If you're wondering why two real estate tech companies just had their best after-hours session in recent memory, the answer involves President Trump, $200 billion in government funds, and a creative plan to shake up the mortgage market.
Shares of Opendoor Technologies Inc. (OPEN) and Offerpad Solutions Inc. (OPAD) went on a tear Thursday evening, with Offerpad leading the charge with a stunning 52.63% surge after the bell. Opendoor wasn't far behind, climbing 13.06% in after-hours trading after closing the regular session up 5.07% at $6.43. Offerpad had gained 4.82% during Thursday's regular trading.
The $200 Billion Housing Market Intervention
The catalyst? A Truth Social post from Trump outlining plans to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds using cash sitting on the balance sheets of Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), better known as Fannie Mae, and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. (FMCC), or Freddie Mac.
The goal is straightforward: bring down mortgage rates and monthly payments for American households while restoring what Trump called housing "Affordability." For iBuying platforms like Opendoor and Offerpad, which make their living buying and selling homes, this represents a potential jolt to the rate-sensitive housing market. Lower mortgage rates typically mean more buyers, more transactions, and more business.
Clearing Up Confusion About the Institutional Buyer Ban
This positive momentum comes after a rougher start to the week. Earlier, Opendoor shares had taken a hit following another Trump post proposing to ban institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes. That naturally raised questions about whether iBuying platforms would get caught in the crossfire.
On Thursday, Kia Nejatian, Opendoor's Head of Homebuilder Partnerships, stepped in to clarify the situation in a post on X. The proposed ban, he explained, targets landlords who own more than 100 properties, not "owner occupants or consumer platforms" like Opendoor.
Nejatian acknowledged that the ban could create short-term pricing pressure in certain neighborhoods if Trump's proposal includes forced selling of properties. But he emphasized that Opendoor isn't an institutional landlord. "The proposed ban targets long-term ownership concentration and not market making or resale platforms that reduce friction for consumers," he wrote.
That clarification helped ease investor concerns about both iBuying companies, setting the stage for Thursday evening's rally when the mortgage bond purchase plan hit the wires.