2 Online Realty Companies Expand Their Service Areas

Online real estate brokerages can operate in the virtual world, but in the real world, someone still has to be on hand to open the door for a prospective home buyer.

To accommodate the growing number of clients across the nation, two California firms have expanded their service areas.

Campbell, Calif.-based eHome.com (https://www.ehome.com) followed its November launch in the San Francisco Bay Area with a recent launch in Southern California.

With regional offices in San Diego, Glendale and Irvine, eHome.com plans to offer personalized traditional services and low fixed fees to consumers living in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.

Ehome.com matches buyers and sellers with real estate agents in local areas. Home sellers pay a flat service fee instead of the typical 6% commission to agents. Some of eHome.com’s services include 360-degree virtual home tours, access to in-house lenders and live online chats with agents. Also, e-mail alerts can be sent to buyers when a house becomes available that matches their search criteria.

Another online brokerage, zipRealty.com (https://www.ziprealty.com) has also expanded by adding agents in Dallas to represent the company.

Berkeley-based zipRealty.com now serves seven Western and Southern metropolitan cities through local and online agents and brokers.