Selling a house without a real estate agent
Do I need a real estate agent?
Selling a house without a real estate agent is a viable option for many homeowners.
Think about it this way: Is the only way to sell a car to take it to a car dealer?
Of course not. You can sell it yourself online. You can put a for sale sign with your phone number in the window and park it in view of a busy street.
Just like you have multiple options when you sell a car, you have multiple options when you sell a house.
You should ask whether selling a house without a real estate agent is a good option for you.
If you're selling a house, you should choose the option that you believe will work best for you.
But we've found that selling without a real estate agent can make the most sense for homeowners who need a fast sale.
We'll go over a few situations in which homeowners found selling a house without an agent to a non-traditional buyer worked best for them.
Under financial pressure
Homeownership is expensive. Sometimes even the most prepared owner can find themselves underwater financially.
You could have lost your job, or property taxes may have climbed well past the expected rate.
Maybe you've found yourself opening new credit cards to pay for major repairs that won't stop, or you can't afford your mortgage anymore.
When you're swamped by debt, time costs money and becomes one of your most limited assets.
If each month or year is marked by even more expensive bills landing at your doorstep, you might consider looking for a fast way out of your house.
Bypassing the traditional home-buying process and selling a house without a real estate agent makes a lot of sense if getting out of a house quickly can prevent or end a personal financial crisis.
Your house needs expensive repairs.
Houses are just like any other physical asset. They accumulate wear and tear over time; sometimes, the upkeep can cost thousands of dollars.
Not everyone can afford to replace an HVAC unit (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) or repair a roof. But what if you need to do both?
What if you need to replace the HVAC, fix the foundation, fix a cracked ceiling, or replace the roof, the floors, and the electrical?
At what point do you throw up your hands and say you've had enough? One answer is when the repairs cost more than you can afford.
But there's an emotional component too. Maybe you have the money, but you're mentally and emotionally exhausted to the point that you don't want to spend anymore time on your house.
You could spend more money and time hiring a real estate agent and selling the house on the traditional real estate market, or you could sell the house fast on your terms.
Downsizing to a smaller house
What happens to your house when you've reached your golden years, and it's time for a change of pace?
You've had a great career, raised a family, and made a bundle of memories, and now it's time to slow down and focus on other pursuits.
Suppose you don't want to do that in your current house. In that case, you could list it with an agent, but that might mean staging your house, marketing the listing, fishing for buyers, hosting open houses, negotiating offers, and so on until you finally reach a closing date.
Instead, you could sell your house to a buyer you choose. You wouldn't have to spend money on an agent's commission or spend time hunting for a buyer who could back out of the deal.
You could sell your house without a real estate agent on your terms and then move out to live in your dream retirement home.
You've inherited a house you don't need.
Sometimes homeowners inherit a house after a family member or close friend passes away.
What do you do if a death catches you off guard and you inherit a house you don't have the time or money to manage?
You could hire a real estate agent to sell it, but that could mean spending more time, money, and energy trying to sell the house on the traditional real estate market.
If your most important goal is getting a fast and easy sale, you might consider finding a buyer on your own and selling the house without a real estate agent.
You can find a buyer on your own, get a fast, easy sale, and then spend your precious time focused on the people who matter most to you.
Selling a rental property
The beauty of renting out houses is you can still make money on the house when you decide to stop taking in tenants.
You might have a house that isn't making a profit anymore, but that house could look like a great investment to someone else.
This scenario is a prime example of when selling sooner is better than later. The longer you hold onto a vacant house, the more money it will cost.
Rather than wading through the red tape of the traditional real estate market and looking for a buyer who thinks your house is perfect for them, you could find a buyer on your own.
Selling your house without a real estate agent could help you part ways with a property that has become a liability.
Traditional sales can be tough.
Whatever your reason for selling a house without a real estate agent, you could save a lot of time and hassle.
The traditional market is not made for every seller. For some people, it works just fine. For others, it's a logistical nightmare with a lot of steps and stress.
Not everyone has the bandwidth to take calls from their agent every day, stage a house, leave on a moment's notice so a potential buyer can take a tour, read the reams of paperwork, or negotiate a sale.
Sometimes, you need a sale to happen fast and want it done with as little pain as possible. That's why there are other options for selling a house.
Sell to America's #1 home buyer!
You can always call We Buy Ugly Houses®. We're a trusted cash home buyer and take houses of all kinds "as is."
That means you don't have to clean, repair, or renovate. Instead, call one of our local home buyers and ask for a fair cash offer.
Call 866-200-6475 to sell a house without a real estate agent. No matter the situation, we can pay cash to help homeowners out of their houses.
