Redfin, a Seattle-based real estate brokerage, hopes to woo Twin Cities home buyers and sellers with a

discounted commission structure and a focus on customer service. The company said today that it has officially opened up shop in the Twin Cities, but at least in the short term will function without a bricks-and-mortar operation. The company has already been working with several Twin Cities-based "referral agents" who work for other brokerages, but announced the hiring of Chris Prescott, who has worked the real estate market in the Twin Cities for more than 20 years.

Prescott will be Minnesota market manager, and was most recently a partner in a local company that created marketing and social media programs for more than 200 local and national real estate agents. "When I heard that Redfin was coming to Minnesota, I knew that I had to be part of their mission to change real estate here in the Twin Cities," Prescott said. "After being in the business for 20-plus years, I am very excited about the opportunity to change the way real estate is done and make it better for buyers, sellers and agents."

Stay tuned for a story in the Wednesday Business section.

-Jim Buchta