Pros
If you're brand-new to real estate, this could be a great start - think of it as paid training. You will meet some awesome people. HQ is a beautiful space and has catered lunches and free snacks - just don't expect to have a workspace there. Or parking.
Cons
No respect for agents - our CEO is fond of saying "we're a tech company that happens to be a brokerage". Really? Please tell me how you make money. Little innovation in recent years - having a website isn't novel anymore. Redfin is now scrambling to catch up with competitors and copy industry innovators. People/departments who roll out strategies and new ideas have no idea how real estate works and cannot answer basic real estate questions. Redfin used to be known as a churn and burn brokerage with limitless clients. New lead-throttling policies now mean that you are very restricted on the number of clients you get - but the pay structure has remained the same. Do not believe the hype around Redfin's claim that the average agent here makes $90k+. That's a joke - you'd have to sell 50+ houses. It's possible, for maybe 5% of agents. You will work round-the-clock to make $40k. If you got your real estate license so you could escape the corporate machine and manage your own business and schedule, this is not the place for you. Be prepared to be micromanaged to death, attend endless meetings, and comply with newly invented metrics every month. Redfin tries to sell work/life balance. Let's be honest, there is no work/life balance in real estate. You will still be answering 11PM phone calls and dealing with needy clients 24/7. Let's talk about the leads you'll get. 50% of them already have an agent. Redfin will tell you that we can earn their business and convince them to use us instead. Ask any experienced agent how successful that is. 25% of them are people who got bored or drunk on Friday/Saturday night and decided that they had nothing better to do the next day. You will cringe when you open your email Saturday or Sunday morning and see those tour requests. Of the remaining 25%, it is probably their first tour ever. They don't have a pre-approval yet, but will want to see 40 houses in the 20 mile radius surrounding Seattle. They will ask you outlandish questions and be astounded that you can't answer them - but remember, they're going to get a survey, so you'll have to act like it all makes sense. The survey is probably one of the worst aspects of being an agent. Forget being honest with your clients and having the often-required tough talks with them. When your pay depends on getting a perfect survey, you are basically forced to cow-tow to their every whim. Even when you do, and they write a glowing review, they may still give you an 8/10 because they don't believe that ANYONE deserves a 10 - and there goes your bonus. Lack of transparency. How decisions are made, who gets promotions or choice clients, how metrics work - be prepared to never understand any of the above. If you ask, you'll be viewed as a problem. When sales are down, agents are the first ones to be blamed. The brilliant solution provided by management? Take your clients to coffee, and they'll buy a house. Really.....now why didn't I think of that.....