Google invests $50M in Auction.com: good for Google, bad for consumers?

Google Capital Invests Big Bucks in Auction.com

The online real estate auction site, Auction.com, landed a monstrous investment from Google Capital. In a press release on the Auction.com website, the largest online auction site for buying a selling homes announced that Google Capital invested $50 million dollars in their Irvine, California-based company.

According to the Jeff Frieden, CEO and Co-Founder of Auction.com, “Google is the world’s greatest Internet company and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to work closely with them. This will give us an opportunity to tap into their deep expertise in digital marketing and mobile, as well as in building world-class products.”

In speaking about their decision to extend funding, Google Capital Partner David Lawee is equally enthusiastic. He states, “We think Auction.com can fundamentally change how real estate, and particularly commercial real estate, can be bought and sold, leveling the playing field for smaller investors.”

Since Google is widely recognized as a forward-thinking business leader, one might want to take stock in their decision to back such a company.

Real Estate Consumers and Professionals May Want to Take a Second Look

While this cash infusion may lead to some fundamental changes in how real estate is bought and sold, Auction.com currently has some noteworthy practices.

Nationstar Mortgage Short Sales

One of the largest contributors of properties to the Auction.com website is Nationstar Mortgage. Nationstar requires borrowers who want to sell their homes as short sales to auction those properties through the Auction.com website, and this process is not without its criticism.

For one, the Nationstar/Auction.com process is a little bit disjointed. A real estate agent lists a property, obtains an offer, and submits the paperwork (including the fully executed purchase contract) to Nationstar. Nationstar then requires the property to be listed on the Auction.com website, and the bidding on this property is now open to the public.

Many agents complain that this process completely ignores the existing purchase contract between buyer and seller. Given the fact that the seller (not the bank) is the rightful owner until the property, it is the seller who should determine the best purchase offer on the property. The existing contract should not be ignored.

Auction.com Surcharge

Another hot button issue for consumers is that Auction.com requires a surcharge when you purchase a property through their site. For some properties, the surcharge is $2500. But, for those short sale properties that came via Nationstar bank, the surcharge is 5 percent. So, if you bid $250,000 for a property listed on the site, your total purchase (excluding settlement fees) could be $262,500. In effect, homebuyers may end up overpaying for a property.

Possible Price Inflation

Most consumers have the impression that an “auction” begets a deal. In some instances, that may be the case. However, in an auction, people bid against one another and that raises the price, often even causing a buying frenzy, which clearly works to the benefit of the seller.

Elizabeth Story, a San Diego County Realtor® at Allison James Estates & Homes, points out the following unfair consumer practice: “Auction.com’s properties listed for sale have unpublished reserves that allow the seller to decline the transaction, even if you are the winning bidder. In order to encourage bidding up to the unpublished reserve, Auction.com will bid against buyers in its own auctions.” It’s true that Auction.com does not publish their reserve amounts on their site, unlike other sites (such as ebay) where the reserve is visible to the consumer.

But, unlike other auction sites, Auction.com does actually reserve the right to bid against the consumer. In their Reserve Auction Terms and Conditions, Auction.com states, “The starting bid is not the Reserve Price. Except where prohibited by law, during a live bidding event (online or otherwise) the Auctioneer may open bidding on any Property by placing a bid on behalf of the Seller and may further bid on behalf of the Seller up to the amount of the Reserve Price by placing successive or consecutive bids for a Property, or by placing bids in response to other bidders.”

Homebuyers need to understand that the Auctioneer may be bidding against them and, as a result, inflating the price paid to the property to their own benefit and the benefit of the seller.

Online Bidding May Benefit Sellers

The truth is that the online bidding process may also benefit those home sellers that list their homes for sale on the site. In situations of properties where there has been limited interest at the local level through common real estate advertising practices, sellers may be able to increase their buying pools. In the example of luxury homes valued in the millions of dollars, widening the buying pool could possibly lead to a quicker closing.

Thinking of buying a home on Auction.com? Think that if it’s good for Google, it’s good for me? “It’s important to know the facts,” Story says. “Buyers need to know that they are not shortchanging themselves.”

It’s true that the online real estate auction site may have some good features, but as always… caveat emptor!