Are you looking to sell your house? Are you uncertain of which avenue to approach to sell your house for cash quickly? Well, you just landed on the right source of information.
When looking to sell their house, a common consideration for most investors is cash, among finding a pool of buyers to compare quotes on.
On average, the amount of time it takes for a property owner to dispose of their property for cash is crucial. If you are trying to relieve yourself of a financial burden, you may have a shorter time.
However, the market contains a considerable number of real estate investors looking to buy property for cash. This article will provide you with a clear guide on the necessary steps as you sell your house for cash, so keep reading.
Who is a Cash Buyer?
A cash buyer is an individual or a company that buys houses for cash. At the close of a sale, a buyer would remit funds to your bank account either electronically or through issuing a cheque.
Types of Cash Buyers
In general, there are two types of cash buyers. Thus, you need to choose carefully the kind of buyer you want deal with.
Real Estate Investors
These individuals or companies are looking to buy property, renovate, resale, or add to their rental portfolios. Besides, they don’t depend on mortgages for purchase, and you’re likely to close more sales.
Owner-Occupants
These are individuals who already own property and have enough equity to pay cash for a property. Also, dealing with them is easy making, the sale guaranteed.
Benefits of a Cash Buyer
Property cash buyers come with numerous benefits. You cut closing time and minimize the amount of paperwork you can be subjected to.
Faster Closing Times
You do not have to wait for any loan approval process with a cash transaction like mortgage processes do. Selling your home works best when you urgently require the funds.
In addition, obtaining cash for houses eliminates the need for a financing contingency. A financing contingency is a clause that puts the transaction on hold to guarantee that the buyer can secure a loan. Financial contingency works against you as the seller; since the buyer cannot secure a loan, they can easily back out of the agreement.
Less Paperwork
Selling your house for cash involves minimum paperwork procedures. Once you agree on a fair price with the buyer, you need to draft up a sale agreement contract and a closing statement if the purchase is made in installments.
In most cases, lenders may request your buyer to undertake an inspection of the property together with an appraisal. If your property has an issue with permitting or titles, it may harbor the transaction process, forcing you to scout for new buyers.
On the other hand, a cash buyer has the leeway to fix the issues before or after the purchase. Therefore, issues surrounding your property will not be a limiting factor for them.
Based on the above benefits, an investor can liquidate their property much easier than relying on lenders to finance the transaction. It can also lead to an increase in the profit margins in the long run.
Disadvantages of Cash Buyers
Sometimes cash buyers may not be the best option in selling your property. The process has its fair share of disadvantages that you would love to consider before putting up your property for sale.
- Some potential buyers may not have the total amount
- Cash buyers may offer low prices compared to the market price
It is essential to approach cash transactions cautiously. Be sure to obtain all relevant documentation from your cash buyer to avoid being duped. Be sure to consider these factors when scouting for your buyer.
Steps to Consider When Selling a House for Cash
Unlike traditional lenders, cash buyers do not conform themselves to a specific region or demography. Therefore, when scouting for a buyer, it is essential to expand your search wide and think outside the box. The qualifying factor for any cash buyer is having extra cash for purchasing a property. This could be anyone in the world.
Limiting your search to a specific area narrows down your potential of finding cash buyers with better offers.
Some of the best places to find cash buyers are:
Online Listings
You can make use of online listings with wide audience bases such as craigslist or other similar sites. For example, with Craigslist, you can list your property and describe it with sufficient information to attract the attention of different buyers.
You can incorporate daily updates by removing the previous posts and including a new post of the exact property to keep your post relevant. You don’t have to change the details since it may raise concerns about integrity from your potential buyers.
Further, to prepare yourself for conversations with buyers, it is essential to have the following information at bay; images of the property, the selling price, comparables if applicable, terms of the deal, and if your property requires repair, an estimation of the cost of repair.
You can also use online listings to look for sellers you can directly contact through your mailing list.
Attend a Real Estate Auction
A real estate auction attracts various players, which also includes potential cash buyers for your property. If you are lucky enough, you can get a pool of potential buyers offering attractive quotes for your property.
You can inquire for a real estate agency on the upcoming auction dates to slot it in your calendar. However, it is essential to commit yourself to attending these auctions since it increases your chances of finding a buyer. Make sure to arm yourself with an elevator pitch to draw your cash buyers’ attention.
