Table of Content

Opendoor.com – Is it worth it?

What does Opendoor Technology do?

Is Opendoor worth it?

FAQ

Who owns Opendoor?

Is Opendoor a public company?

Does Opendoor negotiate with buyers?

Does Opendoor accept contingent offers?

How much does Opendoor charge?

What is the Opendoor business model?

Does Opendoor give reasonable offers?

Is Opendoor publicly traded?

Does Opendoor buy land?

How to negotiate with Opendoor?

Summary of the Opendoor service

Opendoor.com – Is it worth it?

Opendoor is an iBuyer (aka Instant Buyer) established in 2014 that currently operates in over 20 markets in the United States. The Open Door service aims to simplify real estate and make it quick and easy to buy and sell homes, even via a mobile device. Like most iBuyer companies, Opendoor realty uses a website or app platform and gives prompt cash offers to purchase homes at a marginally discounted price.

This article reviews how the real estate website and app works, the pros and cons of Opendoor, and determines if the iBuying platform is really worth it.

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What does Opendoor Technology do?

Opendoor is an iBuyer that purchases homes and resells them at a profit, in addition to revenues earned via Open door commission and service charges, financing, and title fees. Opendoor aims to revolutionize how people buy and sell homes by digitizing the process and making it possible to buy and sell your home through a mobile device.

The process for selling your home through the Open door company is:

• As a seller, you complete an online form, which requests pictures of your house and details of any renovations or improvements.
• After completing the online form, you will receive an instant Opendoor estimate offer range.
• An assessment of your home is scheduled and is either completed virtually or in person by an assessor.
• Opendoor will make an offer, which includes any deductions for repairs.
• You can choose if you’d like to list with Opendoor realtors or sell to Opendoor for cash.
• You accept Opendoor’s offer, sign the purchase agreement, and choose your closing date.
• You receive your settlement funds within a few days of closing.

The process for buying a property listed in the select markets where Opendoor homes for sale are available is:

• You find a home through the Opendoor real estate website or app.
• View Opendoor properties via a video tour on the app.
• Submit an offer yourself or through your buyer’s agent.
• Opendoor will respond to your submission within 24-48 hours.
• If accepted, your agent can create a purchase agreement.
• You sign the agreement, go to escrow, and pay an earnest money deposit.
• You schedule an inspection to determine if any repairs are needed.
• You negotiate the repairs and closing costs with Opendoor.
• The sale will finalize within 14 to 45 days.

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Is Opendoor worth it?

Opendoor may be worth it for those who need a quick, simple sale to avoid the financial pressure of double-mortgages when relocating to a new home. Additionally, those who need funds quickly due to unexpected or difficult personal circumstances may benefit from using Opendoor. People who prefer to transact entirely online will appreciate the comprehensive digital experience of selling their home and even purchasing the next one through Opendoor realty’s website or app.

Opendoor is unlikely to be worthwhile for sellers who want to get the maximum market value for their home and do not require an urgent sale. The purchase offer of Open door properties must account for the profit margin on the Open door resale. As a result, Opendoor will offer a reasonable but not highly competitive purchase price. Furthermore, Opendoor is unlikely to suit sellers located in a hot property market who could quickly sell their home for a higher price on the open market.

FAQ

Who owns Opendoor?

The Opendoor company was co-founded by Eric Wu, Ian Wong, and JD Ross. Opendoor was publicly listed via an IPO on 21 December 2020 and is currently primarily owned by institutional investors who hold approximately 43% of shares.

The general public has purchased around 20% of shares, venture capital and public equity firms own 14%, and private companies hold around 12%. Insider investors, such as co-founder and CEO Eric Wu, collectively own approximately 10% of Opendoor company shares.

Is Opendoor a public company?

Opendoor went public through an IPO on 21 December 2020. Opendoor took a non-traditional route to their IPO by launching via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). A SPAC is a shell company that fundraises publicly to acquire private companies and bring them to market. The Opendoor brokerage became a public company by launching their IPO via the SPAC known as Social Capital Hedosophia Hldgs II Corp.

Opendoor also has wholly-owned subsidiary companies, including Opendoor Brokerage LLC, Opendoor Brokerage Inc., and Opendoor Home Loans LLC.

Does Opendoor negotiate with buyers?

Like most real estate transactions, Opendoor houses for sale are negotiable and a buyer’s agent may try to negotiate lower offer amounts and closing costs. However, due to their high volume, low-profit margin business model, there may be reduced scope for negotiating lower prices on Opendoor properties.

When buying with Opendoor, the company works with buyer’s agents and directly with buyers to negotiate and accept offers on Opendoor properties. A buyer can submit a bid for an Opendoor owned home via the app or website and will typically receive a response within 48 hours. Opendoor will then recommend a local partner agent to handle the negotiations, inspections, and closing.

Opendoor markets a 1% refund promotion to certain buyers of Opendoor houses for sale. However, to be eligible for this promotion, buyers must use the preferred agents partnered with Opendoor Brokerage. The buyer gets a refund based on the premise of saving the agent’s time through a streamlined sales process. However, as this discount reduces the agent’s commission, they have little incentive to negotiate their commission below the average 6% rate.

Does Opendoor accept contingent offers?

