Buying Agents
How real estate agents are working with iBuyers
Reading Time — 6 minutes
July 12, 2019
By Joe Gomez
Reading Time — 6 minutes
July 12, 2019
The iBuying real estate model emphasizes certainty and convenience, providing home sellers with a competitive, all-cash offer without listing their home.
Consider a scenario where a client comes to you with a cash offer from an iBuyer—there are times when selling to a company like Opendoor makes sense and times when it might not. Your client will look to you to be the expert.
We’ll break down how we’re working with real estate agents, and how the iBuying business model can benefit yours.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
How can agents and iBuyers work together?
Agents are becoming experts on iBuyers
Agents are serving more clients with iBuyers
Agents are using instant offers to their advantage
→ Learn more about expanding your offering with Opendoor
Be an expert on iBuying
Being an authority on the iBuying process, pricing, and value proposition places you in a position of authority. It can also differentiate your service.
There are a lot of misconceptions about iBuyers. For example, iBuyers are often described as home flippers, but the business model is fundamentally different. It’d be difficult to reach high enough transaction volumes to justify the margins if the offers weren’t competitive.
While every iBuyer varies, most companies tend to buy mid-priced, residential homes that are in good condition. Unlike home flippers, the goal is to make minor updates for a quick resale, rather than targeting distressed properties that need major rehabs.
A good place to start is to understand when the iBuying model can serve your clients’ needs.
5 scenarios when an iBuyer might be the right fit:
Client scenario | What Opendoor can offer |
Sellers who need to move fast | For qualifying homes, you can present your client with a competitive, all-cash offer. If the home needs repairs, your client can skip the work. Your client chooses the close date, no need to compromise on timing with a buyer. |
Contingent buyers looking to be competitive in a hot real estate market | Your client can use an all-cash offer on their existing home to be more competitive on the home they’re purchasing. They don’t have to miss out on a buying opportunity. Align your client’s sale and purchase timeline. Your client chooses a flexible close date up to 2 months out (or 9 months out for a new construction) to avoid double-moves and double-mortgages. |
Sellers who need a certain sale with no fall-through risk | An all-cash offer removes the risk of buyer financing fall-through. Beyond repairs, sellers don’t need to worry about negotiating concessions. Your client has complete control over their moving timeline, rather than waiting for what could be months on the open market. They choose a flexible close date if something comes up. |
Sellers who want to skip the hassle | Your client can avoid months of home preparation, open houses, and showings. Give your client the option of skipping repairs. You can sit in your client’s living room and do all of the paperwork online. |
Sellers looking for a free 3rd party opinion on their home value | You can give sellers valuable insight into the market using an instant offer, as opposed to an estimate. Our offers are free with no obligation. We break down comps and adjustments made to value the home. |
Serve more clients with iBuyers
While consumers can work with Opendoor directly, many seek full-service guidance, local expertise, or negotiation skills, giving agents the opportunity to expand their offering with us.
Here are 3 ways to work with Opendoor:
1. Request an offer for your seller client
Seller pays Opendoor service charge + your commission. Your commission is between you and your client. In addition, you will earn a 1% commission from Opendoor Brokerage.
2. Represent a buyer on an Opendoor home
Earn a competitive commission when your client purchases an Opendoor home.
Qualify to get exclusive, high-intent referrals. Pay a referral fee only when the deal closes.
1. Request an offer for your seller client
Many agents already have a listing agreement in place with their clients when selling to us. We honor the listing agreement. Your client pays you the listing commission and then pays Opendoor’s brokerage the buying commission. In addition, you can earn a 1% commission and additional rewards from Opendoor Brokerage.
→ Get started requesting an offer for your client
2. Represent a buyer on an Opendoor home
For represented buyers who choose to purchase an Opendoor listed home, Opendoor’s MLS listings include co-broke commissions.
Unlock any Opendoor home using our mobile app. With Self-Tours from 6am to 9pm daily, your clients can visit homes on their schedule to truly get to know the property before and after a contract is signed. Once they find the one, we make it easy for you to submit an offer on their behalf.
3. Partner with us
We have an exclusive Agent Partner Program where our brokerage sends high-intent referrals to highly-rated, trusted partners with significant transaction experience. Unlike other programs, Opendoor Agent Partners only pay a referral fee when the deal closes.
If you’re building transaction experience, apply to be an On-demand Tour Assistant. If you’re more experienced, apply to the Buying Agent role where you’ll close with serious buyers.
Use instant offers to your advantage
Is there a better way to start a listing appointment than “Getting a competitive, all-cash offer on your home is the easy part, let’s talk about your goals and weigh your options.”
Sellers often have an aspirational number in mind, and it can be useful to have a price anchor that’s more than an estimate. There’s no risk or obligation in requesting an offer, it’s free and you get the benefit of transparent pricing.
As a neighborhood expert, you might be confident that listing is better for your clients, or maybe you think our offer is a good alternative. The point is you have a tangible place to start with potential buyers.
“I create listing appointments because I have Opendoor as a tool in my belt. I say to clients, I can get you a cash offer or list traditionally—whatever works better for you. If you need to sell more quickly, this is the way to go.”
– Shannon Fitzpatrick, Broker and VP, Movoto Real Estate, Henderson, NV
Grow with Opendoor
Think about all of the on-demand services you use today for entertainment, transportation, and ecommerce—why can’t moving be just as easy?
We believe there will always be a need for personal relationships when making a major life decision, which is why we’ve always worked with real estate agents. Our hope is that if we can make it easier to move, people will move more often, and then both iBuyers and agents can help more people.