Homeowners in one of Texas’ biggest cities can now sell their houses to Zillow, as the online real estate giant just announced that it is launching direct home buying operations in the Lone Star State.
Zillow announced Monday that it is now buying homes in Houston through its Zillow Offers direct buying program. Zillow actually announced back in November that it planned to begin buying houses in Houston, but the program officially launched on Monday.
Houston is Zillow’s first direct buying market, although the company is planning to begin buying houses in Dallas this year as well.
Zillow Offers allows homeowners to request a no-obligation cash offer from Zillow to buy their home. If they accept it, Zillow directly buys a seller’s house, prepares it for showings and quickly lists it for sale.
Zillow launched the home buying program last year in Phoenix and Las Vegas, before expanding it to Atlanta, Denver and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Beyond expanding to Texas this year, Zillow also said that it plans to being buying houses in Raleigh, North Carolina, Riverside, California, Minneapolis, Orlando, Portland, Nashville, and Miami this year.
Through Zillow Offers, the company works with local real estate agents and brokers during every transaction. Zillow pays a commission to local agents when it buys and sells each home.
Zillow uses Zillow Offers to promote its Premier Agents, which allows real estate agents to acquire new listings by connecting them with motivated sellers who have taken a direct action to sell their home.
Consumers who request a Zillow Offer, but chose to sell their home traditionally with an agent or do not receive a Zillow Offer, will be connected to a local brokerage or Premier Agent.
“Texas is home to some of the largest and most vibrant housing markets in the country, and we’re thrilled to bring Zillow Offers to Houston today,” said Zillow Brand President Jeremy Wacksman. “In just nine months, Zillow Offers has already helped thousands of homeowners sell their home in a simple and stress-free way. What we’ve overwhelmingly heard from these consumers is that they love the control we give them over the entire process. Starting today, Houston-area homeowners are able to use this innovative, consumer-first service for one of the largest financial transactions of their lives.”
