## *We're operating within a labor- and supply-constrained economy inside a competitive real estate market, especially in the construction, renovation and closing spaces.*

 

## *We have not been exempt from these market and capacity issues and we now have an operational backlog for renovations and closings. Pausing new contracts will enable us to focus on sellers already under contract with us and our current home inventory.*

 

says Zillow's Chief Operating Officer. And so goes Zillow's [iBuying](https://www.offermarket.us/real-estate-glossary/ibuying) momentum. 

 

Do you really buy the reasoning? Sure, it's likely Zillow is experiencing delays renovating and closing sales for their Zillow-owned homes. 

 

## Why would Zillow stop iBuying completely?

 

What do they see from their vantage point? Is the housing market softening and turning concerningly bearish faster that the rest of us realize?

 

Or is Zillow telling us that iBuying is really hard, and really dangerous if you don't execute at a world-class level? 

 

**Step 1:** provide a competitive offer in an already overheated market (iBuyers operate in overlapping markets).

 

**Step 2:** close the initial transaction which incurs transfer taxes and recordation fees (closing costs).

 

**Step 3:** renovate the property.

 

**Step 4:** list the property and facilitate showings.

 

**Step 5:** close the sale, bear carrying costs (interest) of credit facility, and risks of buyer falling through.

 

When all is said and done, iBuyers have shown how hard it is to make a profit on a per unit basis. If the market cools off, you can lose tens of thousands of dollars per property, and that appears to be happening to Zillow, at least in some of their markets.

 

From our own research across multiple markets, we see Zillow may have done quite a bit of buying high and now they're in a tough spot where they need to sell low.

 

## Take [621 Kings Ct in Dickinson, TX](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/621-Kings-Ct-Dickinson-TX-77539/27695643_zpid/)

 

- June 29, 2021: Zillow purchased this property for an estimated $270,000
- August 6, 2021: Zillow lists for sale at $290,000
- August 20, 2021: price drop to $279,200 (-3.8%)
- September 3, 2021: price drop to $264,200 (-5.4%, -8.9% from initial asking price)
- September 16, 2021: pending sale
- October 15, 2021: buyer fell though, re-listed for sale at $254,200 (-3.8%, -12.3% from initial asking price)

 

As you can see from this example, Zillow bought a property, renovated it, and is currently struggling to sell it for 5.8% less than what it bought it for. After closing costs, Zillow will lose tens of thousands of dollars on this particular sale.

 

## Blame it on the AVM?

 

[AVM](https://www.offermarket.us/real-estate-glossary/avm) means Automated Valuation Model and it's the computer algorithm that determines how much Zillow should offer for a given property. Our guess is that Zillow is taking a pause to improve the accuracy of its pricing models and quality of its operational execution against this challenging business model. 

 

It's less likely Zillow predicts such dangerous market conditions that it would entirely stop its iBuying operations. If market deterioration were predicted, it would simply provide lower offers to build in a larger margin of safety to protect profits. That said, we did see all iBuying come to a stand still in late Q1 and Q2 2020 due to pandemic concerns.

 

## Another market observation

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">House Zillow bought right up the road from a rental we bought 2 months ago Listed for $269k Zillow bought for $305k. Ours has one more bed and one more bath We bought for $160k. Comps I ran was $250k at time Zillow is screwing up values everywhere. <a href="https://t.co/WOPMTKI2ee">pic.twitter.com/WOPMTKI2ee</a>&mdash; Joe Cassandra (@JoeCassandra) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeCassandra/status/1450234520779771906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

## Related reading

 

- [Opendoor](https://www.offermarket.us/blog/opendoor-competitors)
- [Offerpad](https://www.offermarket.us/blog/offerpad-competitors)
- [Zillow Offers](https://www.offermarket.us/blog/zillow-offers-competitors)
- [RedfinNow](https://www.offermarket.us/blog/redfinnow-competitors)

Zillow abruptly stops iBuying citing operational challenges. Let's read between the lines and see what's really going on at the residential real estate platform. 

