Realty EPIC Offers Flat Fees, Anonymous Listings

Veteran real estate agent Rob Florida disagrees with percentage-based fees and other aspects of the real estate industry, and it prompted him to create his own company.

Realty EPIC officially incorporated in Fayetteville in January, after Florida says he tested the business model — which includes flat fees and unbundled services — for about a year and a half.

Florida said Realty EPIC’s mission is to empower and educate consumers and move away from the supply-side-driven system.

Another facet of Realty EPIC’s offerings is InvisAlist, an online buying/selling platform and process.

Still in the testing phase, InvisAlist allows sellers to anonymously post properties for sale on alternative platforms apart from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), Florida said, likening the platform to Airbnb for real estate.

Florida says his research shows most homeowners (72 percent) would sell, if they knew where they were going.

“A lot of people would like to get some offers on their home, but don’t want to put a sign in their yard or have people peeping in their windows,” Florida said.

Only after buyers are qualified and vetted is a property scheduled for showing. The process weeds out “lookiloos” and cuts down on the amount of time that consumers spend looking at houses that are not right for their needs, Florida said. 

As part of this process, Florida can provide potential buyers a look at a property’s blueprints, so buyers could potentially ascertain, for example, whether there is adequate closet space without ever setting foot on the property.