Many buyers submit offers that are contingent upon the property passing individual and professional inspections. When purchasing Open door properties, you generally have up to two weeks to complete these inspections before either progressing with the purchase or cancelling the contract without losing your deposit. For Open door listings, they will generally accept the standard inspection contingencies, such as:

• General home inspections for defects
• Termite and pest inspections

Following the initial inspection, the inspector may recommend further investigation in the form of inspections for sewer lines, structures and foundations, geological outlay, surveys, drainage, mold, pools, or radon. However, all Opendoor homes for sale have been inspected before being purchased by or listed with Opendoor. Therefore, these contingencies are unlikely to be an issue for Open door properties.

How much does Opendoor charge?

Opendoor fees are currently 5% to sell or list a home, plus any closing costs and repairs. When selling to Opendoor, the 5% service charge is the cost of convenience as you can receive an initial offer within 24 hours, skip inspections, and set a flexible closing date. Opendoor will assess your home for any repairs needed and deduct these costs, typically ranging from 1% to 2%, from your net proceeds.

If you’re considering selling your home via Opendoor listings, you will pay a 5% commission, standard closing costs of around 1% to 3%, and the costs of any repairs. Although the 5% commission is slightly less than the average 6% commission rate typically charged by most realtors, iBuyer companies offer a lower price than the market.

Overall, the Open door commission charge of 5%, closing costs of 1% to 3% and repair charges of 1% to 2% mean the total amount charged by Opendoor ranges from 7% to 10%.

If receiving market value and saving money on selling costs is more important than a quick sale, it’s worth considering listing on the MLS for free with a flat fee broker like Richr.

What is Opendoor business model?

The Opendoor real estate company, one of the leading iBuyer companies, has streamlined the process of selling and buying a home through online functionality. Profits are made through Open door commissions charged to buyers, service fees charged to sellers, gains on resold homes, and additional services like home loans and title. Opendoor resale includes a small profit margin, with their business model focusing on higher sales volumes.

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Does Opendoor give reasonable offers?

Opendoor realty does not lowball sellers with unreasonable offers but instead offers prices consistent with their business model. Offers are lower than the market price to enable Open door realtors to resell a house at a suitable profit.

There are no Open door hidden fees. A seller receives a reduced offer to account for the convenience of a quick sale, and the corresponding period Opendoor must hold the property before it sells. A house sold in a competitive public market would receive higher offers; however, some sellers value the speed and certainty of sale provided by iBuying companies.

Sellers who don’t need an urgent sale, want the highest offer for a property, and want to save on selling costs can list on MLS for free across 750 real estate websites with a flat fee broker like Richr.

Is Opendoor publicly traded?

The Opendoor company has been publicly trading on the NASDAQ Exchange since 21 December 2020 under the ticker symbol OPEN. The Open Door realty was launched to the public via a merger with the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) known as Social Capital.

Does Opendoor buy land?

The business model centers on Opendoor realtors buying and flipping homes at a profit. The types of Open Door homes purchased are limited to:

• Single-family houses
• Townhouses
• Condos (in limited markets)
• Duplexes (in limited markets)

Open door real estate purchases are limited to owner-occupied or vacant homes and maximum lot sizes of between one to two acres, depending on the location. Currently, open door resales don’t extend to vacant land as the Opendoor technology and algorithm use comparative home values.

How to negotiate with Opendoor?

You can negotiate with Opendoor realty as both a buyer and seller. Any negotiated price reductions would align with Opendoor’s business model, which focuses on smaller profit margins for a higher number of house sales.

As a buyer, you can submit a competitive offer for Open door homes for sale and negotiate the closing costs. Opendoor may either accept the offer, email a counteroffer, or reject it. In the latter case, they will provide further details as to why your offer was unsuitable.

How to negotiate with Opendoor as a buyer:

• You can get a second opinion on the property’s market value by asking your real estate agent for a comparative market analysis. Compare the estimated value to Opendoor’s asking price and let your real estate agent raise any significant variance in the negotiations.
• Opendoor may lower the price if the property has been listed for more than 25 days, which is the national average time to sell a home in 2020.
• If they don’t reduce the asking price, you can negotiate for Opendoor fees for additional repairs to be covered before closing.

How to negotiate with Opendoor as a seller:

• Opendoor technology and its proprietary algorithm help determine a price that Open door realtors can resell at a profit. If you think the Opendoor estimate undervalues your property, you can negotiate with them to have additional factors and information considered.
• You can establish the value of any home renovations by providing receipts.
• You can compare Opendoor’s offer to a comparative market analysis (CMA) from your real estate agent.
• If there’s a significant difference between the Open door estimate and the CMA, you should consider listing it on the market. If cost savings were a deciding factor in choosing Opendoor, you might benefit from listing on the MLS for free with a flat fee broker like Richr.

Summary of the Opendoor service

Opendoor is a pioneer amongst iBuyer companies. With Zillow’s recent exit from the iBuying sector, Opendoor markets and buying power may continue to expand. Opendoor offers a streamlined and convenient option to buy and sell homes from a mobile device quickly. However, buyers and sellers should be aware that this convenience comes at the cost of not always receiving the most competitive deal. When you buy with a client-centric establishment like Richr, you know your best monetary interests will be upheld with their 2% cashback reward on any home purchase.