You’re ready to sell your house, but renovations, repairs, and a refresh are costly. You might consider selling a home as-is. That might mean lowering your asking price, but you may decide that is an acceptable outcome.
A house with foundation issues, bright-orange shag carpet, and outdated bathrooms make buyers look elsewhere for move-in ready homes or lower prices. The reality is that you may need more time or money to take on the work. If that sounds like you, selling a house as-is may be an opportunity to collect a tidy amount of cash and get a fresh start.
We will review what selling an as-is house means, information about the sale, and how to find buyers for your home.
Info for Selling a House As-Is
When you sell a house as-is, what does that mean? Selling a house as-is means different things for the buyer and you.
For potential buyers, it means the buyer is purchasing the home in its condition. Typically, the buyer should not expect you to do any repairs. Your potential buyer will still schedule a home inspection, but they shouldn’t expect you to perform those repairs either.
That doesn’t mean you can withhold information about the house. You still have to disclose specific facts. And your state will typically have a Sellers Disclosure Form that you must complete as part of the purchase.
Selling a house as-is may be your ideal strategy, especially if you don’t have the cash for extensive repairs. Another reason for selling may be that you don’t want to endure the hassle and time of enduring a house renovation.
Do You Lose Money Selling a House As-Is
Selling a house as-is has several advantages: you finish the transaction quickly, avoid expensive repairs, or deal with the rigor of selling a home with a real estate agent.
It would be best to weigh the advantages of selling a house as-is against the likelihood that you will sell your home for less than a fully renovated and refreshed home.
You may question if selling your home as-is is your right choice. In the next section, we will review the pros and cons of selling a house as-is, and we will help you answer that question.
Pros and Cons of Selling a House As-Is
Selling a house as-is comes with advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
- Close quicker: You can list your house for sale as-is without waiting for repairs to be completed. Usually, your buyer will be a cash investor who doesn’t have to wait for a loan or worry about repairs.
- Negotiate less: Provided that your buyer has the cash to buy your home or a secured loan, you may be able to get to closing day faster. Typically, you’ll have fewer negotiations for seller contingencies.
- Save money: You will avoid paying the costs of selling your house. These expenses include:
- Closing costs
- Repairs and renovations expenses
- Staging costs
- Real estate commissions
Cons
- Affects sale price: This might be the most significant con. When selling a house as-is, you may not get the full value of your home. The speed and ease of the sale may make it worth it.
- Limits buyer pool: Buyers may see your as-is listing as a problem. A higher sales price indicates to the buyer that you’re willing to negotiate on necessary repairs discovered during the home inspection. Listing your home as-is tells your buyer that you do not intend to make any repairs. No repairs. No negotiations.
- Repairs are still a possibility: You may list your home as-is, but that doesn’t mean a buyer will avoid negotiations. You have the latitude to entertain these negotiations. For instance, suppose a buyer makes a solid offer and wants a minor repair. It might be in your best interest to fix the minor issue.
Reasons Why You’d Sell a House As-Is
Selling a home can be challenging and time-consuming. Sometimes, dealing with a real estate agent or going through the whole selling process just doesn’t work for you.
An as-is sale may be the right situation for you if one or more of the following conditions apply.
You’re getting divorced
A difficult divorce may cause you to miss mortgage payments. The cost of attorneys, legal fees, and the court are a lot to worry about. There may be a disagreement about who is responsible for the mortgage. That can get messy.
An as-is sale may be a relief during the tough legal battle. It can help relieve you of the hassle of keeping up with your mortgage. Also, it can make dividing the marital assets a little simpler; instead of co-owning the home, you can split the cash from an as-is sale.
Your home is close to foreclosure
Foreclosure can be a scary event. Your home may feel like it’s slipping away, and with it all the money you’ve spent on it. Despite the feeling of helplessness you may feel, it’s helpful to remember you own your home until the court officially forecloses on your home.
Until the time of official foreclosure, you can still sell the home. An as-is home sale might be the solution to your problems. You’ll attract a cash buyer unencumbered by securing a loan in many as-is transactions. That means you can sell the home in days and escape foreclosure by selling as-is to a cash buyer.
Your home needs major repairs
Your home may need significant repairs like a problematic electrical issue, faulty foundation, or suspect plumbing. You may have inherited a hoarder’s home and must be free of the property. In either situation, an as-is sale may be your best option.
In a traditional home sale, you must make the repairs or agree to contingencies before attracting a potential buyer. The repairs or the contingencies may cost a lot of money.
