Realogy Holdings Corp. and HomeAdvisor®, have announced the launch of RealVitalize, a home improvement program. This program provides home sellers with home improvement resources prior to or during the home listing period with no up-front costs or interest charges.
The pilot program is currently available in select markets through the Coldwell Banker® branded operations of NRT, the subsidiary that manages Realogy’s company owned brokerages. The pilot program launched in the Columbus, Ohio, Denver, Orlando, Fla. and Tampa, Fla. market areas with a national roll-out planned later this year. Realogy and HomeAdvisor will continue to explore opportunities for expansion in 2020.
“Selling a home is a major life event where homeowners frequently need help finding home services and home service professionals,” said Brandon Ridenour, CEO of ANGI Homeservices, of which HomeAdvisor is an operating business. “We choose to partner with Coldwell Banker, a real estate industry leader who has impressive scale and a well-established national market presence, to offer an innovative program providing simple and effective solutions for homeowners to improve their home during the sale process. Our goal is to make sure our brands, products and tools are there to help homeowners at all stages of the homeownership journey. This program seamlessly integrates HomeAdvisor and our pros into that journey, expanding how we are reaching new customers and providing a unique and valuable experience for Coldwell Banker and its clients.”
“Home sellers are looking to real estate professionals to offer integrated solutions to ease the process of the real estate transaction,” said M. Ryan Gorman, president and CEO of NRT. “Through a participating Coldwell Banker brokerage, sellers who choose to utilize the program benefit from a home improvement process that is more convenient while positioning their home for maximum appeal. We believe RealVitalize gives our affiliated agents a distinct and competitive advantage in their marketplace without the burden of having to manage the home improvement process, unlike other programs. This is a win-win for all parties involved.”
Through the program, a homeowner who lists their home for sale with a participating brokerage company will have the option to make non-structural home improvements and repairs using a service professional from the HomeAdvisor network. The program is also available to current home sellers who want to enhance their home to help achieve optimal offers.
The brokerage will cover the upfront costs of the repairs, which will be repaid by the seller when the property sale closes or the listing expires. There are no additional fees to participate in the program and no minimum listing price. Available projects include staging, appliance purchasing and installation, handyman services, painting, kitchen and bathroom upgrades, and more.
To participate, the agent will connect their home seller client with a dedicated HomeAdvisor project consultant to discuss the services needed to prepare the home. HomeAdvisor will help manage projects from start to finish, finding appointment times that work conveniently within the homeowner’s schedule. Experienced, pre-screened service professionals from HomeAdvisor’s network will make the improvements.
This program, powered by HomeAdvisor, is an exclusive offering for Coldwell Banker clients and continues to build on HomeAdvisor’s vision to create deeper relationships with customers, provide more value for its participating service professionals and meet customers wherever they need home services.
For more information, visit Realogy Holdings Corp and HomeAdvisor®.
Comment. We realtors desperately need this Homeadvisor service in the South Florida area of MIAMI and Ft. Lauderdale. It is a huge market and buyers want updated homes. When do you plan on rolling out the program in Miami ?
The press release says: The brokerage will cover the upfront costs of the repairs, which will be repaid by the seller when the property sale closes or the listing expires. There are no additional fees …..
1)what happens if the property does not sell?
2)is it the brokerage or the agent who assumes the up front costs?
“repaid by the seller when the property sale closes or the listing expires.” The brokerage fronts the costs. The seller repays the brokerage whether it sells or not.