UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

BEFORE THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 

In the Matter of 

OPENDOOR LABS INC., a corporation, 

FILE NO. 192-3191 

AGREEMENT CONTAINING 

CONSENT ORDER 

The Federal Trade Commission (“Commission”) has conducted an investigation of certain 

acts and practices of Opendoor Labs Inc. (“Proposed Respondent”). The Commission’s Bureau 

of Consumer Protection (“BCP”) has prepared a draft of an administrative Complaint (“draft 

Complaint”). BCP and Proposed Respondent, through its duly authorized officers, enter into this 

Agreement Containing Consent Order (“Consent Agreement”) to resolve the allegations in the 

attached draft Complaint through a proposed Decision and Order to present to the Commission, 

which is also attached and made a part of this Consent Agreement. 

IT IS HEREBY AGREED by and between Proposed Respondent and BCP, that: 

1. The Proposed Respondent is Proposed Respondent Opendoor Labs Inc., a Delaware 

corporation with its principal place of business at 410 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 1600, 

Tempe, AZ 85281. 

2. Proposed Respondent neither admits nor denies any of the allegations in the Complaint, 

except as specifically stated in the Decision and Order. Only for purposes of this action, 

Proposed Respondent admits the facts necessary to establish jurisdiction. 

3. Proposed Respondent waives: 

a. Any further procedural steps; 

b. The requirement that the Commission’s Decision contain a statement of findings of fact 

and conclusions of law; and 

c. All rights to seek judicial review or otherwise to challenge or contest the validity of the 

Decision and Order issued pursuant to this Consent Agreement. 

4. This Consent Agreement will not become part of the public record of the proceeding unless 

and until it is accepted by the Commission. If the Commission accepts this Consent Agreement, 

it, together with the draft Complaint, will be placed on the public record for 30 days and 

information about them publicly released. Acceptance does not constitute final approval, but it 
 

 

 

 

serves as the basis for further actions leading to final disposition of the matter. Thereafter, the 

Commission may either withdraw its acceptance of this Consent Agreement and so notify 

Proposed Respondent, in which event the Commission will take such action as it may consider 

appropriate, or issue and serve its Complaint (in such form as the circumstances may require) 

and decision in disposition of the proceeding, which may include an Order. See Section 2.34 of 

the Commission’s Rules, 16 C.F.R. § 2.34 (“Rule 2.34”). 

5. If this agreement is accepted by the Commission, and if such acceptance is not subsequently 

withdrawn by the Commission pursuant to Rule 2.34, the Commission may, without further 

notice to Proposed Respondent: (1) issue its Complaint corresponding in form and substance 

with the attached draft Complaint and its Decision and Order; and (2) make information about 

them public. Proposed Respondent agrees that service of the Order may be effected by its 

publication on the Commission’s website (ftc.gov), at which time the Order will become final. 

See Rule 2.32(d). Proposed Respondent waives any rights it may have to any other manner of 

service. See Rule 4.4. 

6. When final, the Decision and Order will have the same force and effect and may be altered, 

modified, or set aside in the same manner and within the same time provided by statute for other 

Commission orders. 

7. The Complaint may be used in construing the terms of the Decision and Order. No 

agreement, understanding, representation, or interpretation not contained in the Decision and 

Order or in this Consent Agreement may be used to vary or contradict the terms of the Decision 

and Order. 

8. Proposed Respondent agrees to comply with the terms of the proposed Decision and Order 

from the date that Proposed Respondent signs this Consent Agreement. Proposed Respondent 

understands that it may be liable for civil penalties and other relief for each violation of the 

Decision and Order after it becomes final. 

2
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_____________________________ 

__________________________ 

___________________________

OPENDOOR LABS INC. 

By: _________________________ 

Eric Wu

Chief Executive Officer

Date: ________________________ 

Rich Cunningham

Olivia Adendorff

KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 

By: ___________________________ 

Matthew J. Wilshire 

Attorney, Bureau of Consumer Protection 

APPROVED: 

Matthew Wernz 

Director, Southwest Regional Office

 Samuel Levine 

Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection 

Date: ______________________ 

Page 3 of 3 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

___________________________________________ 

___________________________________________ 

No. 192-3191 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

BEFORE THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 

COMMISSIONERS: Lina M. Khan, Chair 

Noah Joshua Phillips 

Rebecca Kelly Slaughter 

Christine S. Wilson 

Alvaro M. Bedoya 

In the Matter of DECISION AND ORDER 

OPENDOOR LABS INC., a corporation. DOCKET NO. CDECISION 

The Federal Trade Commission (“Commission”) initiated an investigation of certain acts 

and practices of Respondent named in the caption. The Commission’s Bureau of Consumer 

Protection (“BCP”) prepared and furnished to Respondent a draft Complaint. BCP proposed to 

present the draft Complaint to the Commission for its consideration. If issued by the 

Commission, the draft Complaint would charge the Respondent with violations of the Federal 

Trade Commission Act. 

