Atlanta homeowners will soon have the option to sell with Zillow Instant Offers, with Zillow bringing on two area brokerages as partners this fall. The city—the first in the Eastern U.S.—will be the third to offer the platform. Earlier this year, Instant Offers was introduced in Las Vegas and Phoenix, to both controversy and praise.
With Instant Offers, homeowners can obtain an offer from Zillow; if the homeowner opts otherwise, Zillow will connect them with a local Premier Agent, or, in Atlanta, its two brokerage partners, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers.
“Sellers love Zillow Offers, because it’s a service that offers them more control and convenience—and less stress—when they sell their homes,” said Jeremy Wacksman, brand president of Zillow, in a statement. “Zillow has delivered that to sellers in our first two markets, and we’re excited to expand into Atlanta. Once we launch the program in the fall, we will be able to provide Atlanta-area homeowners with more choices, greater control, certainty about price and transparency when it comes to selling their home—whether they take a cash offer or sell traditionally with a Premier Agent.”
“Consumers expect an experience tailored to their unique circumstances, especially when it’s as significant as selling their home,” said Craig McClelland, vice president and COO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers, in the statement. “Zillow Offers gives consumers more choice, control and transparency with less stress and hassle, while providing local agents more opportunities to connect with consumers. We’re excited to partner with Zillow on this innovative program to serve consumers in Atlanta.”
“At Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties, we are focused on doing everything we can to help consumers do what’s right for them, and that means constantly innovating and being forward-thinking to meet their evolving expectations,” says Dan Forsman, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties. “Zillow Offers is an opportunity for us to help consumers in a new way, working with a brand that consumers trust.
“Atlanta is the third market Instant Offers is going into, and that says something really positive about the vibrancy and future viability of the market we serve,” Forsman says. “In an environment where convenience and time are a commodity, and have great value to a seller, there’s a percentage of the market that wants . Anything that adds value to the consumer is a good thing, and if we can help consumers sort through all the various options out there and make the right choice, that’s a good thing.”
Zillow has emphasized that it is not excluding professionals in its transactions, with agents involved—and commissions paid—in every sale. According to a June 2017 RISMedia survey, 87 percent of agents and brokers believed Instant Offers represented “a shift by Zillow toward becoming a brokerage.”
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This story has been updated.
Suzanne De Vita is RISMedia’s online news editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at sdevita@rismedia.com. For the latest real estate news and trends, bookmark RISMedia.com.
