Selling a house consists of numerous steps. For one, listing the property in a Multiple Listing Service (MLS) platform is a must in order to advertise the house. Moreover, homeowners must ‘stage’ the house to attract prospective buyers. Staging may involve rearranging furniture, cleaning, decluttering, repainting, landscaping, decorating, and more.
Unfortunately, not everyone can give the time of day to do all these, for some reason. If you’re one of these individuals, you’ve probably considered lowering your selling price as a compromise.
But before you resort to that option, it’s worth noting that you still have alternatives. For starters, if your house is in Orlando, you can try selling it to agencies like The Local House Buyers. These agencies purchase houses that fit their criteria, as long as the property is in their target area. But if you don’t live in Orlando, your last resort would be to sell the house to an investor.
Investors are individuals who purchase real estate properties intending to sell them at a higher price in the future. For that reason, they may even go as far as buying even the worst home in the neighborhood, hoping that the price will inflate in the coming years. Alas, selling to an investor also comes at a price. So, is it worth consideration? Read on to find out.
Why Should You Sell Your Home To An Investor?
As stated earlier, the objective of investors differs from that of homebuyers. The same goes for their criteria. Most of the time, their distinct criterion aligns with homebuyers’ goals, which often leads to numerous benefits. Below are five examples of such benefits:
1. Investors Don’t Mind An Unclean Or Vacant Home
Cleanliness is one of the main criteria of homebuyers when looking for a home. They also tend to visualize how the home would look with furniture. That’s why when selling a house, it’s advisable to reposition the décor and clean each room regularly. Meanwhile, when an investor searches for a home, or any real estate property, for that matter, they prioritize location over anything else.
They won’t mind an unclean or empty house, as long as it’s in an ideal location. As such, selling to an investor is suitable for owners too busy to prepare their homes for buyers.
2. You’re More Likely To Receive The Payment Immediately
Apart from their criterion, investors also tend to have a different payment method from the typical homebuyer. Instead of getting a mortgage or loan, investors almost always pay in cash.
Therefore, you can receive the payment almost immediately. Of course, you still need to make sure the investor shows proof of funds, just to be on the safe side. Speaking of which, if your primary objective for selling the house is to get a quick buck, consider selling it to agencies like www.thelocalhousebuyers.com, especially if your home is in Florida.
3. Transactions With Investors Are Generally Quicker
Even after receiving the payment, you still have to deal with all sorts of paperwork. Hence, both the buyer and the seller tend to spend up to two months to complete the entire transaction.
However, you don’t have to deal with things like home inspections, approved financing, and the likes when selling to an investor. Transactions with real estate investors typically bypass these steps, making the process shorter than usual. In some cases, sellers can even close the transaction within one week, especially if the investor pays with cash.
4. Investors May Offer Flexible Options
Depending on your property’s potential future market value, investors can be pretty flexible with your options. For example, they can offer to purchase your home using the payment method you prefer, such as certified funds, pre-scheduled credit, and of course, cash. If you’re currently paying the mortgage for the house, they may even offer to take over the remaining loan for you.
In short, you’re more likely to get a favorable deal with an investor compared to when you sell the house to the typical homebuyer.
5. You Don’t Have To Move Out Prior To The Purchase
If you’ve been targeting homebuyers, you’re probably aware that it’s necessary to move out of the house even before you can find a prospective buyer to make sure the house is ‘show ready.’ But since investors don’t mind if the property is empty or unclean, they should also be okay with you staying in the house, at least until they officially purchase the property.
Why Shouldn’t You Sell Your Home To An Investor?
While most homeowners think that getting a visit from an investor is lucky, some owners will think otherwise. After all, selling to an investor isn’t 100% beneficial. Much like how it has several benefits, it also comes with a few drawbacks. Below are three of these drawbacks.
1. Investors Often Purchase Anonymously
When purchasing a home, or any real estate property, for that matter, investors aren’t obliged to reveal their identity. They also aren’t required to have a license. Hence, if you plan on going this route, you probably won’t know who’s buying your house. For all you know, the buyer might be from a shady organization. That’s what contracts are for—to ensure you don’t bear any responsibilities once the transaction is complete.
2. They’re Not Transparent On Your Home’s True Market Value
Most investors are aiming to gain a profit from purchasing real estate properties. That’s why they tend to avoid revealing your home’s actual market value—so they can buy your house at a much lower price. Although it’s common, that’s not to say it happens all the time. If you’re lucky, the investor might be buying the home as they genuinely like its location.
It’s also possible that they own a piece of land near your home, so they plan on expanding their property by buying yours. In this case, they’re often willing to pay higher than the market value.
3. You Might Be Transacting With A Scammer
Selling to an investor carries several benefits, which is perhaps why it’s attracted the attention of scammers. These scammers will act as if they’re real estate investors and convince you to close the transaction right away. Before you know it, you would’ve already been conned out of your property and money. That’s why a real estate agent is crucial for both buyers and sellers.
Conclusion
Selling your home can be exhausting. You have to do regular cleaning, maintenance, and more, just to make sure the house is at its best when prospective buyers ask for a tour. Plus, it typically goes on for several months. If you’re busy with other things, the process can prove to be quite bothersome. While selling to an investor eliminates the hassle of the process, it also carries risks, so you’ll need to weigh the pros and cons carefully, hence this article.