Respondent and BCP thereafter executed an Agreement Containing Consent Order 

(“Consent Agreement”). The Consent Agreement includes: 1) statements by Respondent that it 

neither admits nor denies any of the allegations in the Complaint, except as specifically stated in 

this Decision and Order, and that only for purposes of this action, it admits the facts necessary to 

establish jurisdiction; and 2) waivers and other provisions as required by the Commission’s 

Rules. 

The Commission considered the matter and determined that it had reason to believe that 

Respondent has violated the Federal Trade Commission Act, and that a Complaint should issue 

stating its charges in that respect. The Commission accepted the executed Consent Agreement 

and placed it on the public record for a period of 30 days for the receipt and consideration of 

public comments. The Commission duly considered any comments received from interested 

persons pursuant to Section 2.34 of its Rules, 16 C.F.R. § 2.34. Now, in further conformity with 

the procedure prescribed in Rule 2.34, the Commission issues its Complaint, makes the 

following Findings, and issues the following Order: 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Findings 

1. The Respondent is Opendoor Labs Inc., a Delaware corporation, with its principal place 

of business at 410 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 1600, Tempe, AZ 85281. 

2. The Commission has jurisdiction over the subject matter of this proceeding and over the 

Respondent, and the proceeding is in the public interest. 

ORDER 

Definitions 

For purposes of this Order: 

A. “Real Estate Service” means any service or product designed to assist a consumer in 

selling a home, including Respondent purchasing homes from consumers. Provided, 

however, that “Real Estate Service” does not include services associated with 

transferring, insuring, or recording real-estate titles. 

B. “Respondent” means Opendoor Labs Inc. 

Provisions 

I. Prohibited Deceptive Claims, Including False and Unsubstantiated Claims 

IT IS ORDERED that Respondent, and Respondent’s officers, agents, employees, and 

attorneys, and all other persons in active concert or participation with any of them, who receive 

actual notice of this Order, whether acting directly or indirectly, in connection with the 

advertising, promotion, offering for sale, or provision of a Real Estate Service, must not: 

A. Misrepresent, expressly or by implication, or assist others in misrepresenting, expressly 

or by implication: 

1. that consumers will receive more money using a Real Estate Service than they would 

using a different good or service; 

2. that consumers will save money; 

3. that consumers will receive a price for their homes equivalent to what they would 

likely receive by listing their homes on the market; 

4. the amount of repair costs consumers will pay; 

5. that consumers will save money on repair costs; 

Page 2 of 7 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. that any offer to purchase a consumer’s home is an accurate and unbiased projection 

of that home’s market value; and 

7. that the person or persons offering any good or service do not expect to make money 

from reselling homes; 

B. Make any representation, expressly or by implication, or assist others in making any 

representation, expressly or by implication, regarding the costs associated with listing a 

home for sale traditionally, including agent commissions, home overlap costs, closing 

costs, seller’s concessions, repair costs, staging, or prep-work costs, unless the 

representation is non-misleading, and, at the time such representation is made, 

Respondent possesses and relies upon competent and reliable evidence to substantiate 

that the representation is true; and 

C. Make any representation, expressly or by implication, about the costs, savings, or 

financial benefits of any Real Estate Service, including representations about the amount 

of money a consumer will receive from using a Real Estate Service, unless the 

representation is non-misleading, and at the time such representation is made, 

Respondent possesses and relies upon competent and reliable evidence to substantiate 

that the representation is true. 

II. Monetary Relief 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that: 

A. Respondent must pay to the Commission $62,000,000. 

B. Such payment must be made within eight (8) days of the effective date of this Order by 

electronic fund transfer in accordance with instructions provided by a representative of 

the Commission. 

III. Additional Monetary Provisions 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that: 

A. Respondent relinquishes dominion and all legal and equitable right, title, and interest in 

all assets transferred pursuant to this Order and may not seek the return of any assets. 

B. The facts alleged in the Complaint will be taken as true, without further proof, in any 

subsequent civil litigation by or on behalf of the Commission to enforce its rights to any 

payment pursuant to this Order, such as a nondischargeability complaint in any 

bankruptcy case. 

C. The facts alleged in the Complaint establish all elements necessary to sustain an action by 

or on behalf of the Commission pursuant to Section 523(a)(2)(A) of the Bankruptcy 

Page 3 of 7 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Code, 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)(A), and this Order will have collateral estoppel effect for 

such purposes. 

