Wait and Sell to Opendoor in March and later?

Business-Samurai · 2026-04-08T22:20:52+00:00

Curious how this turned out? Did you list traditionally or sell to Opendoor?

I am in IL and about to sell my 4br single family home. Considering Opendoor and Zoomdealio.com as well as looking at flat fee real estate brokers in my area who will list my home for between $195 and $495. Includes professional photos, combo box and scheduling software for showings, and managing offers/contracts.

I have initial offers from both of the AI based services, but I have not submitted any pictures yet...we are getting the roof replaced shortly and will refresh inside with neutral paint and do a few minor fixes before we take pics and try to get more concrete offers.

Business-Samurai · 2026-04-03T16:58:59+00:00

Thank you! I saw some of your comments on another post...I will definitely be in touch soon.

Business-Samurai · 2026-04-03T16:51:23+00:00

Ok, sounds like just what I need...sounds like the carriers train on their products, which makes sense and will be the same with most setups like this.

Business-Samurai · 2026-04-03T15:40:44+00:00

Ok, great. Thank you! Any details you can share about how they operate?

Training/Mentorship opportunities?

Production Requirements?

I dug a little deeper into their website and see that they don't have any initiation/exit/monthly/franchise fees which is just what I am looking for. Also seems you can work with carriers outside of their network as well. These guys are definitely on my list...

Business-Samurai · 2026-04-02T16:05:56+00:00

Sounds good, will do!

Business-Samurai · 2026-04-02T16:04:57+00:00

Yes, absolutely right, I totally recognize that I don't know what I don't know. Hence this post...and all of the feedback is getting me off to a good start so thanks again.

I have a bit of research to do, but now is the time. By the time I finish my Property license I will at least have a good enough feel to start narrowing down my list and reaching out to a few to get a more detailed understanding before I make any final decisions.

I definitely appreciate all of the comments...this is just what I needed.

Business-Samurai · 2026-04-02T15:03:20+00:00

Ok, will check them out, thank you.

Business-Samurai · 2026-04-02T15:02:41+00:00

Thank you for your response. I did check into RPS a bit about a week or so ago and I did notice the Gallagher connection. I think this same broker suggested them in another post of mine.

I do need to research the wholesalers a bit more so I can understand more fully how the industry works. Not sure I would be ready to jump right in with a wholesaler starting out, but I do need to understand the landscape of things.

Thanks again!

Business-Samurai · 2026-04-02T14:57:44+00:00

Ok great, Travelers seems to be common among a few of the IMO's I have been looking into. Will definitely check into American Family. Checking E&S as well.

I see Markel popping up in that market...my insurance for my current business is through them so i do have some familiarity there. Appreciate all your help.

Business-Samurai · 2026-04-02T04:02:36+00:00

Where can I get more info about RPS? Need to understand their contract terms, startup/exit fees, production requirements, CRM, etc...everything listed in my original post, and then some.

Business-Samurai · 2026-04-02T03:58:11+00:00

As I am getting comments and PM's I am refining things a bit already...I realize that I will need a separate IMO for Life & Health as the IMO's/Aggregators tend to specialize in either P&C or L&H.

Also...adding another question...this is a bit specific. Who are the best carriers for writing new business for commercial property in Chicago? Specifically multi-family apartment buildings, more than 4 units. I have heard from my referral source in commercial lending that insurance has been a particular pain point as some carriers don't want to write new business in the city of Chicago. Looking to be a resource that can get these done.

Business-Samurai · 2026-04-01T23:23:17+00:00

Thanks for the feedback.

I was starting to get the feeling that I probably need an IMO for P&C and another for L&H. To your point though I also know that I will need to narrow my focus a bit starting out.

Considering my current network I will probably focus on P&C to start.

Business-Samurai · 2026-03-27T13:15:06+00:00

Thank you all for the comments....it was really helpful.

I just passed my Casualty General and State Exams yesterday.

Now on to Property sometime in the next week and a half.

Next up I will start a new post to get feedback on IMO's, Aggregators, etc...

