Frequently Asked Questions
Are you similar to a realtor that will list my house on the MLS or are you actually buying it?
That’s a great question. We are not real estate agents and we do not list homes on the MLS as a representative of you, the seller. We are professional home buyers that seek to make full-price offers and pay cash for homes from buyers that may not have the capital to make necessary repairs or who are no longer able to afford their mortgage payments and they may need to sell their homes. From there we may repair the house and resell it to another homeowner or keep it as a rental ourselves.
Will your cash offer for my home be fair?
Typically we purchase homes below market value because the homes are in need of repair or the homeowner is looking to have the balance on their mortgage paid for when they sell so that they are no longer in debt. We do this so we can resell it at a profit to another homeowner after we have invested our time and money into making the home marketable to interested buyers. We are looking to get a fair discount on a property. In our experience, many sellers aren’t necessarily expecting to make a large profit when they sell their homes quickly. Sellers reach out to us because they are looking to make a clean break from a home that they know has caused them unnecessary stress and they appreciate that we can offer cash, we close very quickly (no waiting for financing), and no time, effort, or expense is required on your part to fix up the property or pay agent fees. If that’s what you’re looking for and you see the value in selling your home quickly so that you can move on with your life, contact us today. Our no-obligation pricing commitment means that you don’t have to move forward with the offer we give… but it’s good to know what we’re offering!
How do you decide what my home is worth before you make a cash offer?
Great question, and we’re an open book. This is actually our most frequently asked question and our assessment process is very straightforward. We look at the location of the property, what repairs are needed, the current condition of the property, and the value of comparable houses sold in the area recently. Once we have gathered that information, we come up with a fair price that works for us and works for you, too.
Do you charge a commission if we choose to work with you?
This is what makes us stand out from the traditional method of selling your house: there are NO fees or commissions when you sell your house directly to us. Once we make you an offer and you decide that we are the right fit for you, then we’ll buy your house and pay for all fees associated with the sale out of our own pocket. We’ll often pay for the closing costs, too! We make our money after we pay for repairs on the house and sell it for a profit. We take the risk once we buy the home from you and we begin working on your home. Once we buy the house from you, we are responsible for your home and you walk away without the burden of the property and its payments, as well as cash in your hand.
How are you different from a real estate agent?
Real estate agents list properties and work to attract buyers in the hope that someone will buy them. The agent hosts showings of the home and often stages the home to make it more appealing to potential buyers (the average time to sell a property in many markets right now is 6-12 months) and then takes a percentage of the sale price if they find a buyer. More often than not the agent’s commission is anywhere from 3-6% of the final sale price of your home.
Agents provide a great service for homeowners that are willing to wait 6 to 12 months to sell or those that are looking to remain firm on their selling price. But that’s where we’re different. We’re not agents, we’re cash home buyers. Alto Home Buyers buys the house directly from you and we can make a decision to buy your house within a couple of days (sometimes even the same day). We take on an unknown risk when we buy homes for cash because there is uncertainty about what repairs will be needed to make the home marketable to another buyer.
If I tell you about my home, am I obligated to work with you?
There is absolutely zero obligation for you. We would love to hear from you and learn more about your home and the unique situation that you are which has caused you to sell. Once you tell us a bit about your property, we’ll take a look at things, maybe set up a call with you to find out a bit more, and make you an all-cash offer that’s fair for you and fair for us. After we make you a cash offer you are free to explore other options but you are never obligated to sell to us- We let you decide what is best for you.