Housing Wire, July 23, 2019: Amazon and Realogy gang up on Zillow to entice homebuyers
You buy toilet paper, computers and paper towels through the Amazon website. Now, you can buy your next house. The world’s largest retailer is partnering with Realogy, the largest U.S. residential brokerage, to match homebuyers with real estate agents through a program called TurnKey.
Potential buyers will be able to go through their Amazon account, click on TurnKey, put in details about the size, price and location of the home they want to buy, and then be matched with one of Realogy’s agents. In return, customers get up to $5,000 of Amazon products and assistance called a “Move-In Benefit,” which includes help with chores and product installation through a division of the retailer called Amazon Home Services.
And, yes, Alexa – with her calming voice – has a role in the battle of the titans. Customers can use their credits to set up a smart home run by the virtual assistant. The offered products also include things like Ring doorbells or flat-screen TVs, which can then be installed by Amazon professionals.
“Customers can be overwhelmed when moving, and we’re excited to be working with Realogy to offer homebuyers a simplified way to settle into a new home,” said Pat Bigatel, director of Amazon’s services division, said in a statement issued on Tuesday. “The Amazon Move-In Benefit will enable homebuyers to adapt the offering to their needs – from help assembling furniture, to assisting with smart home device set-up, to a deep clean, and more.”
