Zillow to pay cash for houses in Houston

Zillow wants to pay cash for your home. Zillow wants to pay cash for your home. Image 1 of / 74 Caption Close Zillow to pay cash for houses in Houston 1 / 74 Back to Gallery

Seattle-based real estate listing site Zillow will soon begin buying and selling houses in Houston.

The company is launching its Zillow Offers service here early next year for Houstonians who don't want to hire a real estate agent and publicly list their home.

Through the program, Zillow will pay cash to buy houses from qualified sellers who will then be able to choose their closing date -- from 5 to 90 days. The company will then list the house for sale.

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"Consumers desire a more seamless experience and the ability to sell their home on their own timeline -- something Zillow Offers can provide," Zillow Brand President Jeremy Wacksman, said in an announcement. "We're excited to start working with Houston sellers, giving them more flexibility and certainty in one of the greatest financial transactions of their life."

Zillow will compete with companies like OpenDoor, which makes quick offers on homes in the $100,000 to $500,000 range.

The company has already launched its Offers program in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Denver. Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C. are launching later this year.

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Zillow said its new service aims to ease the complexity of when a homeowner tries to time the sale of their home with the purchase of a new one. It will pay commissions to local real estate agents when it buys and sells each home.