Selling for top dollar
Zillow Offers: Not The American Dream
Zillow Offers provides sellers the opportunity to “skip the hassle and sell your home directly to Zillow.” Zillow Offers targets sellers who want to sell their property as fast as possible. The houses are sold quick and without the “hassle” of a traditional sell (no open houses, repairs are ‘taken care of’, you chose your move and closing date).
You might have seen Zillow advertised on billboards, commercials, or even on personalized yard signs. Zillow promises sellers an instant cash sale for their homes. It sounds great for sellers on a tight timeline, but what’s the catch?
Zillow Offers Are Below Market Value
While Zillow does provide a fast sale and near-instant cash to the seller, this comes at a cost. While your Zillow Offer is providing you instant cash by cutting out the hassle – you are paying for this convenience by selling your house lower than market value.
Zillow offers you a below market value Zestimate because they are taking on the responsibility of selling, fixing, and putting your home on the market. By selling your home for a lower market value, you are able to sell faster. However, Zillow is able to re-sell your home at the actual market value (after making repairs that were technically paid by you by selling the home for less).
What Your Zestimate Actually Costs You:
Zillow provides you with a Zestimate: the estimated market value. It is not an appraisal. After they provide the Zestimate they factor in information they receive from the seller (recent renovations, the current condition of the home, etc.), the opinion of a local real estate agent and fees. Zillow weighs whether renovations will be needed and the cost of holding and reselling the home. This is important to understand – while you do not have to make the necessary repairs and updates to your home, you are still paying to have those repairs completed (the cost is subtracted from your Zillow Offer).
While Zillow says they’ll take care of repairs these will often be priced above market value. This means you will be paying more for repairs than if you hired a contractor yourself. Additionally, you will not be benefiting from the equity that these repairs will bring to the cost of your home. Which means you are PAYING for the repairs by selling your home for less AND not earning anything from it.
Keep In Mind:
According to Zillow’s Offers page – once the Zillow Offer is confirmed, it may be adjusted when an in-person inspection is performed on the home. Just because you received the offer and it sounds appealing, this amount can still be adjusted.
Once Zillow purchases the home, they will make “necessary repairs and updates” and then put the home back on the market. By taking the burden of preparing your home to be listed off the seller – Zillow will earn the equity on your home (that you paid for).
It is important to note – you will still need an agent to determine an offer when using Zillow Offer. If a seller is represented by an agent and they accept a Zillow Offer, the agent still needs to be paid a commission by the seller based on the agreement between the seller and agent.
Sell Your Home Fast Without Losing Equity
Part of being a homeowner means you have invested in a property that will provide you with a return on your investment when you decide to sell. A fast sale should not compromise your investment and result in a below market value offer. We understand you want to sell your home fast – working with a real estate agent doesn’t mean that is an impossible ask.
Real estate agent commissions are between 5-6%, if you are listing your home for 10-15% less than market value you are spending MORE money. Real estate agents have resources to find you a buyer quickly.
If you are determined to move quickly, work with your real estate agent on setting a price that works for you and a buyer. Working with your real estate agent helps you receive better offers because your Agent is negotiating a deal on your behalf, one that will put money into your pocket! Real estate agents can sell your home quick without compromising your equity in the process.
If you have received your Zestimate and would like to compare the offer to market value, reach out to Angie today at: 949-338-7408. Comment below if you have a Zillow Offer Experience!
Ringing in 2019 with Real Estate Goals
What will your 2019 look like?
We have some big goals for 2019 – one of them being helping our clients achieve their real estate new years resolutions! Whether it’s buying internationally or crowdfunding a down payment for an engaged couple, we can help you accomplish them all. Every year our whole team writes down their goals for the new year and we try to help each other accomplish them. This year, we want to do the same with all of our clients. Writing them down and being able to cross them off when they are accomplished really makes you feel good and it will make us feel good to be able to help you do that.
