Jin Hong is a Redfin Premier agent in Orange County, CA. He joined Redfin in June 2024 after building a successful team at eXp. We caught up with Jin to hear more about his experience at Redfin so far. You can follow him on Instagram.
Tell us about your career before Redfin.
I was running a team of about 20 agents at eXp. On top of my management responsibilities, I also served my own clients with my teammate, Silvia Han. Together we closed more than 30 sales last year.
Why did you decide to join Redfin?
I wanted to give more support to my clients using data and technology. Redfin has a lot of useful tools to help keep my clients informed about the market and their transaction. It saves me time and allows me to help and support more clients.
Redfin Next was also an exciting development. I know how many deals I’m capable of maintaining and closing, so Redfin’s older pay model with a salary and a smaller bonus wouldn’t really make sense for me. But having 100% of my compensation based on my performance made Redfin a great opportunity. My split is 70/30, and Redfin takes care of all of my staff and marketing costs. Giving 30% to not have to pay for those things, and to not have the stress of managing HR, taxes, or other expenses for my team is well worth it. I was also excited to transition to a brokerage where I could meet new customers online. I did a lot of word of mouth and referral business before, so when I’m not as busy, Redfin’s leads are like insurance to keep my plate full.
Did someone from your team come with you? How did that work?
Silvia also joined Redfin and will continue to work with me under Redfin’s agent team pilot program. It started in June, which was very exciting for me. Silvia is like the engineer of our team. Our skills balance each other out very well, and she excels at things I don’t. She is great at the backend systems and communicating with our team of associate agents, listing coordinators and transaction coordinators. That means I can go out to the field and meet with clients, get engaged with them, and get under contract. And because she has a whole new structure supporting her now at Redfin, she can also take on more of her own clients.
What makes Redfin different from other brokerages?
I represent a lot of sellers, so I think the exposure our listings get from Redfin as a website is amazing. Redfin highlights Redfin listings on the website on top of every search, so everyone searching on Redfin is going to see it. The technology for both agents and customers is also really good. When I started at Redfin and was putting all my past clients into Agent Tools, I realized that a lot of my clients are currently using Redfin to find homes, even if they bought or sold with me when I was at a different brokerage. I think people use Redfin because the website makes it simple to find homes you like and learn about the housing market. Those are useful tools on their own, but now that I’m a Redfin agent I can truly engage with my customers in that process. It’s like I’m inside their head—I can see the properties they like or when they’re changing their criteria or hitting a dead end. Having that information helps me be more proactive and ultimately serve my customers better.
What would you tell other agents who are thinking about joining Redfin, especially with the backdrop of the current market and changes in the industry?
In my first few weeks at Redfin, it’s been very clear that there’s a strong bond between agents, their support teams, and brokerage leaders. I feel confident there’s a talented group of people deciding how to best help agents and clients succeed, and they’re using real data to do it. It takes the pressure off of me to have all the answers myself, especially as the industry changes. And the Redfin system works! In less than a month, Silvia and I are already working on seven different deals.
Why should a buyer or seller work with Redfin?
You get better service at a better cost. I’m able to charge my customers a lower commission, but that doesn’t mean I’m discounting the value I provide my clients. It’s actually the opposite—because Redfin helps me with the back end of my business, I get to spend more time with my customers. I don’t need to charge more money because I’m not spending it on that part of my business.
