selling. Before, you’d have to open your door for everyone curious about your home. Now, buyers can get a much better feel for your home online with the Surefield Tour. Which means opening your door for fewer tire kickers and more serious buyers.
Who is your typical client? e.g. – Do you focus more on buyers or sellers, certain types of homes, certain price ranges, certain geographies, etc.?
Surefield primarily focuses on helping sellers by providing a more convenient way to market and sell their home to more buyers with less hassle. Buyers love Surefield listings because it lets them experience homes before having to schedule an in-person tour with their agent, who then has to schedule with the seller.
We currently service King County.
What is your fee structure? How much do buyers pay, how much do sellers pay?
Surefield uses a typical fee structure where the seller pays our fees through a sales commission based on a percent of the sales price. Rather than discounting our fees, we include many services that other agents charge extra for, such as professional staging, professional photos, custom floor plans and our exclusive online 3D open house, the Surefield Tour.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your brokerage?
Check out some examples of our online 3D tour at: http://www.surefield.com/tour-homes