Sundae launches a new way for agents to quickly close properties that need updates or repairs

Getting your clients the best prices for their homes—even when they’re hard to sell—is sometimes an uphill climb. Here’s how partnering with Sundae can make that easier, and more profitable for you.

For residential real estate agents, job number one is helping your clients sell their homes, for the best price available and in a process that’s as seamless and easy as possible. Certainly, some homes are so desirable you can list them and they practically sell themselves. But when homeowners are facing hardship and need to sell fast, as-is, and for cash, the traditional MLS route often isn’t the right choice.

While you and your clients are likely already familiar with iBuyers, real-estate investment trusts (REITs), and other ways homeowners can sell off-market, those don’t always provide the best answer. That’s why we’ve introduced a first-of-its-kind program called the Sundae Referral Network.

What is the Sundae Referral Network?

Through the Sundae Referral Network, you can introduce clients with properties that need repair or otherwise aren’t good fit for the MLS to the Sundae marketplace. You’ll earn a referral commission and we’ll help your client quickly find a cash buyer offering the best-available price, and easily close on their sale.

As an agent, you can also enroll other agents in the program, building your network while increasing your opportunities to earn. This way you can optimize your time and expand your income streams. We created the program with both goals in mind.

“We consulted with top agents at leading brokerages to understand how we could support the agent community,” said Josh Stech, Sundae CEO and Co-Founder. “Our goal was to help agents close more deals but, knowing the ebbs and flows of the real estate market, we also wanted to provide them opportunities to supplement their income in the periods of a slower market.”

How does the program work?

Getting started with the Sundae Referral Network is simple, and once you do you may find yourself wanting to bring colleagues on board.

Start by joining the Sundae Referral Network

Visit our Referral Network page to enroll. The process is quick, free, and easy.

Refer a property

Once enrolled, you’ll have access to your own “Referral Dashboard.” That’s where you can enter the details of any property you encounter that needs extensive repairs or otherwise isn’t a fit for the MLS.

As a member of the Sundae Referral Network you can leverage the Sundae two different ways.

1. Refer the seller directly to Sundae: Save yourself the time and hassle of trying to list the property on the MLS. Refer the seller to Sundae and we'll take care of everything from start to finish, leaving you more time to focus on MLS-ready properties.
2. Leverage Sundae to generate offers for active listings: Work hand-in-hand with Sundae to list your client’s property exclusively on our marketplace. You’ll keep your listing agreement and remain the point of contact throughout the process, and we’ll get the home in front of a fresh set of buyers.

Earn your commission

Sundae will take over the process at that point, and your responsibility ends. We’ll market the property to our large and trusted network of local investors and handle all aspects of the sale. After closing, you’ll receive your commission.

Build your network—and earn!

With a successful Sundae referral under your belt, you’ll want to recommend us to your real-estate colleagues and peers. You can share your unique registration link with them; upon joining, they will be added to your network. That will not only strengthen your professional network but will bring you residual income in the form of commission on each of their referrals, upon closing.

Is the Sundae Referral Network Right for My Business?

Yes! Every seller situation is different, and agents who provide their clients with multiple solutions stand out from their competition.

Am I eligible to enroll?

To participate in the Sundae Referral Network, you need to be:

• A licensed real-estate professional in good standing in all states in which you do business;
• At least the age of majority in the states where you are licensed to do business; and
• A broker or associated with a real estate brokerage

Sundae’s current markets:

We are currently serving 8 markets in the Unites States, and we are growing. Although you do not have to be licensed in one of these markets to enroll in the Network and take advantage of commission-earning opportunities, for now we can only accept referrals within the following:

• California: Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Oakland, Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego
• Texas: Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston

Why agents like working with Sundae

Not all houses are a fit for the MLS

When working with a client who’d rather sell as-is than do the repairs and updates needed to get their property market ready, you may feel your only choice is to bring them one or two REIT or iBuyer offers for a cash deal. This limits your clients’ options and potential profit. Sundae gives agents a competitive alternate solution to bring to the table.

