Zillow Intends to Buy and Flip Homes

Online listing service’s strategy threatens to disrupt traditional real-estate-agent business model

Real-estate listings company Zillow Group is getting into the business of buying and flipping homes, a risky and untested business model for the online service that could disrupt the traditional brokerage business.

Zillow said Thursday it will purchase homes from consumers in Las Vegas and Phoenix, renovate them and aim to flip them within 90 days. The company initially plans to hold 300 to 1,000 homes by the end of the year, which amounts to an investment in the $75 million to $250 million range.

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