D. All money paid to the Commission pursuant to this Order may be deposited into a fund 

administered by the Commission or its designee to be used for relief, including consumer 

redress and any attendant expenses for the administration of any redress fund. If a 

representative of the Commission decides that direct redress to consumers is wholly or 

partially impracticable or money remains after redress is completed, the Commission may 

apply any remaining money for such other relief (including consumer information 

remedies) as it determines to be reasonably related to Respondent’s practices alleged in 

the Complaint. Any money not used is to be deposited to the U.S. Treasury. Respondent 

has no right to challenge any activities pursuant to this Provision. 

E. In the event of default on any obligation to make payment under this Order, interest, 

computed as if pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1961(a), shall accrue from the date of default to 

the date of payment. In the event such default continues for 10 days beyond the date that 

payment is due, the entire amount will immediately become due and payable. 

F. Each day of nonpayment is a violation through continuing failure to obey or neglect to 

obey a final order of the Commission and thus will be deemed a separate offense and 

violation for which a civil penalty shall accrue. 

G. Respondent acknowledges that its Taxpayer Identification Number (Employer 

Identification Number) may be used for collecting and reporting on any delinquent 

amount arising out of this Order, in accordance with 31 U.S.C. § 7701. 

IV. Customer Information 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Respondent must provide sufficient additional seller 

contact information to enable the Commission to efficiently administer consumer redress. If a 

representative of the Commission requests in writing any information related to redress, 

Respondent must provide it, in the form prescribed by the Commission representative, within 14 

days. 

V. Acknowledgments of the Order 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Respondent obtains acknowledgments of receipt of 

this Order: 

A. Respondent, within 10 days after the effective date of this Order, must submit to the 

Commission an acknowledgment of receipt of this Order sworn under penalty of perjury. 

B. For 3 years after entry of this Order, Respondent must deliver a copy of this Order to: (1) 

all principals, officers, directors, and LLC managers and members; (2) all employees 

having managerial responsibilities for Real Estate Services; and (3) any business entity 

resulting from any change in structure as set forth in the Section titled Compliance 

Page 4 of 7 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reporting. Delivery must occur within 10 days after the effective date of this Order for 

current personnel. For all others, delivery must occur before they assume their 

responsibilities. 

C. From each individual or entity to which Respondent delivered a copy of this Order, 

Respondent must obtain, within 30 days, a signed and dated acknowledgment of receipt 

of this Order. 

VI. Compliance Report and Notices 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Respondent make timely submissions to the 

Commission: 

A. One year after the issuance date of this Order, Respondent must submit a compliance 

report, sworn under penalty of perjury, in which Respondent must: (a) identify the 

primary physical, postal, and email address and telephone number, as designated points 

of contact, which representatives of the Commission may use to communicate with 

Respondent; (b) identify all of Respondent’s businesses by all of their names, telephone 

numbers, and physical, postal, email, and Internet addresses; (c) describe the activities of 

each business, including the goods and services offered, the means of advertising, 

marketing, and sales; (d) describe in detail whether and how Respondent is in compliance 

with each Section of this Order; and (e) provide a copy of each Order Acknowledgment 

obtained pursuant to this Order, unless previously submitted to the Commission. 

B. For 5 years after the issuance date of this Order, Respondent must submit a compliance 

notice, sworn under penalty of perjury, within 14 days of any change in: (i) any 

designated point of contact; or (ii) the structure of Respondent or any entity that 

Respondent has any ownership interest in or controls directly or indirectly that may affect 

compliance obligations arising under this Order, including: creation, merger, sale, or 

dissolution of the entity or any subsidiary, parent, or affiliate that engages in any acts or 

practices subject to this Order. 

C. Respondent must submit notice of the filing of any bankruptcy petition, insolvency 

proceeding, or similar proceeding by or against such Respondent within 14 days of its 

filing. 

D. Any submission to the Commission required by this Order to be sworn under penalty of 

perjury must be true and accurate and comply with 28 U.S.C. § 1746, such as by 

concluding: “I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of 

America that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on: _____” and supplying the 

date, signatory’s full name, title (if applicable), and signature. 

E. Unless otherwise directed by a Commission representative in writing, all submissions to 

the Commission pursuant to this Order must be emailed to DEbrief@ftc.gov or sent by 

overnight courier (not the U.S. Postal Service) to: Associate Director for Enforcement, 

Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue 

Page 5 of 7 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NW, Washington, DC 20580. The subject line must begin: FTC v. Opendoor Labs Inc., 

Matter No. _________. 

