Business | Fixer-uppers

Tech firms disrupt the property market

Sellers get speed and certainty. Estate agents may yet get the squeeze

|ATLANTA

SELLING a home is stressful and time-consuming. You must first put up with estate agents’ admonishments about old carpets that need replacing, then with intrusions by prospective buyers who find more faults. A good offer can take months to materialise, only to fall through later. “It’s just not worth your sanity,” groans Anne Aviles, a schoolteacher in Atlanta.

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Fixer-uppers”

1843-2018: A manifesto for renewing liberalism

From the September 15th 2018 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Business

Protesters in favour of TikTok stand outside the United States Capitol.

TikTok’s time is up. Can Donald Trump save it?

The imperilled app hopes for help from an old foe

A tattooed man punches a large head, with motion lines and stars showing impact. He wears orange shorts.

The UFC, Dana White and the rise of bloodsport entertainment

There is more to the mixed-marital-arts impresario than his friendship with Donald Trump


A billboard welcoming the American electric car maker Tesla, in Monterrey, Mexico

Will Elon Musk scrap his plan to invest in a gigafactory in Mexico?

Donald Trump’s return to the White House may have changed Tesla’s plans


Germany is going nuts for Dubai chocolate

Will the hype last?

The year ahead: a message from the CEO

From the desk of Stew Pidd

One of the biggest energy IPOs in a decade could be around the corner

Venture Global, a large American gas exporter, is going public