Homelight is a company that has been around since 2012. What they offer according to them is "The Smarter Way To Find A Real Estate Agent".
Homelight is actually a real estate broker. They don't provide the typical brokerage services, however. Their income comes from referral fees paid by real estate agents when they get a customer referral from them and successfully close a sale. When an agent earns a commission from one of Homelight's referrals they pay them 25% of the gross commission. There is nothing unusual or unethical about this. It is a common practice between brokers and agents.
I am an agent in their network. I have had numerous customers referred to me from Homelight and I have closed sales from those referrals.
If you are expecting to go to the Homelight website and be referred just the right agent for you, you may be shocked by what really happens. There are plenty of good and even great agents in their network. There are also some not so great and average agents in their network. The problem is you will be getting calls from all of them, or it will at least seem like that is the case. Lately when I get a referral from Homelight for a home seller in Pompano Beach or Fort Lauderdale area and call them, I am the sixth, eight, or tenth agent to make contact. The reaction I get from these referrals is anywhere from cold to irate.
This is not how they claim it is supposed to work. Believe me, I do not want to be the eighth agent to call you. I don't even want to be the second agent to call. They claim that to offer a "Guaranteed Referral" to agents. This means I would be the only agent to contact a prospect. The guarantee expires 30 minutes after I get the referral notice from Homelight. Then after the 30 minutes is up they supposedly pass on the contact information to 2 or 3 other agents. The reality I am seeing is even if I make contact with the prospect in 10 or 15 minutes I am speaking with an irate homeowner that has already talked to a whole bunch other agents. Here are some examples:
Sal A. From Pompano Beach said "This is too much. It's Sunday and I have agents calling me every 5 minutes. I just had a death in the family and can't deal with this now"
James S. from Pompano Beach said "You people are way too aggressive. I have been bombarded with calls"
John B. from Fort Lauderdale said "You are the eighth agent to call me this morning."
When I have complained about the feedback I am getting from angry homeowners, the response has been "It is a possibility that the client went to other real estate sites". This is a plausible excuse. At least it was until I saw a clear pattern that everyone I have been able to reach has said nearly the same thing.
Homelight's practices will not likely find you the best agent for you. It will more likely find you the agent that happened to at their desk doing nothing when they get the referral from Homelight and were to first to call you and make an appointment.
I gladly pay agents and brokers a referral fee because they know of my abilities. I can't see paying 25% of my fee just for the privileged of being one of a small army of agents who got your contact information from a lead generating site. Unless their practices change, I will not likely accept anymore referrals from them. If you have been slammed with agent calls after contacting Homelight I would love to hear your story.
There are better ways to find a good agent. If you are in the Greater Fort Lauderdale area contact me. I have a proven track record. You can also ask friends and neighbors. Your accountant or lawyer even will likely know more than one good agent. I network with a lot of agents all over the country. If you are out of the area, let me help.
Serving The Greater Fort Lauderdale area since 2006
You can reach me 954-895-2431
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