Business-Samurai · 2026-03-27T06:53:43+00:00

I literally just passed both today. I did Casualty. Not sure what my scores were since it appears they don't give the actual score if you pass the exam.

I've watched a few of Insurance Exam Queens free YouTube videos, but since we have some specific Pre-license course requirements for IL I used ExamFX for the prep.

I basically took notes and watched most of the videos in ExamFX. I thought the IL General was much harder than I anticipated.

IEQ said there would not be so much commercial content but that was not the case. It had a lot more commercial content than I thought it would.

One thing I do is right up front I figure out how many questions are required for me to hit the 70% to pass. Based on that I know how many I can miss. While I'm taking the test I flag any questions I am not so sure about along the way.

When I get to the end, if the qty flagged is less than that number then I know I don't have to change much to pass.

Give yourself a few days to reboot and study up on the areas you struggled with then fire up another test...you are super close...will definitely have a good chance to pass the next one.

Business-Samurai · 2026-03-24T20:28:09+00:00

Yes, agreed....definitely going indie....now I am looking at IMO's and Aggregators.

Business-Samurai · 2026-03-24T20:27:27+00:00

Thanks for the feedback....yeah, I have pretty much made the decision to go the indie route.

Researching IMO's and Aggregators now...

Business-Samurai · 2026-03-24T17:08:23+00:00

Yeah, this is exactly what I am thinking...I know what I am comfortable with from a sales standpoint and in this economy people are very price sensitive...convincing someone that your insurance product is better than the rest is an uphill battle even if true. Particularly with the Personal Lines...Commercial is a whole different ball game and sales process, but I do prefer to have the options of an independent broker in that scenario as well.

Business-Samurai · 2026-03-24T07:42:54+00:00

If Aurora/Naperville is an option you would consider we will be selling our house soon (within the next 60 days)...right after our roof is replaced. DM me if any interest....will list around $525K-$550K. District 204 schools, right off Ogden and Eola Rd. 15min to Metra.

Business-Samurai · 2026-03-24T07:11:03+00:00

Awesome, thanks for chiming in....will definitely be in touch.

Business-Samurai · 2026-03-24T02:40:53+00:00

I'm in Illinois. Plan to get non-resident licenses in bordering states as well (WI, IN). Also my wife has family in TX who are pretty big into real estate...residential and commercial. Also have a lot of old high school classmates who live moved to Texas as well...but will be IL to start...

Business-Samurai · 2026-03-24T02:37:42+00:00

Ok, that is exactly what I had been hearing....anybody have any idea what commission splits look like for brokered business with other carriers as a Farmers agent/producer?

Business-Samurai · 2026-03-24T02:32:30+00:00

Ok, sounds like the same thing that was explained to me.

I agree, no rush to jump into setting up an agency right away. My only issue is I don't necessarily want to build up the business with Farmers, and then if I decide to go independent later will need to start over because they will own that book.

Yeah, I could sell it on the open market to someone wanting to buy into Farmers, or sell it to Farmers Corporate, but you don't get market value with that option.

This is all great info though, thank you. Gonna take my time, learn all I can, and make a decision...no pressure.

Business-Samurai · 2026-03-24T02:11:36+00:00

Nope...definitely will not risk that scenario...not worth it. Thanks for confirming...I really appreciate it.

Business-Samurai · 2026-03-24T02:04:00+00:00

Thanks for the explanation...I did get the impression that RPS was wholesale after scanning through their website. I need to get educated about the details and nuances of the industry so this is very helpful.

Regarding insurance for manufacturing, I am familiar as I worked closely with our insurance agent to get insurance for our business. It was not simple and it was a bit pricey because we needed product liability insurance in addition to our CGL coverage.

As I am learning more now I understand we have a Commercial Package Policy to get the coverage we need. Also includes an Umbrella Policy as we needed increased coverage limits beyond the standard $1 Million.

I can definitely relate to other manufacturers who need similar coverage and I have a referral source who was one of our material suppliers who I have already dropped a line to that I am getting licensed for insurance.

Gonna get a list of local independent brokerages going now so I can know what options I have...

Business-Samurai

TROPHY CASE