Sell Your Houston House Fast: Realtor Sale vs. Direct Sale to House Buyer

When you want to sell your house in Houston, you might be considering a regular sale through a Realtor. On the surface, the idea makes a lot of sense: Sell the property at the full market value to take home the most cash. Who doesn’t like that?

But is a regular sale through a real estate agent REALLY the best solution to your problem? Let’s compare hiring a realtor to vs selling your house fast direct to Signature House Buyers. 

Hiring a Realtor to Sell Your House

First let’s take a look at hiring a Realtor to sell your house. Suppose a real estate agent has recommended a list price of $200,000 on your house in the Houston area. That price sounds good to you as it’s closer to the market value of the property. However, is that price what you really get once it’s all said and done? Let’s take a closer look at the numbers:

Listing Price	$ 200,000
Sales Price (Avg Discount 6%)	$ 188,000
Agent Commissions (6%)	$ 11,280
Closing Costs	$ 3,760
Repairs After Inspection	$ 1,500
Net Price You Get	$ 171,460

As you can see, the higher listing price only gives you the illusion that you will take home more cash. However, when you look into the numbers you realize that after commission, fees, repairs and other costs you take home much less than the list price.

This doesn’t even take into consideration any repairs you must pay for out of pocket to get the house ready for sale. When you consider the cost to get the house ready for sale the amount you take home is even lower.

Those are potential issues and obstacles you can run into when selling a home you occupy or a vacant home.

Selling Tenant-Occupied homes with a Realtor

If you want to sell a Tenant-occupied property fast with a real estate agent can be VERY difficult.

First, the Tenant will have to move out and you will have to spend more money for repairs. While the property is listed, you will have to carry the cost of the mortgage, taxes, and insurance. Therefore, in the end, the amount you will NET in your pocket will be even lower than the “sticker price”. Plus, you will have a lot more hassle, too.

If instead, the property needs substantial repairs, regular home buyers expect a move-in ready home. So they will want you to spend tens of thousands of dollars BEFORE they buy it. Two question you should consider if you find yourself in this situation:

• Do you have enough money to do these repairs before closing?
• Can you afford the risk that you might not get the money back after it’s all said and done?

Can a Home Sale with a Realtor Fall Through?

Last but not least, when you sell the house to a regular buyer there’s a chance that they might not be able to close on the house. Here are some of the reasons why a home sale might fall through:

• The house didn’t appraise for the purchase price (12% of sales fall through for this reason)
• The Buyer’s financing fell through because they didn’t qualify
• The Buyer is a first time home buyer and got cold feet after the inspection
• The Buyer’s financial situation changed because of a job loss

What would happen if your realtor sale on your house fell through? The process would start from the beginning and closing would be delayed. Because of that delay, you have to keep paying the mortgage, property taxes, insurance and maintenance on the property. And as they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression. When a house comes back on the market, Buyers wonder what’s wrong with it that caused it to not go through the first time. Therefore, the price you get when you bring the house back on the market may not be the same the second time around.

Direct Sale to Signature House Buyers

Now let’s take a look at selling your Houston house fast direct to Signature House Buyers in as-is condition. Suppose you filled out our form to get a guaranteed offer to sell your house fast and we made you an as-is offer for $172,000. Let’s take a look at the numbers to see what you net from selling your house direct to Signature House Buyers

Offer Price	$ 172,000
Agent Commissions	$ 0
Closing Costs	$ 0
Repairs After Inspection	$ 0
Net Price You Get	$ 172,000

As you can see, with our offer what you see is what you get. When you sell your house to Signature House Buyers you don’t pay any real estate commissions or closing costs. We buy houses in Katy, Spring, Cypress and Houston as-is so you don’t have to pay for any repairs or even clean the house.

Guaranteed Offer Regardless of Condition or Situation

It doesn’t matter to us if the house is vacant, tenant-occupied or if you live there. We will buy your house even if your tenant is behind on the rent and not paying. You don’t have to worry about moving out the Tenant or making repairs to the house to put it on the market. We will buy it in its current condition regardless of the condition.

Most importantly, our offers are guaranteed. We can buy your house even if the house won’t appraise because we have the ability to pay cash for it and don’t need an appraisal. Same way, our financing never falls through because we have the ability to switch to an all cash purchase at any time. We are experienced house buyers so we don’t get cold feet in the middle of our transaction.

When we come to an agreement on the sale of your Houston house, it’s time to pack because it’s a done deal.

Side by Side Comparison

Now let’s compare both options side by side

	Selling with a Realtor	Selling to Signature House Buyers
Commissions	6% of sales price	None
Closing Costs	2% of sales price	None
Contingencies	Yes it can fall through	Guaranteed to Close
Appraisal Needed	Yes house must appraise	No. We can pay cash
Days Until Sold	+/ – 75 days	Immediately
Showings Until Sold	+/- 22 showings	Just 1
Closing Date	30-60 days	You choose the date
Inspection Repairs	$1.5k-5k on average	None – we pay for all repairs
Make Ready Repairs	$5k-10k before listing	None – we buy as-is

Which way to sell is best for you?

How do you determine which way is the best way to sell your Houston house? Does it make sense to hire a real estate agent to sell your house or should you sell it directly to a trustworthy professional company like Signature House Buyers?

Like with most hard choices, the answer is: It depends!

When does selling your Houston house with an agent makes more sense for you

• Your house is in excellent condition or you have the money to make it ready for sale
• There are no repairs needed in your home or you have the money to make them before listing
• You have at least 60-75 days of time to get your house sold
• Your house is not Tenant-occupied
• You are not behind on your mortgage payments or property taxes
• You can take the risk that the sale might fall through due to inspection or financing

When does sell your Houston house fast to Signature makes more sense for you

• Your house needs substantial repairs that you cannot afford to make
• You need to sell your house fast: within 10-30 days
• Your house is occupied by Tenants who may or may not be paying
• You are behind on your mortgage payments or property taxes and risk losing your home
• You need a sale that’s guaranteed to go through
• You’re ready to move on to the next chapter of your life

As you decide what is the best way to sell your Houston house, there no one-size-fits-all answer. The right answer for you depends your situation, your resources and the amount of risk you can afford to take. As a result, I want you to have all the information so you make the best decision for you and your family.

About Signature House Buyers

Signature House Buyers is a local, family-owned company based in Houston, Texas. We are investors on a mission to improve our community one house at a time and can help you solve your property problem with a guaranteed offer with no commissions or repairs. In the past 15+ years, we have been buying houses in as-is condition and we would love to buy yours, too.

We buy houses, lots and small multifamily properties in the Houston metro area including suburbs like Spring, Cypress, Katy, Tomball, The Woodlands, Conroe and specialize in properties up to $400,000.

Our goal is to present you with a win-win solution so you can move on to the next chapter in your life. Whether we actually do business together, we strive for you to have a positive experience. Our promise is that we will treat you the way we would like to be treated: With Honesty and Integrity every step of the way.