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What Is iBuying and Where Is It Happening Most?
The highly streamlined home-purchasing process known as iBuying is on the rise. Here are the markets embracing it.
Imagine selling your home without ever having to put it on the market or even show it to anyone.
More homeowners across the country are turning to iBuying, a streamlined process that removes many of the hurdles and complications that come with selling a home. Companies, known as iBuyers — including Opendoor, Zillow Instant Offers, Offerpad and RedfinNow — invite potential sellers to enter the details of their property online. The details are then assessed by an algorithm that generates an offer in as little as 24 hours. If the seller accepts the offer, the iBuyer then sends a representative to inspect the property and determine if adjustments to the offer are needed. Move-out can be tailored to the seller’s schedule.
Typically, iBuyers operate in areas where much of the housing stock is similar in size and age, relatively new, and relatively affordable. This translates to a more predictable resale value, allowing iBuyers to generate quick offers that still promise a profit upon resale.
When courting an iBuyer, sellers don’t have to take the traditional steps of listing, staging or showing their home. And they don’t have to wait weeks or months for the closing, when the money actually changes hands.
But with the conveniences come downsides. The fees charged by iBuyers are similar to what sellers pay in a traditional transaction (though iBuyers usually spin their fees as slightly lower), and selling to an iBuyer generally means you’ll get less than you would on the open market. After all, the iBuyer is a virtual middleman that intends to resell the home at a profit.
The trend is growing. According to a study by Redfin, 18 U.S. real estate markets saw at least 1 percent of homes sold through iBuyers during the third quarter of 2019. In those markets, 3.1 percent of all homes were bought by iBuyers, up from 1.6 percent a year earlier. Their results are shown below in this week’s chart.
Increases in iBuyer Purchases
Eighteen markets where iBuyers purchased
1 percent or more of homes in the
third quarter of 2019.
CITY
iBUYER
PURCHASES
Q3 2019
iBUYER
PURCHASES
Q3 2018
3.8
4.9
2.1
2.5
0.1
2.5
2.5
3.4
0.0
0.0
0.0
2.4
1.3
0.0
0.2
0.1
0.9
0.0
1.6
%
Raleigh, N.C.
Phoenix
Atlanta
Charlotte, N.C.
Houston
San Antonio
Dallas
Las Vegas
Jacksonville, Fla.
Austin, Texas
Denver
Orlando, Fla.
Nashville
Portland, Ore.
Riverside, Calif.
Minneapolis
Tampa, Fla.
Sacramento
All
6.8
5.1
4.4
4.3
3.9
3.6
3.6
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.7
2.0
1.9
1.7
1.6
1.2
1.1
1.0
3.1
%
%
%
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