Selling With Redfin vs. a Local Agent in Hampton Roads: Questions to Ask

Two Different Business Models

Redfin is a licensed real estate brokerage, not just a website. It has advertised listing fees that are lower than many traditional brokerages, and its model typically relies on salaried or team-based agents and a lot of technology. Other online and discount brokerages work in similar ways.

A local independent agent usually works a smaller number of listings personally from start to finish. Neither model is right for everyone. This guide is meant to help you compare them fairly and ask the right questions, whichever way you go.

If you're also considering selling with no agent at all, see my for sale by owner vs. using an agent guide. If speed matters most, my cash offer vs. traditional listing guide covers instant and investor offers.

Start With the Fee, Then Look at What It Includes

Listing fees vary by company, market, price point and service level, and they change. Check the brokerage's current published fee for Hampton Roads and ask for it in writing. Also remember that commission is always negotiable with any brokerage.

The listing fee is only part of your cost. Many sellers also offer compensation to a buyer's agent or help with buyer closing costs, and there are taxes, payoffs and settlement fees. My breakdown of what it costs to sell a house in Virginia walks through each line item.

In my seller examples I use 6% total commission and 3% seller concessions as maximum example figures. Actual commissions and concessions are negotiable and are often lower. Run your own numbers in the net proceeds calculator.

Questions to Ask Any Brokerage

Who exactly will be my agent, and will that person be at the listing appointment, the offer review and the inspection negotiation?

How many listings is that agent handling right now?

Who shows the home to buyers, and who attends showings and open houses?

What's included in marketing: professional photos, video, floor plans, print, social media, open houses?

How will you price my home, and which recent sales are you using?

If I get multiple offers, how do you compare them beyond price?

Who negotiates repairs after the inspection, and how will they be written into the PICRA (Property Inspection Repair Addendum)?

Can I cancel the listing agreement, and on what terms? My guide to listing agreements in Virginia explains what to look for.

Where the Models Tend to Differ

Technology and reach: online brokerages often have strong websites and apps. But most buyer exposure comes through the MLS, which any licensed listing agent uses, so your listing reaches local agents and major sites either way.

Local knowledge: values in Hampton Roads can shift street to street because of flood zones, water access and housing age. Ask any agent how well they know your specific neighborhood.

Continuity: some team models hand pieces of the sale to different people. Some sellers like that; others want one person who knows every detail of their deal.

None of this is a criticism of any company. It's simply what to compare.

How to Decide

Interview at least two options. Ask the same questions of each, get fees and services in writing, and compare your likely net, not just the commission rate. A lower fee with a lower sale price or a longer time on market isn't always a saving, and a higher fee isn't always worth it either. My guide to choosing a listing agent has a full interview checklist.

What a Local Agent Adds

When I list a home, I handle it personally: pricing from recent local sales, preparation and staging and showing advice, marketing, offer review, contract wording, inspection negotiations and keeping the deal moving through closing. My Hampton Roads listing agent page explains how that works, and I'm glad to give you a pricing opinion and net sheet to compare side by side with any other brokerage.

For more on online platforms, see the guide to Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com in Hampton Roads.

This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. Online platforms change their features, fees, programs and estimate methods often, so check each company's current terms directly. Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and Trulia are trademarks of their respective owners; this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.