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Reading Between The Lines: What Zillow's iBuying Pause Really Means - OfferMarket Blog

Reading Between The Lines: What Zillow's iBuying Pause Really Means

## *Off-market real estate is more attractive than ever before.*

 

With record low interest rates, the surge in home buying in Baltimore is creating a challenging environment for homebuyers. Properties are going under contract before hitting the [MLS](https://offermarket.us/real-estate-glossary/multiple-listing-service) (multiple listing service, a broker listing syndication system that feeds listings to Zillow, Redfin, etc.) or receiving multiple offers within days of being listed.

 

## According to data from the Federal Reserve, we are at an all-time low in housing inventory housing inventory in the United States.

 

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This shortage is certainly the case in Greater Baltimore where the Maryland Association of Realtors reports that active inventory is down 60% to 10,117 housing units, driving the average sales price up 16% from this time last year. ​

 

## Off-market real estate is more attractive than ever before.

 

Off-market real estate is perhaps more attractive than ever before. Most home buyers think off-market real estate transactions are reserved for professional real estate investors and developers but it's also a great way for primary residence buyers to get a great deal, avoid excessive competition and save money. 

 

There are currently hundreds of off-market properties available for purchase in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Harford County, Carroll County and Anne Arundel County. One service to find these deals is OfferMarket -- a marketplace for off-market real estate. There are currently over 20 single family houses available on OfferMarket in the Greater Baltimore market.

With housing inventory at record lows, savvy real estate buyers are looking off-market. Learn more about off-market housing inventory in Greater Baltimore. Real our real estate blogs.

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Off-Market Housing Inventory In Greater Baltimore

Small houses are not necessarily hard to sell, though it depends on a few factors:

 

## Is it priced to sell?

 

The #1 home selling mistake we see is when a home is not priced appropriately. Listing too high will result in many would-be-buyers not even inquiring. Many will wait for possible price drops or keep looking at other options. What's more, many buyers have firm maximum price limits and won't even consider or be altered to your listing. 

 

To sell your house fast, you need to price it at an attractive point to draw in as many buyers as possible. This means carefully analyzing [comps](https://www.offermarket.us/real-estate-glossary/comps).

 

## How small are we talking?

 

In your local there are likely many people looking for houses for sale with 1 to 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. But if we're talking about a tiny house (100 to 400 square feet), then the market of prospective home buyers is probably also tiny.

 

### How unique is the house?

 

If your house is designed in a manner that very few people find appealing, then you would need to reduce your asking price in order to sell in a timely manner.

Are small houses hard to sell? Not necessarily, it depends on a few factors. There's more to learn at OfferMarket. 

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Are small houses hard to sell? - OfferMarket

Are small houses hard to sell?

Grow your real estate investing business with the most competitive DSCR loan product. OfferMarket also provides DSCR rental loans, bridge loans, hard money, fix & flip, rehab, ground up construction loans.

Rental Loans

#### What is an assignment of contract?

 

An assignment of contract is when the Buyer in a real estate transaction assigns their role to another Buyer in exchange for a fee.

 

The act of one buyer selling a contract to another buyer is commonly referred to as real estate "wholesaling".

 

#### Let's review an example of an assignment of contract

 

Joe is a real estate wholesaler and he notices 123 Main St is badly in need of landscaping and renovation. He does some research and finds that the property was inherited by Greg who lives out of state and has no interest in dealing with the property. 

 

Joe knows several local [fix and flip](https://www.offermarket.us/real-estate-glossary/fix-and-flip) and rental property investors who would buy this property for the right price. He tours the property and conservatively estimates the rehab budget necessary to get 123 Main St to an [after-repair value (ARV)](https://www.offermarket.us/real-estate-glossary/arv-after-repair-value) of similar houses in good condition in the neighborhood. Joe runs some numbers to determine the range that his investors would be willing to pay and makes an offer to Greg for $25,000. 

 

Greg accepts the offer and Joe markets the contract to his buyer's list at $30,000 which is the $25,000 purchase price plus a $5,000 assignment fee. Sure enough Stan, one of Joe's most reliable buyers, offers to pay Joe's asking price. Stan signs Joe's Assignment Agreement where he promises to take over the role as Buyer of 123 Main St and pay Joe $5,000 at closing.

An assignment of contract is when the Buyer in a real estate transaction assigns their role to another Buyer in exchange for a fee. There's more to learn about assignable contracts at OfferMarket.

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What is Assignment Of Contract in real estate?

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What is an assignment of contract?

Let's review an example of an assignment of contract

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