Site helps consumers find & negotiate with real estate agents

Last year we featured Homethinking, a company that helps homeowners choose the best real estate agent to sell their property, and recently we came across an initiative that puts even more power back in consumers’ hands. Canadian Sundaybell is a site that lets consumers anonymously find, interview and negotiate with real estate agents so as to avoid paying for any services they don’t want. Three service levels are available to users of Sundaybell, all of them free for consumers. Those who already know which agents they’d like to correspond with can choose Sundaybell’s SelectAnAgent service, for example, which will contact those agents and enable anonymous communication with them, allowing consumers to negotiate commission rates, buyers’ rebates or à la carte services ahead of time. Sundaybell’s AgentBlasters service, meanwhile, does something similar for consumers who don’t already have particular agents in mind. Finally, buyers can also tap the BuyerBlasters service to tell agents what type of property they’re looking for and communicate anonymously until they’re ready to meet in person. Sundaybell’s “Classroom” section, on the other hand, offers a wealth of information to help consumers educate themselves about buying and selling a home. For real estate agents, a profile on Sundaybell is free, as is correspondence with potential customers. Basic membership begins at USD or CDN 299.95 per year, depending on location. There’s no end in sight to consumers’ desire for transparency and control in virtually every aspect of life, as our sister site is fond of pointing out. Sundaybell, however, serves only the United States and Canada; one to partner with or emulate in other parts of the world? Spotted by: Matt London