Are you considering selling your home? If so you’ll likely connect with people who are more than willing to assist you and guide you through the sometimes complex and difficult process. Some will be real estate agents and some will be real estate investors. Check out this blog post to read about 3 ways to tell real estate agents and investors apart in Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, Labelle, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers and Naples FL, and help you understand why you might want to work with one versus the other…
When the time comes that you decide to sell your Southwest Florida home you will probably be approached by a variety of different people who all offer to help you sell your home. But not all of those who offer to help you sell your home will help in the same way. Some are real estate agents, and other are real estate investors and they’ll help you in different ways. Here are 3 ways to tell real estate agents and investors apart in Southwest Florida.
Ways To Tell Real Estate Agents And Investors Apart In Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, Fort Myers, Naples and Port Charlotte, Florida: List Versus Buy
The simplest way to differentiate between agents and investors is to ask about their plans for selling your house – will they list it on the MLS and do showing or buy it for cash and clsoe quickly on YOUR timeline? A real estate agent will list your house on a listing service, perhaps hold open houses, advertise and work to find a buyer. They may need to show it to multiple potential buyers before finding someone who is interested in purchasing your home.
An investor, on the other hand, won’t list your house – they will buy it directly from you and offer you a CASH price for your home. That’s what we do at We Buy Homes in SWFL; we buy houses in Southwest Florida. If you want to sell your house, click here and enter your information to find out how much we can pay).
How to Differentiate Between Real Estate Agents and Investors in Southwest Florida: Timeline to Sell
Another way to distinguish an agent from an investor is to ask about their timeline to buy. An agent won’t be able to give a definitive answer because they first need to find a buyer. This process can often take 3-12 months or longer, during which they will show the house to multiple potential buyers.
An investor, however, will know exactly how long it will take to buy your house since they are the ones purchasing it. They can provide a specific timeline, which may depend on your preferences and how quickly you want to sell.
How to Differentiate Between Real Estate Agents and Investors in Southwest Florida: Commission vs. No Commission
This point is crucial! An agent earns their commission when they find a buyer, and you typically have to pay them around 6% of the sale price. For example, on a $100,000 house, this would amount to $6,000.
An investor, on the other hand, doesn’t list your house, so there are no commissions. Instead, they make money by either renting the house to a tenant or renovating it and selling it for a profit, earning their income by carefully choosing a property that will provide them with a return on their investment.
There are other ways to distinguish between an agent and an investor. The simplest approach is to ask them directly – they will tell you!