|
|
jgullett@charter.net said:
I would be very interested in hearing anyone's experience with HomeGain.com, positive or negative.
*******************************************************************************************************
I've been using HomeGain for approx 5 years. My first thought in replying to you is that it's just 'so-so'. But then....it's business that I would not have had. You don't pay the referral fee until the sale closes. Another positive is that they do not bug you for follow up. However, they do not miss much. They keep contact with the leads they send you and will ask for follow up only occasionally. I plan to keep the relationship for now.
Barbara Higgins CRS, ABR, SRES, e-PRO
Prudential Cooper & Co
Mobile, AL
*****************************************************************************
I signed up with HomeGain eons ago. Was a free service then, no monthly fee, and it was a 25% referral. Got nothing from it, although I can’t say I was diligent about responding to each and every inquiry speedily. When they went to a 30% referral fee, I did nothing more with site except put in my listings. I was “grandfathered” for no monthly fee. Now they sent me email that they’re going to charge me a monthly fee, so I’m done.
Basically, you create a buyer and seller presentation that you send when you receive an inquiry. You’ve got to do research on comps for sellers and possible properties for buyers. Too much time to research (their automatic comp tools are worse than useless), and sellers/buyers do not provide you with enough info to do a decent job. Also, you have to enter your transaction history, which again, was too much effort for no return.
I’d pass…
Martie Henry, ABR, e-PRO
A New Attitude in Real Estate
Serving South Florida in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade
Cell : 561-716-4459
Martie@MartieHenry.com
http://www.MartieHenry.com
Exit World Realty
*****************************************************************************
I joined homegain when it was brand new and was free to join. I have gotten listings that have sold out of it so continue to submit responses to inquiries. However, please be aware that you're paying a 30% referral on a non-referral. I mean that you are actually receiving a pretty cold lead and if you work it and interview and beat out the other 10 agents they're interviewing and get the listing, you'll have to pay the 30% referral to Homegain.
In my opinion a referral fee is paid for a slam dunk customer. But when you have to kill yourself to get the listing and then pay them 30%, it's pretty annoying. Imagine getting a referral from an out of state agent who sends the same referral info to 10 other agents in your market area so that your seller can interview all 10 and then decide . . ..
Anyhow, I digress. If it weren't free up front, I wouldn't continue it. Half the inquiries are people who are just speculating (not sure if they want to sell) and the other half want you to offer the lowest rates (with the 30% referral), etc., etc.
Plus to add insult to injury, Homegain takes that 30% referral money and continues to buy the top spots on all search engine inquiries so that their site comes up before yours so you can continue to pay Homegain the 30% referral.
Sometimes life isn't fair.
Irene Hallisey, CRS, e-PRO, GRI
Broker / Owner
Hot Properties Realty, Inc.
www.HotPropertiesRealty.com
TEAM HALLISEY
Mark, Irene & Natalie
(727) 815-3600
|
|
re: HomeGain Experience - Apr. 10, 2007 |
| Posted by Mel Marino |
I started with Homegain as many of you when it started and saw it grow bigger and greedier, changing terms and hiking referrals up to 30%. I often like most of you send referrals to other agents as well as receive them and never do I persecute them on a monthly basis with results, especially in this market with so called updates and put pressure on colleagues who I am sure are doing their best, that's how I chose them to begin with! Homegain will pound you with updates and ask you if you sold or not without any sympathy for your efforts, as a colleague would have. Their only attribute is having been sred enought to flood the search engines and buy all domains pertaining to sales and relocation and then come up with a web design and some very agressive sales people not to forget their accoun ting department. And Boy, oh boy... When they have other perks such as BuyerLink, they send you traffic but you cannot know the IP address of the "click" origin, so for all I know, they could be cliking me till kingdom come themselves, thousands and thousands worth. I am at this moment going over a humongous bill with plenty of questions and surprise in my head! What started as a good idea and a good tool for the Real estate community became a monster that has no empathy for Realtors nor for our plight at times and much less does it care about our market slump, they just want to collect and have a monpoly on our trade. I am out!
Mel Marino ABR,CRS, Associate Broker,
Re/Max
Boca Rtaon Fl |
| Permanent Link |
|
RSS Blog Feed