Your pitch should include essential details such as your name, contact information, and reasons why they should purchase your property. Then, be sure to do a follow-up the next day with an email or phone call.
Use Signs on Your Property
You can attract willing cash buyers to your property by placing for-sale signs on your property. However, it would be best if you were strategic when creating signs to use on your property. For example, you can use bright colors that will quickly draw the attention of passersby. You can also make use of reflective lights to ensure the sign is visible at night.
Ensure you place the sign at a strategic location, such as at the front of the house, and it should be free from any obstruction. For example, you can have a sign that states, sell a house for cash to attract potential cash buyers quickly.
It will be helpful to have all relevant information about the property at bay if a buyer calls you. Information you need to have at your fingerprints is; estimated costs of repair, the value of the property, and the property description (number of baths or rooms).
Tax Assessor’s Website
Searching for a cash buyer can be as simple as navigating through your local tax assessor’s website. However, if you are unfamiliar with the website’s interface, it will be helpful to first acquaint yourself with how it works.
After that, you can browse for individuals or companies within your property’s radius, with a high likelihood of investing in more property. Finally, you can look for signs such as homes owned by LLCs. Such individuals will probably be willing to give cash for houses.
Bandit Signs
You may have probably come across bandit signs that advertise certain limited-time offers. These signs can help connect you to potential cash buyers. Look for bandit signs that provide contact information for following up on deals. A promising sign to look out for is ‘we buy houses for cash.’
You can create a list of contacts from the bandit signs you spot. Don’t limit yourself to bandit signs close to your property. Instead, spread your wings out, as this may heighten your chances of finding a potential buyer.
Pay Per Click Advertising
In the digital marketing era, a convenient way of locating buyers is through marketing your property online. Most cash buyers may perform a search online to find a suitable property for them to purchase.
You can make use of Google Adwords to find out common keywords your target audience uses.
It is important to note that your competition will also focus on the same marketing strategy. You can improve your technique by using targeted search engine optimization.
Multiple Listing Services
If you have close relations with a real estate agent, you can ask them for an MLS based on cash transactions made over various properties. You can use this list to build a database of potential buyers.
Next, you can contact each individual on the list to determine whether they would be interested in purchasing your property.
Again, a phone call is ideal since you can also learn what other properties they may be interested in for future reference.
Online Lead Capture Form
If you have a website, you can include a lead capture form that allows buyers to drop their contact information for them to be included in your buyers’ list.
You can use social media for advertising your website to draw more traffic leading to more buyers submitting their contact information.
Real Estate Networking Events
A real estate networking event is an ideal location to scout for potential cash buyers for your property. You stand a chance to learn a thing or two by attending these networking events.
Besides, face-to-face networking is more effective compared to reaching out to networks online.
It is important to note that not everyone you meet will be interested in your property; however, they can link you to potential buyers.
Visit an Open House
If your neighborhood is hosting an open house for a fixer-upper home, there are high chances you may bump into your potential cash buyer. Open houses usually are flocked with investors looking to invest in properties.
As you attend the open house, ensure you have your property details with you, such as the property description, a few photos, and videos, in addition to your contact information.
It is also essential to practice your elevator speech to draw the investor’s attention to your property.
Public Records
All property that is sold is recorded under public records, which anyone can access. You can use these logs to check for cash transactions for properties that sold low and later bought at a high price.
In most cases, the sale involves a flip transaction, and such individuals can be potential cash buyers.
Steps to Take When Closing a Cash Sale for a House
Generally, there are five steps you need to take when closing a sale:
- Initiate the purchase and draft up a sales agreement
- Confirm whether the buyer can buy the property
- Create an escrow account
- Plan for a home appraisal and inspection if your buyer makes a request
- After the buyer makes the final transaction, you can review the closing documents
If you are uncertain of how to close a sale, you can contact a real estate agent for guidance and, if possible, depending on your relation, templates of the documents you will need.
Prepare For Buyer Buying You House for Cash
If you’re going through a financial strain, then selling your house for cash is ideal for securing a lump sum amount of money. However, there are drawbacks associated with the process of selling your home.
Nevertheless, if you are not in a hurry, you can scout the market for different buyers and obtain quotes from them.
If you are uncertain of the process and looking for an easy way out, you can use our online site to list your property. We make the process easier for you by taking a load off.