If you have a home you need to sell right away, there a re a few ways to go   about doing so. Below is a list of several ideas that can help you sell you home   quickly along with the positives and negatives of each way.
                      1) List your home with a real estate agent- The positive side to this choice   is you are trying to get full price for your house and have a chance at doing   just that. The negatives could make up a very long list, so I will just name a   few. First, you will have to pay a commission, usually 6% to the agent. This is   a fee that in my opinion is rarely justified. Most real estate agents will   simply put your house on the Multiple Listing Service and let it sit until   another agent brings a buyer. This is good for them because the agents are   making thousands of dollars for doing next to nothing, but bad for you because   you are paying them. The next negative is, as you may already know, real estate   agents are notorious for overpromising and underdelivering. That is not to say   that every agent will overpromise ad underdeliver, but the chances of that   happening are high. It is very hard to know if this is what is happening until   its to late. Once you sign the contract to list your home with a real estate   agent, you can expect to have to pay them thousands of dollars when it sells,   whether they find the buyer or you find the buyer. The third negative may   actually be the most important to you, which is youre probably much less likely   to get a quick sale on your home if you use an agent. See, agents get a   percentage of your home sales price. The higher that amount, the more they make.   A real estate agent is usually there to get the highest price because that way   he gets paid the most. However, if you really need to sell fast this is a   disadvantage because you can probably expect your house to sit for several   months or longer before selling.
                      2) Stick a For Sale By Owner sign in the yard- The positive to this is that   you stand a chance to end up putting more money in your pocket from the sale of   the house than you even do with the real estate agent. The negative is that you   can expect it to take even longer than it would if you used an agent. You will   be dealing with unqualified buyers wasting your time tromping through your house   who have probably never bought a home before and cant get financing to do it now   even if they wanted to. Using the FSBO (for sale by owner) is O.K. if you are in   a very hot market, can afford to wait and know how to screen your potential   buyers. However, if you dont know how to thoroughly screen your buyers, you are   setting yourslef up for a whole lot of headaches and frustration.
                      3) Sell to a real estate investor or investment company- There are several   positives to this method, but a few negatives to pay close attention to as well.   First the positives. When selling to an investment company you may get the   benefit of a fast sale on your home with no contingencies for financing and the   home can be left in as-is condition. What this means to you is the buyer has all   cash so he doesnt have to wait 30 + days to wait for a decision from the bank to   say whether or not he can qualify for a loan. Also, when dealing with an   investment company you can expect to sell your home as-is with no repairs made.   In other words, these companies will by an ugly house or yucky house just as   quickly as a pretty house. The negative side to this route is that you will not   usually get full market value for your house. Its similar to trading in your car   for a new one. You dont deal with the headaches of selling that car on your own,   but youre going to get less money for it too. Also, when you deal with investors   make sure you are dealing with a reputable, established company. You really have   to watch out for the mom and pop type establishments. Late night real estate   gurus combined with the recent sizzling red hot real estate market have made a   ton of people think they can call themselves real estate investors and runout   and get rich quick. These "seminar graduates" end up wasting your time because   they really arent cash buyers and dont know what they are doing. When the time   comes, they wont be able to buy your home.
                      When everything is said and done, the decision is up to you on which route to   take. If time is of the essence, and you NEED to sell as opposed to want to   sell, then an established real estate investment company is probably the way to   go. If time is on your side, try the agent or FSBO method. If you decide you   NEED to sell in days, not months you can get help at   http://www.luckybuysyuckyhouses.com There you will find a well established,   reputable company to make you a fair offer on your house.
                      
                        
                          
                            
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                                  Sean Flanagan is the President of Flanagan Properties, LLC a real estate   investment company offering franchises. He can be found at http://www.yuckyhouses.com. |