Selling to Bob vs. Listing with a Dutchess County Agent
Selling a house is a big deal. You want to make sure you are making the right decision. Therefore, it’s good to know all your options. One option is to list your house using a real estate sales agent. Using a local Dutchess County agent may get a higher sales price it doesn’t always mean into more money in your pocket or less headache.
Compare some of the costs and risks of using an agent and benefits of selling to me.
| Listing with an Agent | SOLD To Bob | |
|---|---|---|
| Commissions: | 5-6% is paid by you, the seller | NONE |
| Inspection Contingency:1 | Almost always. | NONE2 |
| Financing Contingency:1 | Yes. Did you know that it’s not uncommon for a deal to fall through because the buyer can’t get a mortgage. (even when they have a pre-qualified letter) | NONE |
| Appraisal Required: | Yes, the sale is often subject to a bank’s appraisal. | NONE |
| Number of Showings: | Likely at least 20-30, or more. Are you ready to sanitize your house after each visit? | 1 (Just me) |
| Average Days Until Offer: | +/- 91 Days | 1-3 Days |
| Closing Date: | 60-90 days after accepting buyer’s offer | Whenever you are ready. |
| Unpermitted Improvements: | Homeowner has to bring up to code or remove anything that was added to the house without a building permit. (ex: Deck, Finished basement) | Bob assumes these problems |
| Who Pays For Repairs: | Negotiated during inspection period (typically the seller) | Bob assumes responsibility for all repairs. |
| Empty and Clean the house: | Yes. Must be completely empty and cleaned. | Not Required. You can leave behind anything you want. |
2There are some rare times I may ask for a very specific contingency such as septic inspection.
Bob Will Buy It won’t be able to offer you full retail value for your house… but we offer other benefits that using an agent can’t offer.
Benefits of Bob Buying Your House
1) You Control When Your House Sells
Since I’m buying with my own money (your house, nor I have to be approved by a bank) AND I’m buying the house as-is (I’m not going to ask you to fix or change anything), you have the power to pick the closing date. It can be as soon as three weeks or anytime after. I’m ready, when you’re ready.
2) You Will Sell Your House – Fast
How much does your house cost you each month? Taxes? Insurance? Heat? Electric? Upkeep (lawn mowing, snow removal, etc)? That’s money that’s getting burned while you wait and hope for your house to be sold. Around here – if everything goes smoothly, it typically takes 7-9 months to sell a house through a real estate agent. I can buy your house as quickly as three weeks.
3) I Will Actually Buy Your House
If you talk with other cash buyers, you will most likely find that they don’t actually intend on buying your house. Their goal is to get you to your lowest price, put the house under contract – and then sell that contract to a real cash buyer, like me. These folks are often inexperienced and the deals rarely work, wasting months of your valuable time.
4) A Closing You Can Count On
The moment we agree on a price that’s right for both of us, you can rest assured that your house is SOLD. I have purchased every house I have ever contracted to buy.
5) You Don’t Pay Any Real Estate Commissions
Even though I’m a licensed Real Estate Agent, there will be no commission due if I buy your house. (Real estate agents typically charge 5-6% of the sales price to market your house.)
6) You Won’t Pay Any Seller’s Concessions / closing assistance
Buyers nowadays don’t save like they used to. Short on cash, they look for some way to make the purchase work. The most popular way is… AFTER you agree on the house’s price, they ask for help with paying for their closing costs. That’s just more $$$ that doesn’t go into your bank account – up to 6% of the house’s price. That could be a $8,000-$10,000 reduction in what you get for your house. There’s none of that when I buy your house.
7) You Don’t Have To Do Any Updates
Still have the original kitchen? Same bathroom for 30 years? They work perfectly for you, right? But they don’t work for today’s demanding buyers. Bathrooms, kitchens, flooring and paint that is out of date really drives the price down and lengthens the time it takes to sell giving your house a “why hasn’t that sold yet?” stigma. (It’s a double-whammy) Again, today’s buyers with their meager savings, don’t have the money to fix them up. They’d rather buy a more expensive house that’s fully updated with a slightly higher mortgage payment. (Mortgages are a lot cheaper than credit cards!) (over)
8) You Don’t Have To Make Any Repairs
Again, buyers don’t have ANY extra cash, so they’ll insist that fix every little nit before they agree to buy the house. Every drippy faucet, every sticky window, carpet they want changed, gutters and chimneys cleaned, roofing replaced, decks updated to code… etc. And the worst part is that THIS negotiation comes AFTER you take the house off the market. So… you’re really up against the wall then, and they know it.
I’m not going to ask you to repair a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g.
9) You Don’t Have To Do Any Painting
It’s not unusual to have tired or outdated paint. But buyers can’t seem to get past seeing it and will run out of the house if they don’t like the color. I know, “it’s just paint” but there are a LOT of people who can’t get past colors they don’t like (have you seen a house-hunting show on TV lately?). And again, they don’t have any extra money to pay for new paint.
10) You Keep Your Privacy
There will be no pictures of your stuff on the internet for everyone to see. No sign in the yard announcing your business to everyone. No curious neighbors walking through your house making judgements. No worries about a rude agent using the lockbox and walking in on you without an appointment. No stress from having to clean and leave your house frequently to accommodate strangers looking in your closets. I’ll be the only one that has to see the inside of your house – and you don’t even have to clean up for me.
11) Less COVID-19 Worries
You won’t have hordes of people traipsing through your house touching things. Eww!
I strictly follow the COVID Safety Protocols recommended by the CDC and NYS and typically only have to enter your house once.
12) You Don’t Have to Empty or Clean
One of the great bonuses of me buying your house you don’t need to clean, anything. You don’t need to empty the house. No need to pay thousands of dollars and break your back filling dumpsters. No hard/emotional decisions of what gets thrown out. Just take what you want and leave the rest.
13) Any Usable Items Are Donated
One of the first things I do when I purchase a house is to go through it and pick out anything usable that can be donated. I favor local organizations that give directly to the person/family in need such as Dutchess Outreach, Brenna’s Basement, Furry Angels, Hyde Park ASPCA. Pots, pans, plates, flatware, small appliances, bedding, towels, clothes, laundry, haircare items, etc, gets collected, cleaned up and donated. It reduces the burden on our environment and best of all… helps people and animals in need.
Again, selling a house is big deal. It’s good to know all your options before you make a decision on how to do it. Getting a cash offer from me is one your options.