Should You Sell Your House for Cash or Hire a Realtor?
According to Statista, 6.5 million homes were sold in the United States in 2020, and they expect 7.1 million to be sold by the end of 2021. This shows that, despite the pandemic, there is still a healthy demand for homes in the U.S. However, this also means that selling your property won’t be easy. Selling your house is a time-consuming process, and deciding how to proceed can be difficult. However, considering the following selling methods can help you make a decision.You have two options: hire a realtor or sell it to a cash buyer. You might find it beneficial to conduct some brief research to establish the most profitable method for selling your home quickly. The goal is to maximize the value of your property. Today, we are discussing the pros and cons of both methods.
Pros and Cons When Selling a House to a Cash Buyer
Contacting a “cash home buyer” can lead to some extremely attractive offers. Here are a few advantages that could steer you in this direction.
Pros
Fast Home Offers
The assurance is that you’ll get an instant cash offer and discover how much money you may get for your house immediately.Some people might make you an offer right away. Others will want to speak with you over the phone and see the property before making an offer. You won’t get a final offer until they conduct a home inspection.
Fast Home Sales
Another major advantage of this method is timeliness. It’s good to know that your closing date is coming and that you may start making new plans for your life.Genuine all-cash buyers typically close deals in a few days if they can complete title work, appraisals, insurance, and inspections, and the closing agent is available.
No Repairs or Home Staging
Most of the time, these buyers will not require any repairs or upgrades, so this method has become attractive to many homeowners selling their homes because they are short on cash or facing foreclosure.They won’t give you any bonus points for staging the house and making it more appealing. They intend to do it themselves, and their design ideas are likely to be quite different from yours. This prevents you from investing in a property that you are only trying to sell.
Cons
Is it a good idea to sell your home for cash? Before you say yes, consider the potential drawbacks of selling to these cash buyers.
Low Purchase Offers
These buyers are willing to buy quickly to identify discounted properties that they can resell immediately for a profit. They may modify and re-market them occasionally.They might renovate and rent them out in other circumstances. They want to pay as little as possible, whatever their end goal may be. For example, they will buy houses for no more than 30% to 50% less than what they may be resold for is often the goal.
You Don’t Get Competing Bidders
You’ll be stuck with one “take it or leave it” quote, unlike listing with a realtor who will field all of your buyers and market your house to millions of home searchers.Alternatively, you’ll have to manually find, contact, personally speak with, and potentially invite into your property a slew of “cash” buyers who may or may not offer significantly different amounts. A public listing with a realtor may result in a bidding battle and more competition for your home.
A Sale Is Still Not Guaranteed
Even if someone guarantees you a quick closing and an all-cash transaction, there is no assurance that you will close until the agreement is signed and you have money in your hands.Some of these marketers may actually have the funds and want to close as soon as possible. Others have been taught to simply put houses under contract and then shop the deal around to see if they can obtain a better offer.If they are unable to find someone within that time range, they may simply let the contract expire, wasting your time. Or, they may try to persuade you to take advantage of creative financing solutions, such as a lease option or owner financing.
Deduct Repairs & Improvements from Your Price
While these buyers will not force you to do any repairs or even clean up your home, they will deduct these fees from your buying price.For example, if it would cost a regular homeowner $25,000 to bring a property up to its potential market worth, you can guarantee that amount will be deducted from what they offer, along with the profit margin they intend to make.This might be as much as a quarter of the projected resale price. Most buyers won’t pay more than 70% of the asking price, excluding any closing and repair charges. They would make an offer closer to $45,000 on a $100,000 home in this scenario.
Pros and Cons of Hiring a Realtor
Pros
Here are some benefits of listing your house with a realtor.
Finalizing the Contract and Paperwork
A well-trained and educated agent will be able to read through all the pages of mostly fine print and ensure that your sale is handled strictly according to the book.Errors and omissions are significantly less likely to happen, and if they do, a licensed real estate professional will be covered by insurance, reducing your risk.
Saves Time and Energy
Hiring an agent to handle it for you is a good option unless you want to commit your nights and weekends to home tours, not to mention the staging of your home to make those visits worthwhile.Trusting a realtor to handle the job properly, you are free to learn everything there is to know about buying and selling land.When you work with a professional who has the necessary skills and experience to close a property or any other real estate transaction, you save a lot of time and effort. This is not only cost-effective but also convenient.
Professional Networking
Realtors often have connections with various specialists, like attorneys, inspectors, contractors, landscapers, and other agents, who they can call on if necessary to get your home ready to sell.Also, realtors can provide you with recommendations from other professionals with whom they have collaborated to help you make an informed decision.
Market Knowledge
A qualified real estate agent knows your local market better than anyone else. Real estate agents are aware of market trends, how to determine appropriate price points, and the finest avenues for publicizing the availability of your home.They have many resources, so they eventually know where to find the information they need.
Negotiation Skills
A negotiation is an art form, and most of us have little experience with it. A good agent will negotiate on your behalf, resulting in you making the most money.With a realtor on your side, potential buyers and their agents will be more likely to skip the lowball offer and go directly to a fair offer, knowing they aren’t dealing with an amateur negotiator.
Cons
There are situations where hiring a realtor can be disadvantageous for the seller.
Having to Pay Commissions
Hiring a realtor, especially a full-service, experienced agent, is expensive. Prepare to pay a real estate agent up to 6% of the sale price of your home. That’s 6% of the whole transaction price, not the profit you make on the sale.Hiring a discount broker can help you save money on commissions, but you’ll probably have to forego some of the aforementioned benefits because they can only assist you with the basics.
One of Many Clients
In other words, you’re one of many house sellers they’re working with. Some realtors are overworked, juggling many clients at the same time. When you don’t feel like you’re getting the personal attention you want, this might be frustrating.The busier your agent is, the more likely you may be frustrated by not receiving timely calls, missed deadlines, and deals that come to nothing.Also, your house could stay longer on the market if your agent does not put in the necessary time and effort. In contrast, if your agent is eager to sell your property for any reason, they may make decisions that are incompatible with your objectives to sell your house quickly.At Cami Jones Collaborative, we understand how frustrating this could be. We guarantee that each and every one of our clients is treated with the utmost care and diligence.
Depend on Your Realtor’s Schedule
The schedule and planning skills of your realtor are critical to the sale of your house. If your realtor does not commit the time and effort necessary to sell your home within the timeframe you choose, it may have an impact on the sale price and profit.It could also affect your ability to find and move into your future house. As a result, it’s important to engage with a realtor who recognizes the value of both your and their time.
Ready to Hire a Realtor?
A cash buyer may be ideal for you if you need to sell your home quickly and don’t want to deal with contingencies.However, if you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your investment, you might be better off hiring a realtor. It all boils down to the details of the offer, not just the buyer’s funding source.At Cami Jones Collaborative, we make the process quick and easy. If you’re concerned that you’ll get a lower offer than you expected, consider how much money you’ll save on listing fees, realtor fees, and marketing if you sell your house through us.You have a better chance of making more money quickly.For more information, call us at (913) 521-8883 or (913) 521-5567. You may also fill up our online form or email us at camij@reecenichols.com.