How to Sell Ugly Houses for Cash
You’re ready to sell your house. That can be a moment that comes with a wide array of emotions, but when it’s time, it’s time.
Whether you just want something else or life circumstances are forcing your hand, you already know that selling a house is a process. On top of that, your house isn’t necessarily the most beautiful on the block.
That’s a challenge, to be sure, but it’s one you can overcome. When you know a few trade secrets, you can sell even an ugly house for cash, and you can do it pretty quickly too.
Think About the Price
An ugly house is not necessarily a house in disrepair, although the two can frequently overlap. Regardless, people — especially buyers — tend to associate ugliness with disrepair. As a result, when they see the house, they are likely to undervalue it.
If the goal is to sell the house for cash without making it any less ugly, then there’s a good chance you’ll need to rethink your asking price. Ugliness tends to lower sale value, even when the house is in genuinely good shape.
It’s unfortunate, but it’s the nature of the market. So think carefully about the price and how low you’re willing to go in order to get a cash offer.
Make Repairs
On the other hand, there are things you can do to make the house less ugly. You can do very basic aesthetic changes. Clean up the yard. Maybe plant something green. Try some touch-up paint. These are relatively low-cost chores, and they can do a lot to make the house look prettier. In turn, they can help you sell the house.
You can also consider major repairs, if you think it’s necessary. If you have equity in the home, you can even look into a home equity loan to get the cash for important repairs.
Such a tactic can definitely help you sell the house, but there’s a reason this isn’t first on the list. On average, when you repair a house and list it on the open market, you aren’t going to get cash offers. You’ll get traditional offers that involve banks and mortgages. That’s fine, but if your goal is specifically to sell the house for cash, major repairs can sometimes make that harder rather than easier.
Seek Investors
Here’s the secret sauce. You can reach out to property investors to see whether any want to buy the house as is. Wholesalers, flippers, and other investors all like to spot ugly houses. Basically, an ugly house usually has less competition from other home buyers, so they can make a cash offer and close quickly. It’s an easier process for the investors.
More importantly, they do cash purchases all the time. They’re ready to go, and aesthetic qualities will never make an investor shy about the property. They’ll take the ugliness into account, and they will often make you an offer as soon as they can see the house. It’s by far the fastest and easiest way to sell any house for cash, ugly or not.
Let We Buy Houses Philadelphia Help
Speaking of investors, We Buy Houses Philadelphia is a company founded on that very principle. We regularly buy houses in order to try to bring out their full potential. If you want a cash offer, just fill out the contact form. We’ll reach out to schedule a walkthrough. Once we’ve seen the house, we will make you a cash offer. There are no houses that we don’t want to buy. We always make an offer, and if you like ours, you can sell your house for cash in a matter of days. Naturally, we can slow the process down if you aren’t in a complete hurry.