VII. Recordkeeping 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Respondent must create certain records for 5 years 

after the issuance date of the Order, and retain each such record for 5 years, unless otherwise 

specified below. Specifically, Respondent, in connection with advertising, promoting, offering 

for sale, or providing Real Estate Services must create and retain the following records: 

A. Accounting records showing the revenues from all goods or services sold; 

B. Personnel records showing, for each person providing services in relation to any aspect of 

the Order, whether as an employee or otherwise, that person’s: name; addresses; 

telephone numbers; job title or position; dates of service; and (if applicable) the reason 

for termination; 

C. All records necessary to demonstrate full compliance with each provision of this Order, 

including all information or documents necessary to substantiate any claims covered by 

this Order and all submissions to the Commission; 

D. Every six months, a screen capture of Respondent’s website pages relating to its Real 

Estate Services; and 

E. Except for material captured as part of subpart (D) of this section, representative copies 

of advertisements or other marketing materials for Real Estate Services. 

VIII. Compliance Monitoring 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, for the purpose of monitoring Respondent’s 

compliance with this Order: 

A. Within 14 days of receipt of a written request from a representative of the Commission, 

Respondent must: submit additional compliance reports or other requested information, 

which must be sworn under penalty of perjury, and produce records for inspection and 

copying. 

B. For matters concerning this Order, representatives of the Commission are authorized to 

communicate directly with Respondent. Respondent must permit representatives of the 

Commission to interview anyone affiliated with Respondent who has agreed to such an 

interview. The interviewee may have counsel present. 

C. The Commission may use all other lawful means, including posing through its 

representatives as consumers, suppliers, or other individuals or entities, to Respondent or 

any individual or entity affiliated with Respondent, without the necessity of identification 

Page 6 of 7 
 

 

 

 

 

or prior notice. Nothing in this Order limits the Commission’s lawful use of compulsory 

process, pursuant to Sections 9 and 20 of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 49, 57b-1. 

IX. Order Effective Dates 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that this Order is final and effective upon the date of its 

publication on the Commission’s website (ftc.gov) as a final order. This Order will terminate 20 

years from the date of its issuance (which date may be stated at the end of this Order, near the 

Commission’s seal), or 20 years from the most recent date that the United States or the 

Commission files a complaint (with or without an accompanying settlement) in federal court 

alleging any violation of this Order, whichever comes later; provided, however, that the filing of 

such a complaint will not affect the duration of: 

A. Any Provision in this Order that terminates in less than 20 years; 

B. This Order’s application to any Respondent that is not named as a defendant in such 

complaint; and 

C. This Order if such complaint is filed after the Order has terminated pursuant to this 

Provision. 

Provided, further, that if such complaint is dismissed or a federal court rules that Respondent did 

not violate any provision of the Order, and the dismissal or ruling is either not appealed or 

upheld on appeal, then the Order will terminate according to this Provision as though the 

complaint had never been filed, except that the Order will not terminate between the date such 

complaint is filed and the later of the deadline for appealing such dismissal or ruling and the date 

such dismissal or ruling is upheld on appeal. 

By the Commission. 

April J. Tabor 

Secretary 

SEAL: 

ISSUED: 

Page 7 of 7 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________________________ 

________________________________________________ 

192-3191 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

BEFORE THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 

COMMISSIONERS: Lina M. Khan, Chair 

Noah Joshua Phillips 

Rebecca Kelly Slaughter 

Christine S. Wilson 

Alvaro M. Bedoya 

In the Matter of 

OPENDOOR LABS INC., a corporation, DOCKET NO. 

COMPLAINT 

The Federal Trade Commission, having reason to believe that Opendoor Labs Inc., a 

corporation (“Respondent”), has violated the provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 

and it appearing to the Commission that this proceeding is in the public interest, alleges: 

1. Respondent Opendoor Labs Inc. (“Opendoor”) is a Delaware corporation with its 

principal place of business at 410 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 1600, Tempe, AZ 85281. 

2. The acts and practices of Respondent alleged in this complaint have been in or affecting 

commerce, as “commerce” is defined in Section 4 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. 

3. Respondent Opendoor operates an online real estate business that, among other things, 

buys homes directly from consumers as an alternative to sales on the open market or, as the 

company describes them, “traditional sales.” Opendoor promised consumers that they would 

make more money selling their homes to it than by selling on the market. In fact, consumers who 

sold to Opendoor lost thousands compared to what they would have received from a market sale. 

Opendoor Promised that Consumers Would Make More by Selling Their Homes to It. 

4. Respondent advertised to consumers an “iBuyer” real estate service that directly 

purchases consumers’ homes. Opendoor told consumers that, rather than making money from 

“buying low and selling high,” the company made money from a fee or “service charge,” which 

ranged from 6 to 14 percent of Opendoor’s offer price. Opendoor promised to use cutting-edge 

technology to save consumers money if they sold their homes to it by providing “market-value” 

offers and reducing transaction costs. Indeed, Opendoor provided consumers selling their homes 

with a chart comparing the consumers’ projected net proceeds from selling to it versus selling 

“traditionally” by listing on the market. These charts almost always projected that consumers 

would receive thousands more by selling to Opendoor, even accounting for Opendoor’s 
 

 

 

 

 

substantial fee. In fact, the vast majority of consumers who sold to Opendoor lost thousands 

compared to what they would have realized in net proceeds from selling on the market because 

Opendoor’s offers have been below market value on average and its costs have been significantly 

higher than what consumers typically pay. 

