Is Factour a real estate brokerage?+
No. Factour is a technology platform, not a brokerage. It gives property owners a free tool to list a home and let buyers book showings directly, and it lets buyers hire a licensed agent for a single tour of any home when they want one. Factour does not provide brokerage services, does not represent buyers or sellers, and is not a party to any contract between consumers and agents.
Do I need an agent to tour a home on Factour?+
No. If a home is listed on Factour by its owner, you book a showing directly with that owner, free, with no agent involved. You only hire an agent if you want a licensed professional present. Hiring an agent is a separate, optional service.
Can I tour a for sale by owner home without an agent?+
Yes. That is the most common way to use Factour. When an owner lists their home, buyers book showings with the owner directly at no cost and with no agent. You are never required to use an agent to see a for sale by owner home.
Can I use Factour to see an MLS-listed home?+
Yes. Enter the address of any home, whether it is on the MLS or for sale by owner, and hire a licensed local agent to show it. This is common when you do not have a buyer's agent and are not ready to sign with one.
Do I have to list on Factour to use the booking link?+
No. The booking link works wherever you advertise your home. Put it in your Zillow listing, your Facebook Marketplace post, your Craigslist ad, and your yard sign. Buyers book directly through Factour regardless of where they find the link.
How are buyers verified?+
Every buyer confirms a phone number via SMS and puts a payment card on file before booking. The card is not charged for owner-hosted showings; it is on file as identity assurance. Sellers can also require government ID verification per listing. Verification is designed to reduce spam, bots, and non-serious bookings. It is not a background check, does not screen for criminal history, and does not tell you whether a person is safe.
Do you run background checks on buyers?+
No. We do not run criminal background checks, sex offender registry checks, credit checks, or tenant screening on anyone. Verification confirms a phone number, a payment card, and optionally a government ID, which cuts down on bots and fake accounts. It cannot tell you whether a person is safe, so take the same precautions you would with any stranger.
What does the yard sign cost?+
Nothing. Generate and print your QR yard sign free from your listing dashboard. It encodes your booking link so every drive-by can become a booked showing.
When will agent tours be available?+
Agent-hosted tours and virtual showings launch market by market as enough licensed agents join. Agents can apply now to be founding agents. Buyers can enter an address to request a tour and join the waitlist for their market.
Can I list my home for sale by owner on Factour?+
Yes. Listing is open to any owner selling or renting a property, and it is built with for sale by owner sellers in mind. Create a Seller account, add your property details and up to 25 photos, and your listing is live with its own page and built-in online showing booking. There is no charge to list.
What does it cost to list a home on Factour?+
There is no charge to create or publish a listing, and owner-hosted showings are free to book for both sides. Factour earns its fee only when a buyer chooses to hire a licensed agent for a tour. If listing pricing ever changes, active listings will be notified in advance.
Is booking a showing on Factour really free?+
Owner-hosted showings are free for both the buyer and the owner. Hiring a licensed agent for a tour is the paid option: the buyer pays the agent's flat fee plus the Factour platform fee.
How do showings work for a for sale by owner listing?+
You choose. Offer free owner-hosted showings, where buyers book a time online and you confirm with one click, or let buyers hire a licensed agent for a tour, virtual or in-person, at a flat fee the buyer pays. You can offer both and let each buyer decide. Factour handles the booking, confirmations, and reminders either way.
What is an owner-hosted showing?+
An owner-hosted showing is a free showing conducted by the property owner rather than a licensed agent. Buyers book a time from the owner's availability, the owner confirms, and both parties receive confirmations and reminders through Factour. There is no fee to the buyer, no fee to the owner, and no agent involved.
What is the difference between a free showing and hiring an agent?+
A free showing is hosted by the owner selling their own home, at no cost, with no agent. Hiring an agent is a paid option, available on any home, MLS-listed or for sale by owner, for buyers who want a licensed professional with them. On a for sale by owner home you can choose either one.
How is Factour different from a traditional brokerage or Zillow?+
Traditional real estate bundles everything into full-service representation paid by commission, and portals like Zillow route you to that same bundle. Factour unbundles it. Sellers list their home and host their own free showings. Buyers can see a for sale by owner home free with the owner, or hire a licensed agent for a single tour of any home with no long-term representation agreement. You pay only for what you actually need.
Do I need to sign a buyer's agreement to use Factour?+
Not for a free owner-hosted showing, which involves no agent and no agreement. If you hire a licensed agent for a tour, a written single-tour agreement is formed for that one showing only, scoped to one property and one appointment. There is no long-term buyer representation agreement.
Are any agents or brokers given priority?+
No. Factour is an open marketplace. No agent or broker pays for priority placement or featured positioning. Every agent competes on merit.
Is Factour compliant with the 2024 NAR settlement?+
Factour operates within the framework established by the NAR settlement. The settlement's written-agreement requirement applies when a buyer hires an agent: every paid tour creates a written single-tour agreement between the consumer and agent, scoped to one tour, with compensation stated upfront and acknowledged as negotiable. Free owner-hosted showings involve no agent and are not subject to that requirement. For the full analysis, see our Compliance page.
Are there any fees charged to consumers?+
Owner-hosted showings are free. If you hire a licensed agent for a tour, you pay the agent's flat fee plus a $12.00 Factour platform fee, both shown before you confirm. For example, on a $50 tour the total is $62.00. There are no subscription or membership fees.
Is there a fee if a tour needs to be rescheduled?+
If you reschedule with the same agent at the same price, no fee applies. This covers both virtual and in-person tours, and switching between the two formats with the same agent and price is treated as a reschedule.
Is there a cancellation charge or fee?+
If you cancel more than two hours before the scheduled tour time, no fee is charged. If you cancel within two hours, the full tour fee applies. If the agent cancels at any time, no fee is charged to you.