So, you’re interested in selling your house and you’re wondering if you should go with an agent in Seattle, WA. There are lot of important considerations to take into account, everything from how long you have to wait for an offer to come in, how long before you can close the sale, whether you’re open to making repairs based on an inspection, how much commission you’re comfortable paying, and how available you are to show the house; or you can go a different direction and choose a professional investor.
No Property Showings
The first advantage of using a professional home buyer in Seattle, WA is that you’ll be removing the sentimental/emotional aspect of the sale by not having to do house showings. These showings are usually at the worst time for you and your family, with calls coming in at all times of the day and often requesting short-notice tours of the house. These showings can be strategically problematic as you do not want to have any contact with the buyer’s agent or their clients and hence be subjected to questions about the house.
No Commissions or Fees
One of the biggest pain points to using an agent is paying their outsized commissions. The commission is almost always a percentage of the sale, typically 3% on each side. For a $500,000 house, that’s a $30,000 commission payout! Add that to closing fees and other expenses that add up, and you’re out quite a bit of cash to make the sale. You can eliminate this entire headache by working with a professional investor, who will almost never charge any kind of fee for working together.
Waiting Time Frame
An argument you’ll often hear in favor of using an agent is their access to the multiple listing service, or MLS. However, just being listed on the MLS, when new properties are loaded onto it every day, doesn’t guarantee you sustained visibility. Houses on the MLS have languished for months, even years! Investors, on the other hand, are often plugged into a network of other investors, and they can refer those other buyers if the house doesn’t fit their own portfolio. In addition, investors usually pay cash and close much quicker than the traditional buyers that agents bring to the table, since those buyers often have mortgages to secure and bank paperwork to navigate before they can close.
Inspections & Repairs
Investors in WA are prone to buy as-is, while traditional buyers often look for 7- or 10-day inspection periods and then haggle for a lower price. With traditional buyers, you may find yourself going back and forth multiple times with them on requested repairs; the usual strategy they employ is to request the repair but then offer to take a price reduction instead. Also, once you have the inspection report, you’re obligated to disclose critical issues identified in the report for any future buyers, thus likely depressing your house’s sale price permanently.
You Have Time
Working with an agent and traditional buyer means you must be out of the house at the time of closing, but with investors there’s more flexibility as to when you need to vacate the property. You won’t have to worry about cleaning up or repairing anything. We’ll take it as-is from you and not rush you out, giving you the chance to nail down your new house first!