Realtor.com To Open New Opcity Tech Hub In Downtown Austin
AUSTIN — Realtor.com, operated by Move, Inc., today announced plans to open a second office in Austin. Its new downtown location will serve as a product and engineering hub for its Opcity business, the real estate technology platform that improves the home buying and selling experience by quickly connecting consumers to a real estate professional who meets their specific needs.
Named a Best Place to Work in 2019 by the Austin Business Journal and by both Inc. Magazine and the Austin American-Statesman in 2018, Opcity expects to move into its second location at 901 E. 6th St. – a 129,444-square-foot creative office building currently under construction, of which it will rent approximately 29,000 square feet – in the fall. It expects to house nearly 200 product, engineering, data science and analytics employees at the new site.
“This new location will give us access to a greater pool of resources and talent that will allow us to remain a leader in real estate innovation. Downtown Austin is a great tech hub and we’re excited to be back in the heart of it,” said Ben Rubenstein, CEO of Opcity.
The space offers natural light and the ability to tailor the layout to Opcity’s specific needs. It is being designed by architectural firm Perkins + Will to mirror other realtor.com locations.
The 901 E. 6th location is in close proximity to many restaurants as well as the highway and Metrorail, making it an ideal location and easy commute from anywhere in the city.
Founded in 2015, Opcity is a fast-growing technology platform that uses data science and machine learning to connect home buyers and sellers with a real estate professional that meets their specific needs. Move, Inc. acquired Opcity in October 2018 to serve as the foundation for building a highly personalized, guided experience that helps consumers navigate the complexities of buying and selling a home.
Speaking in an earnings call last month, Move owner News Corp’s Chief Executive Robert Thomson said that the acquisition of Opcity represents “an investment in future growth,” and noted that “providing higher quality leads to real estate professionals is part of the changing U.S. property market and will result in higher quality returns for realtor.com.”
Real estate revenues at Move rose 14 percent year-over-year as of the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2019.
Opcity currently employs approximately 600 consumer experience, sales, marketing, finance and accounting employees at its 6800 Burleson Road headquarters location.
