Real estate is complicated. A property tour doesn't have to be. Factour exists because the industry changed — and buyers and agents deserved a tool that changed with it.
The Moment That Created Factour
In August 2024, the National Association of Realtors implemented a settlement agreement that fundamentally reshaped how buyers and agents interact in the United States. Among its most significant provisions: before a licensed agent could tour a property with a buyer, both parties were required to sign a written buyer representation agreement — a legally binding document outlining compensation, scope of representation, and the terms of the agent-buyer relationship.
The intent behind that requirement was legitimate. Fee transparency in real estate was overdue. Buyers deserved to know, in writing, what they would owe an agent and why. The settlement addressed a real imbalance in how compensation was disclosed — or often not disclosed — in traditional real estate transactions.
We're not here to relitigate whether the settlement went far enough, went too far, or landed exactly right. That debate is ongoing, and reasonable people in the industry sit on every side of it. Factour takes no position on what should or shouldn't have happened. What we observed, plainly and practically, was that the settlement created a gap — and gaps in markets have a way of demanding to be filled.
The settlement created a moment where a buyer who simply wanted to walk through a front door had to first navigate a legal agreement with someone they'd never met. We thought there was a better way to handle that first step.
What the Gap Actually Looked Like
Here is what the post-settlement landscape produced for buyers: a home goes on the market. A buyer sees it online — on Zillow, Realtor.com, their favorite app. They want to see it in person. Under the new rules, to have a licensed agent show them that property, they need to sign a buyer representation agreement first. That agreement could be for one property, or it could lock them into a relationship with an agent for months across an entire market. The terms vary. The practical experience, for the buyer, was often one of confusion, hesitation, and friction.
For agents, the dynamic was equally awkward. A prospect calls or emails to see a home. Before the agent can show it, they have to ask that prospect to sign a formal agreement — before any trust has been established, before the buyer has seen the agent work, before either party knows if they're a good fit. Some buyers walk away. Some agents lose business. The agreement requirement, however reasonable in theory, created friction at exactly the wrong moment: the very first interaction.
The industry needed a tool that honored the spirit of the settlement — transparency, clear compensation, written agreements — while making that first interaction simpler for everyone involved.
One Problem, One Solution
Factour is not trying to reinvent real estate. We are not a brokerage. We do not represent buyers. We do not represent sellers. We do not negotiate on anyone's behalf. We are a marketplace — a platform that connects buyers who want to tour a specific property with local licensed agents who are available and willing to show it, at a price that is transparent, agreed upon upfront, and paid only after the tour is complete.
That's it. One problem. One solution. Touring the property.
A buyer posts a tour request on Factour — the address, a few available time slots, and their payment method. Licensed agents in that area see the request and submit proposals with their fee and availability. The buyer reviews those proposals, chooses the agent that makes the most sense for them, and books the appointment. After the tour, payment is processed automatically. No long-term commitment. No surprise charges. No pressure about what comes next.
For the agent, the value is equally straightforward. They set their own price. They accept only the requests that fit their schedule. They earn money for a service they're already qualified to provide. And if the buyer they tour is a great fit for a longer-term relationship, that door is wide open — organically, at the buyer's pace, without any pressure baked into the structure of the initial transaction.
What Factour Is and Isn't
We want to be clear about something, because clarity in real estate has never been more important than it is right now. Factour is not an alternative to buyer representation. It is not a workaround. It is not a commentary on the value of full-service agents, and it is not designed to replace the buyer-agent relationship for buyers who want one.
What Factour provides is a legitimate, compliant, fee-for-service option for the specific moment in the buying process when a buyer needs to see a property — and nothing else yet. Some of those buyers will go on to hire a full buyer's agent. Some will not. Both outcomes are fine. Factour is agnostic about what happens after the tour. Our job begins when the buyer posts their request and ends when the tour is complete.
The real estate industry is in the middle of a period of genuine transformation. Fee structures that stood unchanged for decades are being renegotiated. Buyers are more informed and more cost-conscious than ever. Agents are adapting. The market is adjusting. In the middle of all of that, one thing has remained constant: before anything else happens in a real estate transaction, someone has to walk through the front door.
Factour makes that part simple. The rest of the industry can handle the rest.
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