When you sell a house as-is, you don’t have to make repairs nor agree to any contingencies. The house price might be lower than in a traditional sale. Still, the price difference may be less than the cost of significant repairs.
You need to act quickly
You may have inherited a home you can’t afford, got a new job across the country, or want an immediate fresh start. An as-is sale probably is the solution to your problems.
An as-is sale typically occurs in days because it’s:
- All cash with no lenders involved
- Inspection free
- Sold in the current condition with no cleaning or repairs
You want to avoid the expense of a traditional sale
Realtor commissions are up to 6% of the home sale price. Besides the real estate agent fees, you’ll also have to foot the bill for the following:
- Closing costs
- Cleaning costs
- Repairs and renovations
- Home inspections
- Staging
- Seller contingencies
The costs are hard enough, but you’ll also be at the mercy of your potential buyer’s schedule. You’ll need to keep the house in pristine condition and be ready to vacate the premises for a showing.
What to Know When Selling Your House As-Is
The amount of money you receive when selling your house as-is depends on several factors. Typically, the price difference depends on the buyer you sell to: a buyer who wants to be a homeowner or a cash buyer real estate investor.
Buyers who want to be homeowners
A buyer who wants to be a homeowner will usually approach an as-is listing with suspicion. The buyer may suspect that you are withholding vital information. Or they may feel deceived by the listing photos and showing.
The biggest fear for a homebuyer is the existence of major issues that could potentially pop up in the future. They may think a minor foundation issue may result in sagging walls, and a collapsed roof or leaky pipes may burst next winter.
Also, they will expect a lower price if they think the house is a fixer-upper needing massive home repairs.
Buyers who are cash investors
Cash buyers buy homes as-is as investments. Each cash buyer has a formula for how they value homes and a strategy that dictates how much they offer.
The strategy determines the offer. For instance, an investor who wants to buy a home as a rental property may have a higher price. A house flipper may make a lower offer.
One huge benefit of selling as-is to a cash buyer is that they typically pay all closing costs. You don’t have to pay agent commissions or cleaning and repair fees. That may mean you’ll make more money from a cash buyer than from a traditional sale.
How to Sell Your House As-Is
You may be asking how to sell your house as-is. Whether you sell the house to a cash buyer or with a real estate agent, here are the steps you should follow.
Step 1: Disclose material facts
You have to be upfront about the issues with your house that affect the home’s value. Most states have mandatory disclosure laws, and avoiding those disclosures opens you up to legal peril. You can’t avoid disclosing a leaky roof or shifting foundation without risking a lawsuit.
Step 2: Be clear that your home is selling as-is
Ensure your buyer is aware that you’re selling your home as-is. Otherwise, they may think that the sale is traditional. As a result, they may expect to negotiate prices and contingencies.
Step 3: Consider a cash buyer
A cash buyer is a real estate professional who expects an as-is home to have issues and usually won’t be put off by those issues.
Maybe your home needs major repairs, or you need to move quickly for a career change. Time is critical; a cash offer can immediately take a problem house off your hands.
Cash buyers usually want to buy off the housing market, so you’ll have to reach out to them. Cash buyers have advantages, including the ability to:
- Fair price
- Skip repairs
- Sell on your timeline
- Close with certainty
Step 4: Sell your home traditionally
Sell your home on the open market. If you have the know-how, you can sell the house independently (For Sale By Owner, FSBO) or with a real estate agent.
If you decide to sell your home in the real estate market, you can increase your odds of your home selling by:
- Determining your lowest acceptable offer, don’t accept lowball offers
- Repairing high-priority home improvements like:
- Electrical panel
- Foundation issues
- HVAC
- Plumbing issues
- Roof
- Termites
- Water damage and mold
- Tackle easy cosmetic problems with low repair costs such as:
- Cleaning and decluttering
- Curb appeal
- Lights
- Landscaping
- Painting
- Get a pre-listing inspection to get ahead of potential issues
Conclusion
When speed, ease, and cost-effectiveness are paramount, an as-is sale may be an ideal solution for you.
You’ll need to remember the following facts about selling a house as-is:
- The as-is price reflects the current state and may reflect disrepair. Consequently, the list price will likely be less than the market value of an entirely refreshed, renovated, and repaired home.
- Ensure that your buyer understands that you are selling your home explicitly as an as-is property.
- Cash buyers may be a good option for home sellers.
When your home needs extensive repairs, your best bet is a cash buyer.
