Options for Home Sellers

Interested in selling your home? Learn about today's options for savvy sellers.

iBuyer, Instant Offer, & FSBO Programs

Are you seeking a potentially more manageable, convenient, and secure way to handle your real estate transaction? It can be an arduous process when selling a home. But today's home seller has more options than ever with innovative new approaches to buying and selling homes that simplifies and improves the customer experience.

For homeowners who need to sell quickly because of death, disaster, debt, divorce, or other life events, iBuying or instant offers services, and agents who offer these options enable home sellers to quickly sell their property to a company than to an individual.

• iBuyers are real estate investment companies that use technology to make automated, instant (that's the "i" part) offers to home sellers in quick-closing cash transactions. iBuyer offers use computer algorithms and other criteria, and if accepted, they can close within days. In turn, the iBuyer then handles marketing and reselling the house to someone else for a profit. But iBuyers look for value-added flips that are liveable houses needing only minimal repairs or cosmetic improvements. The actual price an iBuyer pays a seller is typically the accepted offer after deducting repair costs.
• Investors, flippers, ugly house buyers, or others seeking investment opportunities typically pursue properties that need work to get in salable condition and flip. Then, they buy low and hope to sell high after renovations, making a profit based on the amount invested and the sale price.
• For Sale by Owner Generally referred to as an FSBO, a For Sale By Owner transaction entails selling your home without enlisting the help of a licensed real estate professional. As an FSBO, you can skip working with an agent, avoid paying a commission, and retain complete control over your listing. Download our step-by-step guide on how (or whether) to use FSBO. Get the Guide

More About iBuyer Services

While getting the best deal in a transaction is essential, this can be a good solution for a seller who places more value on time and efficiency or may have been reluctant to sell because they didn't want to deal with the hassle. There is no need to find a real estate agent, renovate your house, or show the property to instant offer programs. An iBuyer company will present a cash offer in as little as 24 hours.

Working With an iBuyer Offer

An iBuyer offer depends on an algorithm that weighs your home's condition, age, features, square footage, zip code, and local market trends and then calculates a (below market) offer. You may also need to pay transaction and other fees or repair adjustments for the convenience of a quick, off-MLS sale. By comparison, a Realtor who charges a 5% or 6% commission should get you the highest and best price when they market it on the MLS and other venues.

Top Reasons to Work With an iBuyer

• Sell Your Home Without an Agent
• Expedite the Home-Selling Process
• Close quickly, often in less than ten days.
• You pick your closing date according to your timeline
• No showings, open houses, or negotiations
• Personal representative settling an estate
• A distressed homeowner looking to avoid foreclosure
• Bypass the cost of getting the house market-ready
• Minimize selling expenses 

Things to Consider

iBuyer companies don't want to buy everything. Most have "sweet spots" or niches, such as homes valued from $200,000 to $400,000. Also, as new as this market segment is, most iBuyer companies are not profitable- they are still finding their way within the market. They are also primarily located in significant markets, preferring metro areas with newer and tract homes that are easier to value.

Instant-offer companies like Opendoor and Offerpad purchase houses to "fix and flip." When working with an iBuyer, you are dealing directly with them. Their interest lies in getting the house for the least amount possible. Note: iBuyer companies are subject to economic forces and are not always in buying mode.

Working with an iBuyer service can be daunting. You may want to obtain representation from a real estate professional. As your representative, we discuss your options, help you navigate the process, and work with the iBuyer company.