Amazon
Amazon's new real estate collaboration.
- Amazon has partnered with Realogy, the US' largest residential real-estate brokerage company, to launch a new service that connects potential homebuyers to real-estate brokers.
- Customers enter their details on Amazon.com and are then connected with Realogy brokers in the area where they are looking for a property.
- If these customers purchase a home through this new service, known as TurnKey, they are given up to $5,000 to spend on Amazon Home Services and its smart-home devices.
- It's good for Amazon, as it means it can get its smart-home devices into the hands of more customers and spread the word about the home services that it offers.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Amazon shoppers can now start the search for their next home on Amazon.com.
This is because the tech giant has partnered up with Realogy, the US' largest residential real-estate brokerage company, to create a new service whereby it links customers to real-estate brokers. Those that use the service and go on to buy a property are then rewarded with a credit to spend at Amazon.
Customers sign up for the new service, TurnKey, on Amazon.com. They are asked to provide their details and the area where they are looking for a property and then are subsequently introduced to a real-estate broker in that area. Amazon simply provides the platform for the customer to start the search.
If this customer decides to purchase the house through the TurnKey system, Amazon steps in again, rewarding the customer with up to $5,000 to spend on a selection of Amazon Home Services - deep cleaning or a handyman, for example - as well as smart-home products such as its Alexa devices. The size of this credit depends on the cost of the house - to get $5,000, you'd need to buy a house that costs more than $700,000.
The Amazon credit is covered by Realogy, which clearly sees value in having access to a large pool of Amazon customers that might be looking for a new house.
But Amazon also benefits, as it helps bring its smart-home devices into the hands of more customers and spread the word about the home services it offers.
"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," Pat Bigatel, director of Amazon Home Services, said in a statement to the press.
"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."
