6 Delays You Can Face When Listing a House As-Is in Georgia

Deciding to sell your Georgia house as-is can feel like a massive weight off your shoulders: you no longer have to invest time and money into repairs and updates that will make your property market-ready before listing. However, while deciding to sell as-is removes a lot of stress, actually listing an as-is property, even on Georgia’s seller’s market, can create a lot of additional problems and delays for home sellers. Here are the 6 most common delays that you can run into before closing on an as-is property in Georgia.

1. Finding the right agent

The first step in listing any house is to find a realtor to list with, which can be a delay, depending on how critical you are when vetting agents. This process can involve you meeting with one or several local agents to discuss your property, your desired selling strategy, and the agent’s commission. During this process, you decide which agent is best for your situation. In the case of selling as-is, you might consider seeking out agents with experience in listing as-is properties. They are more likely to know where to find buyers who are willing to make offers on as-is listings, they might have professional contacts such as real estate investors and home flippers who may be interested, and they know how to avoid any other potential delays that are common when selling as-is.

The process of vetting potential listing agents can take time, and it can turn into a larger delay than expected if you are unable to find the right agent when listing an as-is property in your area.

2. Making minor repairs

No matter what method you select for listing your property, you’ll often find yourself investing in small repairs throughout the home, even when selling as-is. These small repairs can help your property’s value increase and make your listing more appealing to buyers. For example, small projects like new hardware and fixtures can make a space feel much fresher, and they are generally quick and easy to accomplish.

While these small projects don’t seem like they would cause lengthy delays, it is always a possibility. If you’re looking to make small updates like this before listing, we recommend that you plan ahead: you don’t want to decide to invest in new light fixtures at the last minute and then be unable to get your hands on the replacements that you want. Waiting for supplies can be a bigger delay than you want to deal with.

3. Pre-listing inspection

Many agents recommend that home sellers invest in a pre-listing home inspection, especially when selling an as-is property. An inspection can generally be one of the biggest delays before closing a sale: depending on the results of the inspection, you could find yourself renegotiating with buyers on price and even investing your own funds into repairs before closing (more on that later). This is especially true of as-is properties simply because an inspection is more likely to find problems with a house that hasn’t been repaired.

Investing in a pre-listing home inspection allows you to have a fuller understanding of the condition of your property before you even set a listing price, and it lets you know if there are an problems that you need to disclose to buyers. This will help you avoid any nasty surprises later in the process, such a renegotiations or major necessary repairs. While this step can potentially eliminate later delays, it can also create more delays. If the inspection finds that major repairs are necessary, you may find yourself investing time and money into repairs in spite of listing as-is.

4. Normal listing prep

Regardless of the fact that you are listing your house as-is, you still have to handle the usual delay of pre-listing preparations. This includes decluttering and depersonalizing the home, deep cleaning, and boosting curb appeal. All of these things make your listing more attractive to prospective buyers—remember that even buyers looking to make offers on as-is listings want to see a clean house.

On paper, these projects seem simple, but be prepared to dedicate a lot of your time to boxing up personal items, such a clothing, pictures, and knick-knacks. You’ll want to declutter not just surfaces around the house, but also cabinets and closets; buyers often poke around in storage spaces to see how much room there is, and the roomier you can make spaces look, the better. It can also take a good chunk of time to deep-clean the entire property. You want to tackle dust, cobwebs, dirt, stains, and everything else in between the floors and the ceiling, which is no small task. In short, even getting an as-is property ready for listing can take a lot of time and elbow grease, and this might end up being a larger delay than you had expected.

5. The waiting game

When listing any property, the biggest delay is often the period you spend waiting for an offer. After you get your house ready to list, you have to get property photos taken, and you and your agent have to write a listing description that highlights your property’s best attributes while also disclosing that it is an as-is house, as well as any of the property’s major problems. Once that is done and the property is on the market, your agent handles showings and open houses while you wait for an offer. This process takes 63 days on average in Georgia, and that time frame increases for as-is properties because of the more limited buyer pool.

6. Renegotiating

Further delays can arise after you accept an offer on your as-is listing. As mentioned before, your buyer’s inspection may find that repairs are necessary. This can lead to renegotiations concerning the price of your property and your investment into repairs. For example, if the inspection finds that the roof is out of date and needs to be repaired for $6,000, your buyer can negotiate to have $6,000 removed from their previous offer, or they might even require that you invest in that repair before closing, which will obviously delay closing because you will have to invest in professional labor to fix that problem. Additionally, an appraisal of the property can reduce the selling price if the appraiser doesn’t think that the property is priced appropriately, which can increase the length of negotiations. In a worst case scenario, both of these factors can even lead to the sale falling through: your buyer may not be able to secure financing because the condition of the property doesn’t meet the minimum standards of their lender, which may cause you to have to go through the whole process again with another buyer.

Another thing to be aware of at this stage is buyers trying to negotiate lower prices because of the property’s as-is condition. It’s important that you and your agent have a firm understanding of your property’s value so you can negotiate fairly and promptly with your buyers in order to avoid further delays before closing.

Summary

Overall, listing your Georgia property as-is seems like a good way to save time and money. Generally, this is true: selling as-is saves you the hassle of spending months getting your property market-ready before listing, but this can also present its own set of problems. It’s important that you remain aware of any potential delays you can face when selling your house as-is in Georgia so you can get ahead of them and hopefully have a stress-free sale.