Did you know there are many ways to sell your house in Los Angeles?
Learn about your selling options in this blog post!
Many people think that selling a house requires an agent’s help. They think it’s all about finding a real estate agent, signing a listing agreement and waiting for offers to come in. While this method of selling works well for some sellers, for many other sellers, it ends up costing them a lot more time and money than they had expected. There are pros and cons to each method of selling. Read below to compare the differences so that you can make the right decision for you. At Jennifer Buys Houses, we want you to make the best decision, the one that’s right for selling your Los Angeles house.
Selling Directly to A Professional Homebuyer
The Costs
Selling directly to a homebuyer should never cost you any money whatsoever. If it does, then you are dealing with the wrong type of company. One of the most important benefits of selling directly to the buyer, sale is that all the proceeds (the money) goes directly into your bank account. Direct buyers like a Jennifer Buys Houses, will buy your house in as-is condition. You won’t have to spend money making any repairs, cleaning up, upgrading the house, paying a commission to an agent, or paying for a photographer or home stager. In addition, you will save a lot of money on the monthly costs such as water, gas, electricity, trash, insurance, and property taxes, not to mention the mortgage, if there is one.
The Timeframe
The process is typically much faster than a traditional sale. If you choose to sell to Jennifer Buys Houses, we will be able to close escrow on the sale in a few days, as opposed to a traditional sale which can take months. You will know your closing date and the amount you will net before the close of escrow, so there will be no surprises at all. Knowing this will allow you to plan ahead for your move and for a future house purchase, if that is what you are looking to do. With a traditional listing, you will be in limbo for a longer period of time. This can make for even more stress for you and your family.
The Effort from You
With a direct sale to Jennifer Buys Houses, there is little to no effort needed on your part. We will handle all of the details and we pride ourselves on making it a smooth transaction for you. You will not need to clean up the house for photos or open houses or property showings. We buy houses in “as-is condition”, so there aren’t any repairs that you are required to make. If the house is rundown and outdated, you will not need to spend your money or your time making improvements. In fact, when you sell to us, you won’t need to do anything. All you need to do it remove the items that you want to keep and you can leave anything that you don’t want to deal with. We will handle the rest! Selling your Los Angeles house doesn’t get much easier than this!
Selling With An Agent
The Costs
There can often be many expenses associated with a traditional sale. First, you will need to deep clean the house and work on the landscaping. Why? Because you want your house to show as well as possible. Prospective home buyers want to see themselves in the house. Many people choose to make repairs and upgrades to the house before listing so the property is competitively priced with other houses on the market. Rundown properties will often sit on the MLS longer than most. Once you hire an agent, there will most likely be administrative and listing costs. There are advertising and photography as well as the costs of continued maintenance and clean-up. If the house sells, you will be responsible for paying the agent commissions (which run 5 to 6%), extra negotiated repairs costs, also known as buyer credits, closing costs and more. Your final sale price might be higher with a listing, however, once you run all of the costs associated with doing so, you might find it isn’t worth it. You may find that you would have netted more by selling to a real estate investor like me!
The Timeframe
The time it will take to sell is completely unknown. This is one thing that makes a direct sale so appealing. It’s a done deal with a specific timeframe that you can decide. It could take months for your house to sell in a traditional listing. Just because you see a neighboring house sell quickly, don’t mean that yours will necessarily. There are absolutely no guarantees with a traditional listing agreement.
The Effort from You
Selling with an agent might take a little more work than you originally bargained for. You will need to keep the property extra clean for the duration of the listing. This is to prepare yourself for surprise showings, listing photos and open houses. Depending on your real estate agent, you might find yourself doing a lot of the advertising yourself. You will also need to clean up for the new owners and make any repairs negotiated after the buyers’ home inspection report is reviewed.