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  • August 2022 (Revised March 2023)
  • Technical Note
  • HBS Case Collection

Real Estate iBuying

By: Michael Luca, Jesse M. Shapiro and Julia Kelley
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:14
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Abstract

This note provides an overview of real estate iBuying, or instant buying, a business model that involves buying homes and then reselling them at a profit. Introduced in the mid-2010s, iBuying streamlined the process of selling a home by offering instant, all-cash offers to sellers. This note includes context on the traditional home buying and selling processes, the impact of property technology (PropTech), the iBuying process and unit economics, and the iBuying market landscape (e.g., top players and geographic markets).

Keywords

iBuying; Profit; Business Model; Technological Innovation; Real Estate Industry

Citation

Luca, Michael, Jesse M. Shapiro, and Julia Kelley. "Real Estate iBuying." Harvard Business School Technical Note 923-001, August 2022. (Revised March 2023.)
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About The Authors

Michael Luca

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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Jesse M. Shapiro

Entrepreneurial Management
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Related Work

    • August 2022 (Revised March 2023)
    • Faculty Research

    Real Estate iBuying

    By: Michael Luca, Jesse M. Shapiro and Julia Kelley
Related Work
  • Real Estate iBuying By: Michael Luca, Jesse M. Shapiro and Julia Kelley
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