AskAngie Team’s Goals
Our team has a few things were really excited for this year! This year we plan to really grow our Vow2Save program. We are looking forward to helping a lot more engaged couples crowdfund a down payment so that they are able to buy a home after their wedding. This has been a goal of ours for a few years, and after a lot of work in 2018 we know it is really going to be taking off this year and we can’t wait to see the things it can do for people! We also plan to travel more this year in order to have the best information in helping our clients buy overseas. Last year we went to Spain and met with Realtors there, but we want to be able to do that in many more countries.
So much more we can do for you!
If you need help selling or buying a home after a divorce or identifying a good AirBnB investment we can help with that and everything in between. We have various services that we are experienced in. Another goal we know some of our clients have is to stop renting and own their first home and we are so excited to help many people achieve that this year especially with the current rent prices in OC. We can help you figure out what your home is worth and how you can sell it fast and for top dollar! We truly value our time with our clients and being able to help them grow their real estate profile and accomplish their goals. If you have any questions or want to share your goals with us so we are better able to help you please fill out the form below or contact Angie at 949-338-7408!
How to sell your home fast and for top dollar
Thinking of selling your home?
Are you thinking of selling your home but the process seems too overwhelming and hard? Maybe you have already decided to sell your home but aren’t sure about the process and how to get started. The AskAngie team has all of the answers for you in either situation. We know deciding to sell your home is not an easy decision and can be a very stressful time in your life. Most people want to sell it quickly in order to purchase the next place and everyone wants to get the most money they possibly can out of their home. We have all the tips to help you do just that.
Declutter and bring in the light
One tip we always recommend to our clients is to declutter before listing your home for sale. Having a lot of clutter around your home or on counter tops can really take away from the big picture of what you’re selling. Most buyers want to be able to come into your home and picture it as their own in order to decide whether or not they want to make an offer, seeing your items everywhere might make it hard for them to picture themselves and their family living there. We also suggest removing any dark drapes or window coverings to really brighten up the space and make it more approachable to a buyer. Bright areas and natural light catch buyers attention every time.
An example of a light and bright living room
Changing perspective
In order to get top dollar for your home you have to mix it up and change buyers perspective of what they are looking at. One way to do this is using drone photos for your online postings and MLS site. This allows possible buyers to see the area around your home including the neighborhood, parks, or schools nearby. It also provides a different look at the home itself. We also always suggest that our sellers invest in a stager for their home. Making it look its absolute best is a stagers job – and we have some really good ones! This will help you get top dollar because buyers are seeing it at its best.
Without this drone image you wouldn’t be able to see the AMAZING surroundings this home has. What a change in perspective 🙂
Knowing the market
We believe educating yourself via your Realtor about the current market before listing your home is a good way to prepare yourself for what is to come. Being prepared and knowing what you’re up against is a good idea for selling your home quickly. It is currently a sellers market here in the OC, and we are always looking for people wanting to sell their homes. There’s a lot of buyers looking but never enough houses for them to buy. Knowing this information before posting your home for sale can be very motivating and encouraging as you begin your journey with your house on the market.
Bring the whole package from day one!
We always bring our sellers perfect package to the MLS day one of its listing. In order to do this you need a good Realtor, good photos, and be completely ready to sell. If people have online searches saved they are only sent properties via email the day it’s added and if the price drops, because of this you want to have your pictures and postings perfected before it is listed on the MLS. We also provide a property website for each listings that you are able to share on social media and with any buyer who is interested in your property.
29 more home selling tips waiting for you!
These are just a few additional tips that we added on to share with you. but our team has created a report, 29 Essential Tips That Get Homes Sold Fast (And For Top Dollar). If this report is something you are interested in reading or you know someone who is thinking of selling their home and could use some tips just fill out the form below to have it emailed to you! If you need any additional advice or are looking for someone to help you sell your home quickly contact Angie at 949-338-7408!
