Friend or foe? Home-buying bots enter real estate market

Source: CBS News — 

IBuyers are one of the few true innovations to hit the real estate industry in recent years. Yet consumers haven’t fully embraced them because of misconceptions about how iBuyers work, and what types of problems they resolve for sellers and buyers.

An iBuyer (for “instant buyer”) is a company that uses technology and real estate data to make an automated offer on a home. After buying the house, the company fixes what’s broken, makes cosmetic repairs and sells it. IBuyers market themselves as a fast, convenient way to sell.

Myths have grown around iBuyers: that they pay too little, inflate home prices and funnel owner-occupied homes to investors. A couple of those myths do have a grain of truth. Here’s what’s really going on with iBuyers.