5. Opendoor designed its marketing to convince consumers that they would make more 

money selling their homes to it. Opendoor’s advertising and website promised “fair market” or 

“market value” offers with lower costs. When consumers requested an offer, Opendoor provided 

a multi-page document claiming to provide a market-value offer and a custom chart comparing 

the net proceeds the consumer should expect from selling to Opendoor versus on the market. For 

more than percent of consumers who received these comparisons and sold to Opendoor, the 

comparisons projected that the consumers would realize more in net proceeds selling to 

Opendoor. 

Opendoor Promised Consumers “Market Value” for Their Homes. 

6. Respondent advertised its home-buying service by claiming that Opendoor made “fair 

market” or “market value” offers. For example, on Facebook, Opendoor claimed that it allows 

consumers to “[g]et a fair market offer on [their] home without ever listing.” 

7. Opendoor similarly claimed on social media that its offers represent “our best estimate of 

full market value”: 

2 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Opendoor’s mail advertisements encouraged consumers to request offers from Opendoor 

to find out “how much [their] home is worth” and claimed that: 

Until now, there hasn’t been a fast and simple way to check on the true market 

value of your home. At opendoor.com you can see how much your home is worth 

in minutes. Our [local] real estate experts use market data and an assessment of 

comparable homes near you to prepare your home price. 

Other mail advertisements represented that Opendoor “aim[s] to make a competitive, fair market 

offer on your home using the most current data.” 

9. An Opendoor video ad similarly represented that consumers who go through the process 

of selling their homes on the open market could get “the same offer from Opendoor” without 

ever listing. 

10. Opendoor’s ads encouraged consumers to visit opendoor.com to request an offer. The 

website represented that Opendoor “aim[s] to offer fair market value for your home and take a 

service charge that enables us to provide world-class service from offer to closing.” It further 

claimed that Opendoor does not make money from a “buy-low, sell-high” strategy. Similarly, if 

consumers called Opendoor for more information, its call scripts instructed phone representatives 

to say that “Opendoor only makes a small amount on each sale.” 

11. A video on Opendoor’s website further explained that it uses home-sales data, “local real 

estate experts,” and sophisticated technology to provide “market value” offers: 

Every Opendoor offer relies on our robust data model that analyzes thousands of 

recent home sales in your market, as well as insights from our teams of local real 

estate experts. 

12. The website has also encouraged consumers planning to list on the market to request an 

Opendoor offer to learn their “home’s value” because it has “a deep understanding of market 

conditions and trends.” Respondent has specifically represented that Opendoor’s calculation of 

“home value” “is an estimation of what your home is worth. Also referred to as fair market 

value, it’s the price that a willing and informed buyer and a willing and informed seller can agree 

on.” 

13. Opendoor also sent emails promising a “competitive market price” and stating, “You 

deserve nothing less than what your home is worth.” 

Opendoor Promised to Provide Lower Costs than Traditional Sales. 

14. Opendoor’s advertising invited consumers to compare Opendoor’s costs to costs 

associated with selling on the open market. For example, it ran the following ads on Facebook 

and Twitter, respectively: 

3 
 

 

 

15. Opendoor’s website similarly claimed that its purported lower cost structure allows it to 

provide more net proceeds than what consumers would obtain from a traditional sale: 

A common misconception is that you won’t sell your home for top-dollar because 

our fee is higher than agent commissions. When you consider the cost savings we 

outlined above and the full range of services we provide, your net proceeds can be 

higher with Opendoor. 

16. Opendoor expressly claimed that its only source of profit is from its fee, which generally 

ranged from six to fourteen percent of the offer price. Opendoor’s website represented that the 

4 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

fee mostly consisted of costs that Opendoor anticipates paying to resell the home and that its 

profit was only “1% of our total service charge,” and an “amount we collect for providing a 

stress-free experience.” On a page titled, “How Opendoor calculates the value of your home,” 

the website explained, 

We don’t try to make “low ball offers” because, unlike a home flipper, our 

business model isn’t based on buying low and selling high. The way we make 

money is by charging a fee for our service. 

17. Opendoor’s website represented that it may require that the consumer make or pay for 

repairs Opendoor identifies after an in-person assessment of the property. However, the website 

also claimed that Opendoor merely requests the same repairs that consumers would otherwise 

have to make or pay for in a traditional sale. As shown in the image below, Opendoor has stated 

that it “ask[s] for the repairs we anticipate the next buyer of the home will ask for.” 

