By: Eric J. Pifer

Rental property is a great vehicle for obtaining wealth or just supplementing your income. Real estate can be a great investment. But what happens when it doesn’t work out, and the property has once again, been destroyed by tenants? You fixed it up several times only for it to be vacant and rundown once again. You arrive at a point when you are just burned out on that particular property or perhaps all your rentals and just want to unload them. You decide to sell them, but how?

You could not possibly list these types of properties with a realtor on the MLS without dumping more time and money into them first. Even in a seller’s market traditionally the people who are looking for property with realtors are not looking for property that needs any work let alone the renovation necessary to restore most rental properties to retail condition. In most cases there is a good amount of work required to get them back to rental grade. So in a buyer’s market, like the one we are in today, where there is an overabundance of inventory there isn’t really any point in listing them in that condition.

In the mean time the property is too rundown to get any decent tenants to occupy it, maybe it’s not even fit to live in if it has been sitting long enough. And the last thing you want to do with this headache is put more money into it. You are stuck paying the taxes, insurance, utilities and the mortgage if you have one. Many landlords share this frustration at some point, and some are prepared for it. While others just want to find a way to be free of the burden of and move on, but aren’t sure how to go about it.

So what is the best solution to selling a problem house like this quickly in “as is” condition? Selling the property to another investor, who will take over the distressed house and put their money and time into it, is probably the quickest and easiest solution.

Where do you find an investor who is willing to purchase a property that needs a lot of work and money put into it? These folks can be found online and often have signs hanging on telephone poles. You have probably seen them before “we buy houses.” They are experienced with taking over distressed property and will know the best way to resolve your problem. The most convenient way to contact these types of investors is by submitting information to their website.

By : Eric J. Pifer

There are a number of reasons why homeowners need to sell fast at any given time. To name just a few: behind on payments, burned out landlord, job transfer, inherited the house, bankruptcy, etc. These problems are very common, so if you can relate you’re not alone.

So, when you need to sell fast for whatever reason, why is selling to an investor your best bet?

Selling your house to an investor may not be your first instinct and may even seem too unconventional for most homeowners. You may think why should I sell my house to an investor? Won’t I get less money? I am accustomed to using a Realtor. Why shouldn’t I just list the house and hope it sells fast?

These are valid questions and concerns for someone not familiar with the real estate investment world. However there are many very good reasons for selling to an investor. Lets cover some of these reasons to broaden your understanding of how this type of sale can be massively beneficial.

Reason #1: Speed of sale. Most of the time when you find yourself in one of the fore mentioned situations selling fast is is not just preferred but absolutely necessary. Investors are cash buyers and can close very quickly, sometimes in as little as 5-7 days!

Compared to a conventional sale in which even if you sold your house in just one day, it usually takes another 30 -60 days just to close the deal. When a quick sale is needed this can really slow things down. Furthermore, it is clear that selling in one day is not realistic, especially with the current market trends. Houses are just sitting on the market for months or even years before they sell, some for months or years without an offer! When you sell to an investor the entire process is fast and simple.

Reason #2: Agents don’t really do anything. I am not knocking agents, they are great people, some of my friends are agents. However aside from putting your house on the MLS (multiple listing service) and putting a sign in the front yard, they don’t really do much else to market your property and for their services they make a commission at your cost.

Investors buy the property for their own portfolio as a rental or to fix up and sell. Therefore there is no commission paid. Some even offer a wholesaling service for free, not all properties are going to fit an individual’s buying strategy. This is great because even if they don’t buy your house they will market it to their network of fellow investors using their own marketing dollars. They will help you sell your house fast even if they don’t buy it, and they actually market the property to qualified investor buyers looking to purchase something now.

Reason #3: No fix up cost. When you want to sell retail and have a chance at selling fast, repairs and updates are needed to bring the property to full market value and to make it suitable for the retail market. Retail buyers want to purchase a house that is move in ready and has been renovated or updated to match current trends. Investors will purchase homes that’s most people aren’t really interested in buying.

When you sell to an investor you don’t need to worry about these repairs or updates, this will be the investor’s hassle after they purchase your property AS-IS! That’s right investors typically buy houses As-Is-Where-Is, therefore you don’t need to worry about them coming back on you if something goes wrong after the deal closes.

By selling to an investor you don’t need to spend any money to fix up, repair and update the property. This alone can be well worth it as repairs and updates can cost thousands of dollars, not to mention the headache of dealing with contractors. Of course this also slows down the process drastically when you need to sell your house fast.

Reason #4: It becomes their problem. Another great motivator for selling to an investor would be the problems they inherit from you. Many folks in a need to sell fast situation have a property that comes with burdens or headaches.

Sometimes nightmare tenants are the problem. Tenants can sometimes really cause a great deal of stress to landlords. Vacant rentals can be a real problem and money drainer as well.

Or maybe the owner inherited the house and now has to pay taxes on it, pay for the up keep, spend their valuable time, or make the mortgage payments on it.

Renovations, as I already discussed are another problem taken care of by the investor who buys your house.

Code violations can be another costly and time consuming issue. Investors are used to dealing with this sort of problem and can handle it more efficiently than someone not accustomed to having to deal with the city to resolve these types of issues. The issue is resolved using their ‘dime’ not yours.

I could go on and on about problem properties and the benefits of access to local investors, but I think you get the idea.

Therefore for all these reasons and more selling to investors is often the best way to go when you need to sell fast. So if you are in a situation where you must sell your house fast, consider selling to an investor. Frankly, investors are in the business to make money, but also because they have a passion and a gift for helping people in bad situations.