The homebuying and selling startup Offerpad will pay for its sellers to be moved anywhere they’d like within a 50-mile radius via a new partnership with the moving startup Bellhops, the companies announced Wednesday.
Offerpad — which competes with other iBuyer startups including Opendoor, Knock and Zillow Offers — has already offered paid-for moves as a perk for homeowners who choose to sell through the company. This partnership takes those paid-for moves, previously handled by a handful of vendors in each of Offerpad’s half-dozen markets, and puts them all in the hands of another tech startup.
Paying for moving costs is a differentiating factor for Offerpad as the startup competes with Opendoor, with its millions more in venture capital backing, and Zillow Offers, with the resources of the Zillow Group behind it.
“This partnership aligns two industry leaders that will support customers during one of the most stressful periods in their lives,” Offerpad CEO Brian Bair said in a statement.
“Offerpad and Bellhops are both customer-centric companies that combine technology and people to provide a service above the status quo. Our customers trust us with the largest financial asset in their name, and we don’t take that lightly — which is why we only partner with companies that have a proven track record and support our core values.”
Bellhops was founded in 2011 as a startup that would move college students’ stuff between dorms and now operates in more than 20 markets around the country. The company made news in July when its CEO gave a car to an employee who walked 20 miles to work.
As part of this partnership, Bellhops has agreed to expand its services to all of Offerpad’s markets and any future markets Offerpad opens in, Offerpad spokeswoman Cortney Read told Inman.
Offerpad operates in Atlanta, Charlotte, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Tampa. Bellhops was already serving customers in Atlanta, Charlotte and Phoenix; it’s moving into Orlando and Tampa this month and has committed to starting operations in Las Vegas by the end of September, Read said.
“We are laser-focused on refining the experience of moving with technology and talented people,” Bellhops CEO Luke Marklin said in a statement. “This partnership with Offerpad is an extension of our mission to provide more people a stress-free journey to their new home.”
Because Offerpad only covers the cost of moving for sellers whose move is within a 50-mile radius, the offering is only persuasive for homesellers moving within the same metro area — not moving cross-country.
For customers moving more than 50 miles away from the old home, Offerpad will cover the first 50 miles of the move with Bellhops, although the moving startup would have to agree to take the longer-distance move first.
This offering is only for Offerpad customers who sell their homes through the startup. As of right now, there are no moving benefits for consumers who buy the homes Offerpad resells.