18. Opendoor’s website described the repair process as designed “to make sure the house is 

safe and functional” and not designed “to uncover every deficiency in your home to lower the 

offer.” Opendoor further represented that consumers may even save money on repairs if they sell 

to it because “we do our best to pass wholesale savings on to you from our partnerships with 

local vendors.” 

19. Opendoor also sent emails assuring potential consumers that the company’s “goal is not 

to make money from repairs—in fact, we pass any discounts from our vendors directly to you.” 

20. To illustrate the likely savings from selling to Opendoor, its website used its “home sale 

calculator” and a home with a $200,000 market value to demonstrate that consumers who choose 

Opendoor would save an estimated $4,400 over the costs of traditional sales: 

5 
 

 

 

Opendoor Promised that Consumers Will Make Money Selling to It. 

21. To request an offer from Opendoor, consumers enter details about their homes into an 

online portal. Unless the homes fall into categories for which Opendoor will not make offers, 

such as homes built before 1960, Opendoor calculates a custom offer and fee amount. 

22. Opendoor emails consumers a link with a customized offer within a few days. As shown 

in the sample email below, until at least 2019, the emails have stated that Opendoor has “just 

finished analyzing your home’s market value, and we’re excited to make you an offer!” The 

emails have also promised that accepting the offer allows consumers to “[g]et full value without 

paying the many hidden costs of a traditional sale.” Some versions of the email have claimed that 

Opendoor “strive[s] to give market value offers.” 

6 

 

25. Finally, the seller flow revealed the offer itself within a customized cost comparison 

chart, similar to the website “home sale calculator” displayed in paragraph 20. The chart 

projected the net proceeds each consumer would receive from accepting Opendoor’s offer versus 

selling on the market. The chart prepopulated Opendoor’s proposed purchase price and the 

market price as identical. In some cases, the seller flow showed the repair costs in both 

circumstances as “TBD.” In others, they showed the estimated repair costs as identical. Below is 

a version of the comparison chart. Opendoor used this or a similar format for all its offers. 

26. The bottom line of the chart projected the “net proceeds” that consumers should expect to 

receive from a sale to Opendoor and from a traditional sale. As of November 2019, over 

percent of these charts used in accepted offers projected that the consumer would realize more 

net proceeds by selling to Opendoor. The average projected gain was more than . 

27. Offers have also included information about market costs. As shown in the representative 

example below, the offers typically represented that consumers selling traditionally should 

expect to pay six percent in agent commissions, two percent in concessions at closing, and one 

percent in “home overlap costs”: 

8 
 

 

 

 

 

 

28. In some instances, Opendoor included two disclaimers at the end of the seller flow. Those 

disclaimers were not conspicuous and were in fine print. Moreover, they did not cure Opendoor’s 

repeated representations that it provided market value offers and that consumers were likely to 

make more money selling to it. Rather, one merely stated that “[t]hese figures are our best 

estimates” and the other stated, in direct contravention to Opendoor’s marketing, that the offer 

“does not necessarily represent the ‘market value’ of your home” because it was not a formal 

appraisal. 

29. The net proceeds comparison charts have provided more information about certain line 

items if consumers clicked a link adjacent to those line items. For example, if a consumer clicked 

an icon next to repairs on one version of the chart, a popup graphic provided the following 

explanation: 

Our philosophy is to ask for repairs we anticipate the next buyer of the home will 

ask for. We look for items that are broken, in poor condition, or can affect the 

safety, structure, or functionality of the home. Some examples include roof, 

foundation, flooring, electrical, plumbing, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and a/c 

systems), and appliances. On average, a typical repair request ranges from $___ to 

$_____, but can vary depending on the condition of your home. 

9 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other versions of the offer described repair costs as “[s]imilar to what you’d expect to pay 

traditionally.” In emails, Opendoor described its repair-assessment process as an “inspection” 

similar to post-contract inspections in market sales. 

Most Consumers Who Sold to Opendoor Lost Money. 

30. Contrary to Opendoor’s promises, consumers actually lost thousands of dollars selling to 

it compared to what they would have received from a traditional sale. Its offers have not been 

market value but consistently averaged thousands of dollars below market value. And the costs 

consumers have paid when selling to Opendoor have been higher than what consumers typically 

pay in a market sale. 

Opendoor Offered Below Market Value for Homes. 

31. The overwhelming majority of Opendoor’s offers have been significantly below what 

consumers would have received if they sold on the open market. 

32. Opendoor took various steps to reduce offers below what their internal valuation system 

deemed to be a home’s market value. 

