In the age of e-commerce, it is no surprise that buying and selling a home is now only a click away for some sellers in the Tucson market. However, the trend comes at a cost, both to the people selling homes and the local real estate market, according to an Arizona Daily Star report.  

In May, 25 percent of local home sales were not listed in the area's multiple listing service (MLS), which is a database of homes for sale that local real estate professionals search for their potential buyers.

According to the report, 95 percent of the homes for sale in the market were once listed on the area's MLS.

Where are these listings going, if not on the MLS? The answer is to companies like Opendoor and Offerpad, online home sales services with operations in Tucson.

These companies make all-cash offers and close a deal online, without any agents bringing potential buyers to your house. There is no agent and no bank or lender involved.

The ease of these online sales comes at a cost to both the seller and the Tucson market, the report said.

First, all-cash offers tend to be lower. For some people, that'd be a dealbreaker. However, some sellers are willing to forgo money to make a sure-to-close deal without worrying about buyers walking away from the sale.

For Tucson, these services mean people seeking traditional financing are getting edged out. Services like Offerpad and Opendoor buy houses in need of some cosmetic upgrades then make some repairs and turn around and sell the homes for an even higher price.

The end result? Lower market inventory in MLS and inflated home prices.

Like all things, there are drawbacks and benefits. Could this hurt the real estate industry in Tucson and have a broader impact? For the full story and more in-depth details, see the full report on the Arizona Daily Star web site.