Pros
Great pay, inspirational company mission, smart people. An experienced agent will make 100k+/yr in my market. Excellent benefits, fun atmosphere, amazing downtown office with nice perks. A very smart company. Redfin has all of the positives of a corporate atmosphere, with very few of the negatives. Like traditional real estate, which I was in for 8 years prior to redfin, no one is breathing down your neck. Managers are like-minded and sharp, with a relaxed and comforting attitude. Best of all, managers were previously agent, so there's no disconnect when talking about issues. Unlike traditional real estate, the emphasis is on customer satisfaction, not sales production. It's a much more fulfilling atmosphere overall. You don't get the "greed is good" feeling that I had when working in the 100% commission world. I don't quite understand the work-life balance complaints in other reviews, though markets vary. As a top producer in my market, closing 4- 5 times the deals as a traditional agent, I rarely feel overwhelmed. When talking with my friends about their daily schedules, most of whom work at startups and earn ~90k/yr, I actually get the sense that my daily routine is relatively light. I'm a "senior agent" and, while it's not for everyone, it's definitely ideal for entrepreneurial types who need a flexible schedule. My position is very rewarding. If you want to make more, you can work more, or visa versa. No one will judge you if you want to only do a couple deals/month and focus more on good reviews. But, if you want to close a lot of business, you will be recognized and rewarded with good pay. Expect to work every other weekend, but you can easily take off during the week. Granted, you can make more money at a traditional brokerage, but the emphasis is on "can." An interesting career is more rewarding than money. This job is NOT for emotionally charged folks. If other people's opinion of you affect you dramatically, do not work for redfin. You're constantly judged, sometimes intensely and negatively. You can't derive your self-worth from redfin, but that goes for any job. My typical weekday scheduled: 8:30AM - 9:30AM - Check email, follow up with missed calls from previous evening. 10:30AM - 11:30AM - Work-out 11:30AM - 12:30PM - Read and travel to office 12:30PM - 4:00PM - Email, phone calls, misc tasks at office or in the field. 4:00pm - 7pm - Be available for tours. You'll usually work 2 - 4 evenings/week. Often times you can just take half the day off and explore the city. You're expected to be in the field anyway so your time is never monitored by a manager. So, while your work day starts and ends within a wide range of hours, there are often significant windows of time where you can knock out errands, chat with friends, mess with facebook, etc. Most of my non-redfin work hours are spent investing in real estate, which an ideal project for redfin agents, as your gross salary supports very lucrative real estate acquisitions. For those complaining about the pay, get real (estate)! Leverage your money and derive your wealth from investing, not a wage.
Cons
Marketing department is apparently understaffed. Very minor no-brainer ideas and campaigns are dead in the water because of silly corporate requirements. Agents should be paid more for tours in markets where EVERYTHING requires an appointment. Often an entire hour will be spent setting up a 4-6 home tour.