33. In or around August 2018, Opendoor instituted a policy of lowering offers to cover 

anticipated repair costs. The policy reduced offers without disclosing that they were less than 

market value. If actual assessed repairs were lower than the amount withheld, Opendoor retained 

the difference as revenue. Even before implementing this policy, Opendoor would reduce certain 

offers to account for potential repairs, which simultaneously provided a sub-market offer and 

concealed assessed costs from consumers. 

34. Opendoor has used an automated system to generate expected market values for homes. 

In many instances, Opendoor’s employees have manually adjusted these values before presenting 

them to consumers as offers. Opendoor’s internal analyses showed that these manually adjusted 

offers were several percentage points below Opendoor’s assessment of market value. Beginning 

no later than 2019, Opendoor instituted a policy to reduce its manually adjusted offers to

 below what Opendoor assessed as market value. 

35. For automated offers, Opendoor instituted a “risk-based pricing” policy in or around June 

2019 that automatically reduced offers below Opendoor’s assessment of market value to account 

for risks inherent in reselling the home. This was contrary to Opendoor’s marketing claims that 

the company accounted for these risks in setting the custom fee associated with each offer. For 

example, Opendoor’s website explained that the fee varied to cover “risks and holding costs of 

the home.” 

36. At various times, Opendoor has reduced its offer prices to enable it to understate its fees, 

making its services appear more financially attractive compared to traditional sales or to its 

competitors. 

37. Consumers had no reason to know that Opendoor had reduced their offers through the 

means described in paragraphs 33-36. Opendoor promoted the offers as “market value,” its price 

comparison chart showed the same price for Opendoor’s offers and market offers, and Opendoor 

10 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opendoor Overstated the Costs of Traditional Sales. 

52. To make Opendoor’s offers appear more financially beneficial than they actually were, it 

misrepresented the amounts sellers should expect to pay for certain costs of traditional sales. The 

net proceeds calculator stated that consumers should expect to pay nine percent in real estate 

agent commissions, “seller concessions,” and home overlap costs. In fact, Opendoor’s data 

showed that sellers were likely to pay much less, and the company had no other data supporting 

its representations about traditional costs. Its marketing also claimed that consumers would likely 

pay one percent of their sales price, i.e., thousands of dollars, for “staging and prep work.” 

However, in traditional sales, many consumers do not pay to stage their homes prior to sale. 

53. During the time Opendoor made inflated claims about the costs of traditional sales, it 

possessed data suggesting that those claims were false. For example, it claimed that sellers 

should expect to pay two percent in “concessions” when selling on the market, but it only paid 

percent in concessions when it resold homes. 

Consumers Typically Lost Thousands Selling to Opendoor. 

54. As of November 2019, Opendoor had promised more than percent of consumers from 

whom they purchased homes that they would save significant money selling to it, with an 

average projected savings of over . In fact, as it was aware, consumers were likely to lose 

money selling to Opendoor. 

55. Its own internal analyses show that consumers lost money selling to Opendoor. For 

example, a March 2019 analysis of consumers who had accepted an Opendoor offer, but 

withdrew after receiving Opendoor’s repair demand, found that percent made more money 

selling on the open market, with an average gain of compared to what they would have 

received from Opendoor. Other internal analyses have found similar results. 

56. Opendoor transaction data confirms that consumers who sold to Opendoor have lost 

money compared to what they would have received through a traditional sale. Opendoor’s data 

shows that as of February 2020, the average resale price of its homes was . However, 

consumers received only on average due to Opendoor’s lower offer prices, deductions 

for repairs, and fees. If those consumers had instead sold on the market for the price Opendoor 

received on resale, they would have thousands more in net proceeds, even if they had paid the 

nine percent Opendoor claimed they would pay in agent fees, seller concessions, and overlap 

costs, and paid for repairs. 

Count I 

False or Unsubstantiated Claims 

57. In connection with the advertising, promotion, offering for sale, or sale of its homebuying business, Respondent has represented, directly or indirectly, expressly or by implication, 

that consumers are likely to realize more money selling their homes to Respondent than they 

would realize if they sell their homes in traditional sales, such as representing that: 

a. Respondent’s offers represent its projections of the market value price of consumers’ 

homes without any downward adjustments; 

13 
 

b. Respondent makes money from disclosed fees rather than from “buying low and 

selling high”; 

c. Consumers will likely pay the same amount in repair costs whether they sell their 

homes to Respondent or sell their homes in traditional sales; and 

d. Consumers will likely pay less in costs by selling to Respondent than they would pay 

in traditional sales: 

58. The representations set forth in Paragraph 57 are false or misleading, or were not 

substantiated at the time the representations were made. 

Violations of Section 5 

59. The acts and practices of Respondent as alleged in this complaint constitute unfair or 

deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce in violation of Section 5(a) of the Federal 

Trade Commission Act. 

THEREFORE, the Federal Trade Commission this _______ day of _______, 20__, has 

issued this Complaint against Respondent. 

