Greetings from sunny Arizona! Lately, we have been bombarded here in Arizona with tons of private investors on our homes. In fact, I have been getting multiple post cards and letters from potential buyers of my home the past few weeks. And hearing the same type of offers on radio ads as well. The one prominent theme of these ads and offers is to take your home off your hands with the least amount of hassle or worry. What they don’t tell you is that they are “bottom feeder” investors who want to pay you less than fair market value for your current home. All so you can sell it “AS-IS”, un-fixed, and with any blemishes – all in the shortest period of time.I admit, they know that you have equity in your home or they wouldn’t bother spending the money, at least on the mailed advertisements. After all, if you are still “upside-down” and underwater, this program is not going to work for you.
Since your “fair offer” may be a lot less than your home is really worth, the temptation for “fast cash” is the biggest motivator for people to sell their home this way. It may be true that the same people who go to those check cashing places on every corner will be most likely to sell their home and lose money selling this way. It may also be true that the real investors behind the “deal” they offer you are the same people running those check cashing places. And they don’t do business at normal rates folks. Sadly, Arizona law allows unbelievable interest rates on the loans they also make on cars you can still drive after taking a loan and has no law to stop someone enticing you to sell your home for a lot less than what it is worth, just so you can get that “fast” cash they promise.
So what is the alternative? Throw away the offers like I do. Turn the station when you hear the radio ads. And call a professional Realtor who can access true value pretty closely with modern tools or help you get an actual appraisal from a license appraisal service if you really want to know the true value of your home. And use a Realtor like me who reduces the stress and hassle of selling your home by not making common mistakes or making untrue statements about your net proceeds after closing. Time has proven that most of those “sell your home yourself” companies have folded and gone away since nothing is simple about selling or buying a home in this modern world. It takes a professional real estate agent and frankly, one who is also tax smart to make sure your CPA doesn’t give you bad news after the fact.
I invite you to experience the difference so you can bank more money in your pocket by working with an agent who knows how to suggest small improvements in preparing your home for sale to secure big price gains over selling to those bottom feeders running those “be lazy” and lose a bunch of money ads.