Placeholder: brokerage licensing and the RESPA and affiliated business disclosures on this page are still to be finalized with counsel. The statements below describe the intended structure.
1. Zoomhut is a technology platform
Zoomhut provides software that helps homeowners list and sell their homes, helps buyers find homes, and connects both with independent local professionals. Zoomhut presents itself as a technology platform. Real estate brokerage, legal and closing, inspection, photography, showing and lending services are provided by independent third-party professionals, who are responsible for holding and maintaining any licenses their work requires.
2. Who provides licensed services
The table below summarizes who performs each service and the licensing typically required in Florida.
| Service | Provided by | Typical licensing in Florida |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate brokerage services | Independent licensed real estate brokers and sales associates | Real estate license (Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Florida Real Estate Commission) |
| Local seller guidance (local representatives) | Independent local representatives | A real estate license is required for activities that Florida law treats as brokerage. [Counsel to confirm the local representative role.] |
| Showings (walkers) | Independent contractors who show homes | Showing property for compensation may require a real estate license in Florida. [Counsel to confirm the walker model.] |
| Legal and closing services | Independent real estate law firms | Attorneys licensed by The Florida Bar; title insurance issued through licensed title agents (Florida Department of Financial Services) |
| Home inspections | Independent home inspectors | Home inspector license (Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation) |
| Listing photography | Independent photographers | Generally no state license required |
| Mortgage lending and pre-qualification | Independent lenders and loan originators | Mortgage lender or loan originator license (Florida Office of Financial Regulation) and NMLS registration, unless exempt |
| Appraisals (when a lender requires one) | Independent appraisers engaged by or for the lender | Appraiser license or certification (Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation) |
Licensing requirements differ by state and can change. Each professional is responsible for complying with the rules that apply to them.
3. Checking a professional's license
Where a professional has provided one, their license number is shown on their Zoomhut profile. We encourage you to confirm it with the regulator before you hire them:
- Real estate licensees, home inspectors and appraisers: myfloridalicense.com (Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation)
- Attorneys: floridabar.org (The Florida Bar member search)
- Mortgage lenders and loan originators: nmlsconsumeraccess.org (NMLS Consumer Access)
4. Demonstration data
Zoomhut is currently a proof of concept. The professional accounts, license numbers, listings and county property records you see are demonstration data unless Zoomhut has told you otherwise. They are not real offers of property or services, and no payments are processed.
5. No agency or brokerage relationship
Using the proof of concept does not create an agency, brokerage, fiduciary or attorney-client relationship between you and Zoomhut. If you work with a Florida real estate licensee, they must give you the brokerage relationship disclosure that Florida law requires, which explains the kind of representation (if any) they provide. Any attorney-client relationship is formed directly between you and the law firm under its own engagement terms.
6. Valuations are not appraisals
Zoomhut's AI home valuations are automated estimates based on comparable sales and property data. They are not appraisals, are not prepared by a licensed or certified appraiser, and are not prepared under the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Do not use them for lending, tax, insurance or legal purposes. Property facts come from public records, which can be incomplete or out of date, so valuations are estimates only.
7. No legal, tax, financial or investment advice
Nothing on the Platform, including content produced by our AI features, is legal, tax, financial, investment or lending advice. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed professional such as your attorney, tax advisor or lender.
8. Settlement services and compensation (RESPA)
The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) applies to many residential transactions that involve a federally related mortgage loan. Among other things, it prohibits kickbacks and referral fees for settlement services, and splits of settlement-service charges for which no services are actually performed.
- Our policy: Zoomhut does not give or accept any fee, kickback or thing of value for referrals of settlement-service business that RESPA or other law prohibits.
- Disclosure of compensation: any compensation Zoomhut receives in connection with settlement services, including the fixed closing-services fee for the law-firm closing package (illustrated as $2,500 in the proof of concept), will be disclosed as required by applicable law, including RESPA.
- Affiliated business arrangements: if Zoomhut has an ownership or other affiliated relationship with a provider it refers you to, we will give you any affiliated business arrangement disclosure the law requires.
[To be finalized with counsel: brokerage licensing; how the closing-services fee is divided between Zoomhut and the law firm and how that is disclosed; whether use of the closing package is optional; and the final RESPA and affiliated business disclosures.]
9. Florida transaction disclosures
Florida law requires certain disclosures in residential sales. Depending on the property, these can include a radon gas notice, a property tax disclosure, flood-related disclosures, homeowners' or condominium association disclosures, the seller's duty to disclose known material defects that are not readily observable, and (for most homes built before 1978) the federal lead-based paint disclosure. These are handled through your purchase contract and closing documents, prepared or reviewed by your law firm. Information in a Zoomhut listing does not replace them.
10. Wire fraud warning
Criminals target real estate transactions with fake emails containing wiring instructions. Zoomhut will never send you wiring instructions or ask you to wire money. Before sending any funds, call your law firm using a phone number you found independently (not one from the email) to confirm the instructions. If you think you have been targeted, contact your bank immediately and report it to the FBI at ic3.gov.
11. Equal Housing Opportunity
Zoomhut is committed to equal housing opportunity and supports the federal Fair Housing Act and the Florida Fair Housing Act. See our Fair Housing & Accessibility page.
12. Concerns about a professional
If you have a concern about a professional you found through Zoomhut, tell us at john@zoomhut.com or (561) 212-7983. We may review the matter and remove a professional from our network. You can also contact the professional's licensing regulator listed above.