Groupon Offer a Good Deal for Home Buyers?

A Chicago broker leapt into the Groupon space this week by offering $1,000 cash back to any buyer or seller who lists or closes a deal with them in the next two years. All you have to do is fork over $25 to Groupon to qualify; the home must sell for $150,000 or more.

"Our Groupon deal is a natural extension of the way we work," said Yuval Degani, president and co-founder of Dream Town Realty, which has office locations in Lincoln Park, West Loop, Lincoln Square and on North Sedgwick. "For anyone thinking about or currently shopping for a home, our Groupon deal is intended to put money in your pocket."

So far 173 people have purchased the offer.

Social commerce consultant Patrick Kitano, the founding principal of Domus Consulting Group, hopes "no consumer would purchase this kind of offer without due diligence." It's not like trying out a new restaurant, where if you don't like the food you don't have to go back. Buying or selling your house is a big deal, with a lot of money at stake. "Couponing real estate services will likely require ... pre-transaction interaction," he says.