By the Commission. 

April J. Tabor 

Secretary 

SEAL: 

14 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Analysis of Proposed Consent Order to Aid Public Comment In the Matter of 

Opendoor Labs Inc., File No. 1923191 

The Federal Trade Commission (“Commission”) has accepted, subject to final approval, 

an agreement containing a consent order from Opendoor Labs Inc. (“Opendoor” or 

“Respondent”). The proposed consent order has been placed on the public record for thirty (30) 

days for receipt of comments by interested persons. Comments received during this period will 

become part of the public record. After 30 days, the Commission will again review the 

agreement and the comments received and will decide whether it should withdraw from the 

agreement and take appropriate action or make final the agreement’s proposed order. 

This matter involves Respondent’s home-buying service. Respondent offers to buy 

consumers’ homes directly as an alternative to listing those homes for sale on the market. In 

advertisements, on its website, and in its offers to purchase homes, Respondent has represented 

that: 1) its offers reflect Opendoor’s best estimate of the home’s market value, with no 

adjustments to that amount; 2) the costs associated with a sale to Opendoor are generally lower 

than costs associated with traditional sales; and 3) the vast majority of consumers who sell their 

homes to Opendoor will make substantially more than if they sold traditionally. 

The complaint alleges that, in fact, Opendoor reduced its offers below what it believed to 

be the homes’ market value, costs associated with Opendoor sales were higher than typical costs 

in a traditional sale, and the vast majority of consumers who sold to Opendoor lost thousands of 

dollars compared to what they would have made in a traditional sale. The complaint therefore 

alleges that Respondent violated Section 5(a) of the FTC Act by making false and 

unsubstantiated claims that consumers were likely to realize more money selling their homes to it 

than they would realize in traditional sales, including by misrepresenting that: 1) Opendoor’s 

offers reflect its unadjusted assessment of a home’s market value; 2) Opendoor does not make 

money from “buying low and selling high”; 3) the costs of repairs it demands a seller make or 

pay for would be likely the same as what they would pay in a traditional sale; and 4) consumers 

would pay less in costs by selling to Opendoor than what they would pay in a traditional sale. 

The proposed order contains provisions designed to prevent Respondent from engaging 

in the same or similar acts or practices in the future. It applies to the marketing of any “RealEstate Service,” defined as “any product or service designed to assist a consumer in selling a 

home, including Respondent purchasing homes from consumers.” It does not apply to titling 

services, which are not relevant to the allegations in the complaint. 

Part I.A of the order prohibits Respondent from misrepresenting: 1) that consumers will 

receive more money using a Real Estate Service than they would using a different good or 

service; 2) that consumers will save money; 3) that consumers will receive a price for their 

homes equivalent to what they would likely receive by listing their homes on the market; 4) the 

amount of repair costs consumers will pay; 5) that consumers will save money on repair costs; 6) 

that any offer to purchase a consumer’s home is an accurate and unbiased projection of that 

home’s market value; and 7) that the person or persons offering any good or service do not 

expect to make money from reselling homes. 

1 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part I.B prohibits Respondent from making any representation about the costs of selling 

a home traditionally unless the representation is non-misleading and Respondent has competent 

and reliable evidence to substantiate that the representation is true. 

Part I.C prohibits Respondent from making any representation about the costs, savings, 

or financial benefit of a Real-Estate Service unless the representation is non-misleading and 

Respondent has competent and reliable evidence to substantiate that the representation is true. 

Parts II and III require Respondent to pay to the Commission $62,000,000 and 

describes the procedures and legal rights related to that payment. 

Part IV requires Respondent to provide customer information to enable the Commission 

to administer consumer redress. 

Part V requires Respondent to submit an acknowledgement of receipt of the order, and to 

distribute a copy of the order to: (1) all principals, officers, directors, and LLC managers and 

members; (2) all employees having managerial responsibilities for Real Estate Services; and (3) 

any business entity resulting from a change in corporate governance. It also requires Respondent 

to obtain acknowledgements from each individual or entity to which a Respondent has delivered 

a copy of the order. 

Part VI requires Respondent to file a compliance report with the Commission and to 

notify the Commission of bankruptcy filings or changes in corporate structure that might affect 

compliance obligations. 

Part VII contains recordkeeping requirements for accounting records, personnel records, 

and advertising and marketing materials related to Real-Estate Services, as well as all records 

necessary to demonstrate compliance with the order. 

Part VIII contains other requirements related to the Commission’s monitoring of 

Respondent’s order compliance. 

Part IX provides the effective dates of the order, including that, with exceptions, the 

order will terminate in 20 years. 

The purpose of this analysis is to facilitate public comment on the order, and it is not 

intended to constitute an official interpretation of the complaint or order, or to modify the order’s 

terms in any way. 

2