Amherst Holdings, a large-scale single family landlord, has rolled out a subsidiary to buy and renovate houses for resale.
Taking advantage of a tight housing market, Patrick Clark writes, a wide field of companies is trying to make a profit by simplifying the home buying process. One of them, Amherst Holdings LLC, has launched a service called Bungalo Homes, "packaging a series of features it says can improve the experience of buying a home. The company is offering no-haggle pricing, listing homes for sale on its website and promising to sell to the first pre-approved buyer to meet its price."
It's also offering warranties, mortgages, and features to help buyer manage all the moving pieces. Bungalo's business model is essentially home flipping: it acquires and fixes up properties and resells them, betting that its platform will attract buyers who must otherwise "to shoot first and ask questions later."
In its main line of business, Amherst Holdings owns or manages around 20,000 single family rentals. Executives cite that expertise as a selling point for Bungalo, which launched this month with 25 renovated homes listed in Dallas and 10 in Tampa, Florida.
FULL STORY: Big Single-Family Landlord Bets $1 Billion on the Home-Flipping Business
Million-Dollar Homes Becoming Standard Fare Across Los Angeles
As households with means seek to escape crowded apartment buildings and take advantage of historically low mortgage rates, average home prices of over $1 million are proliferating across the LA region.
Fast-Rising Rents: Cause or Effect of Institutional Real Estate Investors?
More media attention for the growing influence of large, institutional investors on the housing market.
Zillow's 'iBuying' Algorithms Overpaid For Homes
After investing more than $1 billion in buying homes over the last few years, Zillow has ended its 'iBuying' experiment as anticipated profits fail to materialize.
The Top Urban Planning Books of 2021
Planetizen's annual list of the top urban planning books of the year is here—maintaining a tradition that dates back to 2002.
The Roadway Expansion Paradox
Motorists want expensive roadway expansions provided that somebody else foots the bill, but when required to pay directly through tolls, the need for more capacity often disappears. What should planners do?
Urban Exodus: Data Don't Support the Popular Pandemic Narrative
Americans fled cities in waves during the pandemic, right? Not to so fast.
Measuring the Economic Impact of the Great Allegheny Passage
Small communities once dependent on coal, coke, paper, lumber, and manufacturing now have a 150-mile bike and pedestrian path contributing to the local economy.
Houston Could End Homelessness With Less Than 2,000 Housing Units
Houston's homeless response program has yielded strong results in the last few years. Just 1,900 new affordable housing units could 'effectively end' homelessness in the city.
Land Use Regulations on a Collision Course in California
The future of planning in California depends on how lawyers reconcile the Housing Accountability Act with the California Environmental Quality Act.
Nelson\Nygaard
BRAILSFORD & DUNLAVEY
Water Replenishment District (WRD)
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of San Carlos
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Royal Oak, Michigan
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
