Direct Sale: Avoid Making Repairs and Sell Your House As-Is

If you’re a Georgia homeowner trying to sell your house, you know how long and difficult the process of getting your house market-ready can be. From making repairs to deep cleaning to decluttering the home, turning a lived-in property into a marketable listing can take time and money. If you want to avoid that hassle, you always have the option to sell your house as-is in Georgia. You can do this in a number of different ways depending on what fits your unique situation, but the most convenient option is to bypass listing and commit to a direct sale. If you’re looking to quickly offload your house as-is, here are a few things you should know about the direct sale option.

What is a direct sale?

When selling your Georgia house as-is through a direct sale instead of listing, you, the seller, can close on your property without ever needing to commission an agent or list your home. Instead, you cut out all the “middle men” of the sale and go directly to the buyer. Assuming you don’t already have a potential buyer lined up, this means that you will likely seek out a reputable homebuying company or real estate investor in your Georgia area to see if they would be interesting in buying your property. These companies operate by purchasing as-is properties in cash, which eliminates any need for you to spend time and money getting your house market-ready.

Save Time

One of the best parts of a direct sale is that it saves time. The traditional house-selling method of listing with a real estate agent can often be a months-long process, whether or not you are selling as-is. This is because so many factors can impact the sale of the property when listing, such as the state of your local market and bank financing that will likely be required before closing. Additionally, your pool of potential buyers decreases when selling as-is; you may have more difficulty finding buyers and getting offers, depending on your property’s condition. Even if you aren’t selling as-is, you’ll have to invest time and money into getting your house market-ready through repairs and updates. When listing, you have to consider all of these variables, which can seriously delay closing on your property.

These uncertainties are all eliminated in a direct sale situation. When choosing to sell your as-is property through a direct sale, you don’t have to worry about drawing in potential buyers, which can be the lengthiest part of the listing process. Instead, you approach the buyer directly for a cash offer on your property. If you accept the offer, the process then only has to involve you, the buyer, and an attorney (all Georgia real estate closings are required by law to be overseen by a legal professional): no banks, agents, or fickle buyers. You won’t have as many uncertainties to worry about during the selling process, which means that the sale can be finished in much less time, typically within a week for many professional homebuyers.

Save Money

A direct sale on your as-is property also significantly reduces the amount of money you need to invest into getting your property sold. The traditional method of listing usually involves paying for repairs and updates on the home in order to make it market-ready. Even if you choose to list your property as-is, you would still have to factor in closing costs and your agent’s commission, which is a fee of about 2-3% of your home’s final selling cost in Georgia.

With a direct sale, you as the seller don’t have to make any additional investments. You can completely bypass investing in repairs by selling as-is, as well as avoid paying agent commissions by approaching a buyer directly. Additionally, because the process of a direct sale is so much faster that the traditional house-selling method, you will be able to avoid the ongoing costs of holding your property. Things like utility bills, taxes, and mortgage payments are expenses that you can more quickly move on from when using a direct sale to offload your as-is property.

Less Hassle

The best part about selling an as-is house is avoiding hassle. Unfortunately, listing a property is itself a bit of a hassle. Even if you don’t invest in major repairs when selling as-is, you’ll still have to deep clean, declutter, and depersonalize your property to make it as marketable as possible. You’ll also have to keep the house tidy for weeks of showings and open houses. Even after you accept an offer, you might find that there is still a lot of hassle left before closing. Buyers who purchase as-is houses naturally want know details about the condition of property before they close on it. Because of this, you might run into snags like inspection contingencies, requests for repairs, or price negotiations based on what the buyers find in inspections or appraisals. By the time you finally close, listing your house as-is can cost just as much time and money as investing in repairs in the first place.

A direct sale allows you to avoid all of these issues. You don’t have to clean or declutter for a showing with a professional homebuyer: these buyers know that they are buying as-is properties, and they don’t shy away from fixer-uppers. This also means that the sale will be much less likely to fall through. You won’t have to worry about inspection contingencies or repair negotiations slowing or putting a stop to selling your home as-is.

More Flexibility

The house-selling process of listing with an agent doesn’t usually give you a lot of flexibility. You work on your agent’s schedule and terms, and you have to wait on things like appraisals, inspections, and offers from buyers. In other words, the process is controlled by the schedules of other people. A direct sale situation is different: you can work with the buyer to set your own terms and schedule to ensure that the process goes smoothly for your situation. It’s also up to you how much, if any, work you do on your house before requesting an offer.

Are there drawbacks to a direct sale?

Usually, the biggest drawback of a direct sale is that your house will likely sell for less than it would on the market. This is because cash homebuyers purchase as-is properties, but if you were planning on listing your property as-is, the selling price will be roughly the same, so this drawback doesn’t really apply. Whether you list or sell to a cash homebuyer, the price of your as-is property will account for it’s condition and any necessary repairs.

One other thing to be aware of are scams. If you are looking to complete a direct sale with a local real estate investor or homebuying company, it’s important that you ensure they are reputable. Look at reviews from the buyer’s past clients, examine their policies, contact them directly to ask questions about their process, and see if they are an accredited business. This will help ensure that you aren’t scammed by an illegitimate business.

Summary

Overall, selling your as-is property through a direct sale in Georgia has many benefits. By directly approaching a local cash homebuyer, you can save time and money by avoiding repairs, give yourself more control and flexibility in the selling process, and bypass the additional hassles of contingencies and negotiations. If you are looking to quickly sell your property as-is without making repairs, these factors can be invaluable.