So you’re ready to sell your house, which can be exciting, scary, or frustrating, depending on the reason:
- Relocating for a new job
- Leaving a house that needs too many repairs
- Moving into a better healthcare situation because of age or health complications
- A changing family situation, either from kids moving out or new ones being born
- An inheritance in a remote location, which you need to sell
- A death or divorce
You may be asking yourself What Is the Best Way to Sell My House In Order To Get The Most Money? Each distinctive situation might call for a different method of selling. For example, you might have months before you really have to sell and are content to let a real estate agent or broker sift through buyers for the highest bidder. But if you’re in a hurry, you might think about calling up an investor who can give you a quick cash offer, doesn’t care about repairs or staging, and can help you out of difficult situations.
There’s not a right or wrong way to go about it. It depends on your situation and your needs. In this guide, we’ll take you through your primary options to help you decide the best one for you.
Who Can Take This House Off My Hands?
There are a few different characters in the world of real estate transactions. You might hear terms like “agent,” “broker,” and “investor” without anyone taking the time to define them. Here’s what each one means:
- Agent: A trained and licensed professional who works for a real estate company, helps customers connect with property buyers, and completes transactions to collect a commission payment
- Broker: An owner of a real estate firm that employs agents, a broker is more highly trained than agents and performs more difficult aspects of transactions—or can be an independent broker without employees
- Investor: A direct buyer who is mostly focused on acquiring properties for herself or her team, rather than creating transactions between sellers and buyers to collect fees and commissions
By the way, the term Realtor® refers to someone who belongs to the National Association of Realtors. A Realtor® can be an agent, broker, investor, or something else, such as a property manager.
Who should you approach when you want to sell your house?
1. An Investor
Who would want to sell to an investor? Often, someone who needs a quick transaction. Individuals and companies that buy houses as investments can:
- Offer you cash, with no need for a mortgage or escrow account
- Buy a property as-is, with no clean-up, repair, or staging
- Perform his own (reliable) property assessment and valuation
- Help you get out of a foreclosure
- Buy even in a difficult market
- Save you from hours of paperwork
- Help you avoid closing costs and fees
Investors don’t charge commissions, because they’re focused instead on getting properties for their portfolio. Each property’s value is much more than a commission fee to them. They can use properties for rental income or other sophisticated strategies.
Do you need to sell your house quickly because of a new job, a health issue, an inheritance, a financial problem, or another reason? A trustworthy investor with a good reputation could help.
2. A Real Estate Agent
Going to an agent is what most people think of when selling a house. If you have time to work with an agent, she can:
- Give tours of the property
- Find buyers whose preferences fit the type of house you’re selling
- Gather offers from prospective buyers
- Advise you on how to stage your house
- Find professionals who can repair and upgrade the property
- Make sure that paperwork is completed correctly, avoiding errors
- Negotiate good terms between you and a buyer
Agents are trained and licensed for the local area that the property is in. They often have very helpful, relevant information that can make the transaction work out better for you—compared to trying to sell to another homeowner on your own. Make sure the realtor you choose is part of the National Association of Realtors.
3. A Real Estate Broker
You probably won’t work with a broker directly. Most customers go to the agents that a broker has hired, because a broker is often the head of a real estate office.
However, you might hire an independent broker who doesn’t own an office. A broker can perform many of the same functions as an agent, such as:
- Connecting you with buyers
- Saving you time by going through many steps of the transaction for you
- Negotiating with buyers
- Researching market trends
- Creating contracts and advising you on them
A broker can take some of the stress off of you, but her fees and commissions can add up to a noticeable portion of the sale price. Whats the best way to sell your house.
Fair and Fast
The way you decide to sell your house is up to you. If you would rather not deal with extra cleaning, open houses, negotiations, and so on, contact Ittenbach Capital. We’ll guide you through our process that can lead to a cash offer. We’re always fair and always fast. See why so many homeowners rate Ittenbach Capital five stars.