Opendoor is live in Houston, our third city in Texas! Joining the Houston Astros, Texans, and the birthplace of Beyoncé, Houstonians are loving having Opendoor as their new neighbor. Houston is currently one of the top real estate markets in the country when it comes to stable growth, so it’s no surprise that it is the fastest-growing market in Opendoor history.
To learn more about the value Opendoor brings to a residence in Houston, why we’re a great fit for the market, and get the scoop on local restaurants, we spoke with father of two and Opendoor’s Central Region General Manager, Chris O’Riordan.
Q. Why would home sellers and buyers in Houston be interested in using Opendoor rather than going the traditional route?
A: First-time home buyers and real estate veterans alike are loving Opendoor for its convenience and simplicity. The traditional process can be a daunting and cumbersome multi-step process.
Opendoor’s Central Region General Manager Chris O’Riordan.
It involves searching for a great agent, making a home ‘show ready,’ listing the home and keeping it clean for showings. Many people are keen on the idea of simplifying this process because they’re simply ready to move on.
Opendoor simplifies this process by giving sellers competitive cash offers, giving them the option to complete repairs themselves or have us complete repairs, and ultimately puts the control back in our sellers’ hands.
For buyers, they can have the peace-of-mind that we strive to make sure every home we list meets our standards. We also enable buyers to see the house on their own schedule through our self-tour open houses. We make it incredibly convenient for them to visit the home using our app and bring transparency and simplicity to the process.
Q. What is one unique thing about Houston that most people who haven’t lived there don’t know?
A. People who haven’t lived in Houston often underestimate how vibrant and varied the local food scene is, which is mostly a function of the city’s diversity. Friends outside of Texas often assume it’s all oil and gas plus the typical Cowboy stereotype, but from a cultural, racial, socioeconomic, and economic perspective, Houston is one of the country’s most diverse cities.
Q. What attracted you to Opendoor?
A. Opendoor’s mission and people. Our mission is rooted in making our customers’ lives easier through a dramatically simpler and more convenient home selling and buying process. And the people who work here whom I spoke with during the interview process are both passionate about our customers, and talented and supportive of each other. At Opendoor, we’re competitive, but only about how well we can serve our customers, not against each other. I’ve never experienced such a unique combination in my professional career.
Q. What was your most memorable customer experience?
A. A married couple with young children tried and failed to sell their home several times on the market before contacting us at Opendoor. This meant on two separate occasions they made their home ‘show ready,” kept it clean on a weekly basis, shuffled their kids in and out of the house when visitors wanted to see it, and on and on.
“Opendoor is full of leaders who are passionate about both our customers and our teammates, and working here has enabled me to fulfill my duty to both my team and family”
Then they both got word that their jobs would be moving across town, leaving them with the choice of staying in their home and doubling their already long commute, which would impact their time together as a family, or moving and trying to carry two mortgages, which would have been unfeasible for them. This change was happening in 30 days.
Then, they heard about Opendoor from a friend who had sold to us earlier in the year. We were able to get this couple a competitive offer within 48 hours, enabled them to time their sale to us with exactly when they wanted to move, and they were able to move across town without impacting their time together as a family.
We work with a lot of customers in similar situations, but this one sticks out because, as a father of two, I understand the impact of something as simple as an extra six hours per week together as a family.
Q. What’s the biggest challenge you’re looking forward to solving over the next 6-12 months?
A. Continuing to improve our operations so we can drive costs down for our customers. The more efficient we are, the better value we can deliver to every one of our customers. If our broader team can get one percent better every day, the dividends to our customers could be huge.
Q. How has working at Opendoor provided you with the freedom to pursue your hobbies and work/life balance?
A. Opendoor is full of leaders who are passionate about both our customers and our teammates, and working here has enabled me to fulfill my duty to both my team and family. As a father of two young children, my daughter is two-and-a-half, and my son is seven months, that means keeping a structured, consistent schedule that enables me to spend time with my wife and kids in the morning after the kids wake up and in the evening before bedtime. I often catch up on what I miss in the early hours of the morning, which works since I’m very much a morning person.
Q. What is your favorite local restaurant and why?
A. Uchi at 904 Westheimer. I love the vibe of the restaurant as well as the variety of items they have on their menu. It’s a great date-night restaurant or a place to go to celebrate a milestone.
Check out our conversations with General Managers of other Opendoor markets:
- Opendoor’s Las Vegas General Manager on why she’s ‘all in’ on Sin City
- Opendoor’s Charlotte GM on what it’s like to break ground in a hot real estate market
- Members from the Opendoor team in the Twin Cities talk about their work and favorite local activities
- Talent, tech & time travel: Q&A with General Manager Amit Arora
- Opendoor expands its footprint in Florida by launching in Tampa
Interested in working for Opendoor?
If you’re interested in learning more about Opendoor or joining our team, check out our careers page.
