Is there anything better than cash in-hand? When it comes to selling your house, perhaps not. Selling your home to a cash home buyer or considering cash offers for homes can help you walk away from the closing table quite a bit richer than you were when you sat down. But what is a cash offer, and when is it smart to sell a home for cash?
What is a Cash Offer?
Cash offers are all-cash bids on a home for sale. Cash offers for homes occur when a buyer offers a seller cash for the entire cost of the house instead of getting financing from a mortgage lender or other institution.
Most home buyers must obtain some type of financing to afford purchasing the house, usually in the form of a mortgage. However a cash home buyer will be able to purchase a home without a mortgage loan or other financial assistance. Cash offers are typically lower than the full market value of the house, but there is a good reason for this. First, cash offers are low risk, as sellers don’t have to worry about buyer financing falling through. Second, most of the reduction in the offer price is offset by the fact that the seller does not have to spend time, money, and resources on selling, upgrading, and negotiating the property.
How Common Is It to Sell a Home for Cash?
Cash offers are quite common. The most common scenarios where cash offers occur are from an investor or investment company interested in a property.
In these cases, a homeowner can typically sell their house as-is. However, there are many reasons why a cash home buyer may be interested in your property.
Some home buyers have cash on hand, such as from the proceeds of selling their previous home. Cash buyers are also common in competitive seller markets where financing delays may cause the seller to accept a more enticing offer. This occurs because buyer who can pay cash have an advantage on buying a property over mortgage buyers.
Also, the property is a fixer-upper, a cash sale can help the homeowner sell their house as-is. Cash buyers are also commonly courted if the property is facing a foreclosure, since in these cases homeowners typically must close quickly.
Is Working With a Cash Home Buyer a Good Choice for Me?
There are several advantages to accepting cash offers for homes. First, the average mortgage buyer takes 30-45 days to close, whereas a cash offer may take a week or two. Overall, in a competitive market, sellers will benefit from taking a cash home buyer offer over a mortgage buyer. Buyers with the fewest obstacles are the easiest and most profitable to deal with.
For years now, MarketPro Homebuyers has been helping homeowners across Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Florida. We’ve helped thousands of people sell homes for cash, and we’ve earned a reputation as one of the top real estate companies in the DMV as a result. Averaging a home purchase nearly 300 days out of the year, we’ve helped every single one of our customers sell their home on their timeline, for cash. If this is something that appeals to you, read on for the five top reasons that selling to a cash homebuyer makes sense.
1. More Flexible and Faster Sale Process
Cash offers for homes are more attractive to sellers because there is no fall-through risk with the purchase and there is a faster closing time. A cash house buyer does not need to obtain a mortgage, as it is implied, they already have the cash for the purchase. Therefore, the mortgage application and approval process can be skipped.
Not having to secure a mortgage also means there is less of a chance that the financing falls through. A mortgage buyer can face financial difficulties, like an employment change or identify theft, which can ultimately derail a sale. Also, the underwriting process for a mortgage takes a month or more, and there is always the possibility that the deal will fall through due to the buyer’s inability to secure a loan during that time. Therefore, mortgage buyers are less reliable and certain.
When you sell a home for cash, there is no mortgage application, documentation, underwriting, or appraisal. There is need for the buyer to sort out the title policy and insurance, provide proof of funds, and sign closing documents, but that may only take a week, maybe two. A buyer with a cash offer will have to supply a seller with proof of funds, which automatically shows the buyer is ready and able to close quickly.
When you sell home for cash, you do not need to enlist a real estate agent. Therefore, you do not have to wait for them to take photos, list your home, or host open houses. A faster closing can put money into a sellers pocket sooner.
And a closing in a cash offer only involves a settlement statement, title, deed, and a cashier’s check. There is reduced paperwork and lower overall closing costs since there are no lender fees or transactions needed.
2. No Improvements or Updates Needed
In a cash sale, you can typically sell the house as is. When your home is offered in an “as-is” condition, the buyer can take it or leave it. You do not need to agree to making repairs or upgrades to the home before a buyer agrees to sell it. As a result, there are usually only a few, if any, contingencies with cash offers for homes.
3. No Real Estate Fees
Cash offers for homes means not having to pay for a real estate agent’s commission. Typically, commission fees are around 6 percent, which can turn out to be a large sum of your selling price. Although a seller may be accepting less money from a cash home buyer than they would a mortgage buyer, a seller will be saving on improvements, bank fees, agent fees, and interest fees.
4. Avoid Most of the Nitty Gritty
During the home selling process, there are a number of steps that could go wrong. However, with a cash home buyer, a lot of those make or break steps can be avoided. The deal favors the seller, rather than the buyer, because the buyer knows they are getting a home as-is.
A buyer also does not need an appraisal, as would be required by a mortgage buyer’s lender. Home appraisals are needed by the mortgage lender and are considered part of the cost of buying a home. Therefore, a cash home buyer will usually skip this process. As such, a cash offer can help people sell homes quickly and eliminates the cost and time requires to get an appraisal.
Cash home buyers will end up paying some of the same fees. For example, in either case, a buyer needs to pay an earnest money deposit and pay transfer taxes, escrow fees, and closing cost. This is in addition to the homeowner’s responsibility of purchasing homeowner’s insurance, HOA fees (if applicable), and property taxes.
5. Helps to Avoid Foreclosure
If your home is going to be foreclosed due to an unpaid mortgage, selling your home for cash will help you pay your mortgage and start over sooner. MarketPro Homebuyers has helped countless homesellers in this situation, as well as people looking to downsize, sell a property they recently inherited, seniors looking to transition to new housing, and people in countless other circumstances that merit a fast and easy home sale. If you’re interested in working with a cash home buyer, contact us today – we’ll work with you on your timeline, and you’ll walk away from the closing with cash in hand.