Blu Homes and Redfin Team Up to Create a New Experience for Home Buyers

SAN FRANCISCO and SEATTLE, Aug. 29,2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Green, precision homebuilder Blu Homes (www.bluhomes.com) and technology-powered real estate broker Redfin (www.redfin.com) have teamed up to make building a sustainable home on well-chosen land easier than ever. Customers can now find and buy property through Redfin, and then immediately personalize, site, and build their new home on that land with Blu.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120829/SF64763-a)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120829/SF64763-b)

The collaboration is now active for customers in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is expected to expand nationally in the coming months. Blu Homes customers can begin their land search and find a Redfin agent today by going to www.bluhomes.com/redfin.

"This partnership is unique as it brings together two pioneering, customer-centered companies that have already independently improved the process of buying and building homes. Together, the result is a completely new, smoother and more buyer-friendly process for the client," said Maura McCarthy, VP of strategic development for Blu Homes.

"This has the potential to really shake up the way Americans approach building their dream home. With 97% of its customers saying they would recommend tech-savvy Redfin to others, we know we are partnering with the right company."

Blu Homes makes precision-built, healthy green homes accessible to more Americans thanks to advanced building technology and a streamlined, "A to Z" homebuilding approach. While demand for Blu homes continues to grow exponentially, 80% of Blu's prospective customers do not have land. Now, Blu customers can expect an even smoother and simpler homebuilding process that starts with working with Redfin agents and using its website to find the right piece of land.

Redfin has access to hundreds of listings for land in Northern California alone, and more than 100,000 land listings across the country.  From the beginning, Redfin has been committed to reinventing real estate in consumers' favor through technology, advocacy for clients, and value. Like other Redfin buyers, most Blu Home customers will receive a refund of a portion of the agent's commission when buying land through Redfin.

"Bringing together a technology-powered real estate broker like Redfin and a technology-driven homebuilder like Blu has the potential to transform the way consumers think about the home-buying process on a very large scale," said Adam Wiener, Redfin's vice president of new business and analytics. "We are focused on a customer-centric model that makes it simpler than ever to find a special piece of land and build a beautiful, green home."

Homebuilders will start their land search by contacting a Blu sales associate, who will connect them with a local Redfin real estate agent. Customers can browse complete and accurate land listings on Redfin, and work with an expert Redfin agent to purchase their land. Blu Homes will perform site assessments to ensure building readiness.

Once land is purchased, customers can use Blu's online 3-D Configurator to personalize one of seven architect-designed homes.  Skilled craftsmen in the Blu Homes' 250,000 square-foot factory in Vallejo, CA then build the home in just 6-8 weeks. Once complete, the Blu home is installed on-site in one day and completed in 2-3 weeks by Blu's teams of craftsmen. This speed and convenience is thanks to Blu's proprietary building science technology, which allows its homes to be folded for quick and cost-effective transportation and setting on site. All of this is done at a pre-agreed, fixed cost.

For more information on Blu Homes go to www.bluhomes.com, follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/bluhomes) and Twitter (@BluHomes), or email us at [email protected].

About Blu Homes

Blu Homes, Inc. is the leading provider of beautiful and green precision-built homes in North America.  Built in its own 250,000 square foot state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Vallejo, California, Blu's inspired and nationally recognized homes can be found from New York to the Colorado Mountains and Pacific Coast. Blu's proprietary steel framing and building technology result in homes that are as strong as they are beautiful; that ship efficiently; and are conveniently finished on site by our own teams. Blu homes are more economical, healthier to live in, require lower maintenance, and are much stronger than conventional construction. Visit www.bluhomes.com. Blu is the proud builder of the Sunset magazine 2012 Idea House. For more information or to tour the Sunset Idea House, open in Healdsburg, California every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm through September 9, click here.

About Redfin

Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered real estate broker that represents people buying and selling homes. Founded and run by technologists, Redfin has a team of experienced, full-service real estate agents who are advocates, not sales-people, earning customer-satisfaction bonuses, not commissions. Redfin's online tools feature all the broker-listed homes for sale, as well as for-sale-by-owner properties that don't pay brokers a commission. The company serves 19 U.S. markets, and has closed more than $5 billion in home sales. Follow us on blog.redfin.com or our Twitter feed @redfin.

SOURCE Redfin