Sellers don’t always have the time or willingness to do traditional home prep and showings

Staging a home to sell takes time and money that sellers don’t always have. Sundae Referral Network member Shelley Cooley, of eXp Realty in Houston, Texas, recalled working with clients who had only about three weeks to sell their home because they’d already signed a contract on their new one.

“Their home was 33 years old and hadn’t been updated,” said Cooley. “They had taken good care of it, but [it was going to take time] to get it staged and ready for photos. I knew that this would be a perfect opportunity to use Sundae.”

She was pleased to be able to refer them to a marketplace where they could skip all that prep work and get offers in hand, fast. “Within four days they had all the offers.”

We make it easy for your client to get the best off-market price

While iBuyers and other off-market investors also present as-is, cash-sale options, it can be hard to know if you’re getting the best possible price. Sundae’s auction-style platform creates competition amongst potential buyers, so homeowners can feel confident that they have made the best deal available. And they can do it without a lot of legwork.

As network member Rick Ruiz, of GK Properties in Las Vegas, tells his clients who are interested in selling off market, “you can go out into the world, gather offers and compare notes… or you can [work with] Sundae. They'll bring them to you in one spot.”

We handle the hard work

In an MLS sale, a good deal of your efforts goes to coordinating the transaction and handling the closing—which both takes time and carries liability. “With Sundae it's a straight referral,” noted Ruiz. “My time is not involved.”

This provides an extra, no-effort income stream (what Ruiz and his team like to call mailbox money), while leaving you with more time to dedicate to traditional sales.

Your client doesn’t have to spend upfront money they might not have

With Sundae, the offer you see is the offer you get. There are no hidden fees or closing costs for sellers.

With other off-market sales, you can hit a dead end

Sometimes, properties that aren’t a fit for the MLS also aren’t a fit for iBuyers or REITs, which can have very specific buy-boxes. Rather than turning that client away, with Sundae you have another avenue to pursue.

Sundae offers a human touch

As real-estate professionals well know, selling a home is one of the biggest financial decisions people make in their lives, and often a little handholding is in order. Not all iBuyers or internet selling platforms offer a human element. But Sundae does, and for our agents and their clients, it makes a difference.

“The fact that [a Sundae representative] shows up in a Sundae shirt, with a clipboard or an iPad, means there is a human who can talk the consumer through this process,” Ruiz noted. “It’s very important.”

We make you look good

“I think people look at me more of a professional like, wow, we just thought she was going to talk to us about putting a sign in our yard and getting it sold on the open market, and she had these other options that could potentially be a solution for us,” said Cooley. “I think having you guys in my back pocket just makes me look more like a forward-thinking real estate agent.”

At Sundae, we have hundreds of 5-star reviews for a reason. So as an agent, you can recommend us to your clients with confidence.

“At the end of day, when you refer somebody, you're lending your credibility,” agreed Ruiz. “I keep referring Sundae because it's been a positive experience for the consumer and for us as well.”

Your income will grow as your network does

It’s easy and free to bring other agents into your Sundae network, and the more they sell the more commissions you both earn.

Bobby Davidowitz, of The Alliance Group @EXP Realty, was among the founding members of the Sundae Referral Network. “I immediately realized the power this could have to create a strong recurring income source for agents,” he explained. “As your network grows, your potential for recurring income grows.”

How commissions work with Sundae Agent Referrals

There are two ways to earn commissions through the Sundae Referral Network:

• Individual referrals, which earn up to 30% of Sundae’s gross commissions on each sale (equaling up to 2% of the sale price), on a rolling basis; and
• Network referrals, which earn 4 to 5% of Sundae’s gross commissions

Invest in your clients and your business with Sundae

As of March 2023, over 1,500 agents have joined the Sundae Referral Network, and we are growing every day. It couldn’t be easier to get started.