If you’ve been driving around in Phoenix, chances are you’ve seen some billboards or road signs advertising for companies that buy houses.
They may something things like “We Buy Phoenix Houses!” “Sell Your House for Cash” or “Cash For Your House”.
Are these “we buy houses in Phoenix companies” credible? Are house buying companies a Scam?
How can someone know if the local house buying companies out there are honest and credible?
Well… sometimes they all look the same at the start… and we’re about to go over some things to look for and let you know some of the red flags. Don’t be discourage because most of the folks in the business are professional. We’ll walk you through the steps to insure you’re talking to a reputable local house buying company and not some scammer. You’ll understand what to look for in a house buying company before you decide to work with them.
Buying, renovating and selling houses is a valid and respectable profession. It’s a profession that can help communities and house sellers in numerous ways. It may seem simple to most, but not all house sellers are capable of getting their house “show ready”. So yes, there is a real need for professional house buyers. But just like any other line of work – a minority of house buyers in any market are the ones who make the rest of us look bad.
There are some really great, ethical folks who improve their neighborhoods one house at a time. These are the people who love what they are doing for the community. They love seeing the end product of their hard work and the smiling faces of the new family about to call it home.
And then there’s shady, dishonest people who put money ahead of the well being of their clients. Yes, unfortunately they are out there. There are those folks who would sign the contract to sell their own grandmother as long as there was enough money in it for them. Signing a contract with one hand while stabbing you in the back with the other – as long as they were making money.
We’ll help you avoid these “shady house buyers” so you can work with honest, ethical, and reputable local companies who can buy your house for a fair all cash offer and close on your schedule.
Before we dig into the negative scenarios out there, let’s go over exactly what the best house-flipping companies are out there doing.
What Reputable Phoenix House Buyers Are Doing
- Helping folks improve their lives by accessing the money they need right away. People often need to cash out the equity in their house to buy the next house, or cover things like unexpected medical expenses, or to relocate for work or to move closer to a family member. Or just to be able to avoid another hot Arizona summer. We can deliver peace of mind and make that happen in just a few days.
- Helping sellers get rid of a burdensome property without the hassle and uncertainty of having to list it with a real estate broker just to wait several months to find a buyer and close the sale.
- Buying US products. Our construction crews are out buying construction material daily. Spending tons of money on supplies and materials that are made right here in the USA – which in turn creates jobs in our timber mills, supply shops, factories, distribution centers and more. The US economy depends on steady improvement, and that requires investment from companies like ours.
- Creating local jobs. We hire hard working contractors, plumbers, roofers, HVAC techs and electricians. We close with a local title company and provide jobs for brokers, title agents, loan officers, administrators and many other professionals along the way. The average real estate transaction involves 86 people from beginning to end. Our local house buying company helps create good paying jobs for real people all around Phoenix AZ.
- Increasing the tax base. When someone buys one of our renovated houses and the new owner takes over the property, they’ll pay a higher tax rate based on the new and improved value. This means more revenue for the local community. Those taxes go to pay for our schools, fire, police, libraries, city streets and other valuable pieces of infrastructure. Again, improving our neighborhoods.
- Increasing the value of Phoenix neighborhoods. When we renovate a house, we’re helping to increase the value of the entire community. We often repair abandoned and neglected houses, turning them into beautiful homes for families. That activity strengthens Phoenix.
- Leaving a legacy. We are committed to giving back to the community by helping local charities. From donating gently used household items to those in need to writing checks to charitable organizations that inspire us.
Pretty cool stuff, right?
Lots of people think of house-flipping as a get-rich-quick scheme. That’s fueled by silly “reality” shows that amp up the drama because the reality of what we do on a daily basis is actually pretty boring.
Most of our work is coordinating with lots of people to make sure things are happening on time. We employ a full time staff to help keep track track of lots and lots of moving parts.
So let’s get back to how you can use this information to find out if someone is a credible investor, and not just pulling a house buying scam.
How To Ensure You’re Working With A Reputable Local House Buying Company
When you talk with a local house buyer to potentially buy your house… ask them some of the questions below to ensure they’re reputable, knowledgeable, and honest.
Ask them questions like:
- Do you close at a local title company?
- How do you help your clients?
- What do you do for people?
- Are you able to close within a week if needed?
- Can you tell me more about your services?
- What part of your business do you enjoy the most?
- How would you describe your investment philosophy?
- Do you have any past customers that can give you a referral?
- How can I know that you’ll close on my house when you say you will?
Second, look for tell tale signs of tactics that those few shady operators tend to use.
- “Kitchen table closings” – If a property buyer tries to get you to sign the deed (ownership) of your house over to them at your house, rather than a professional place like a closing attorney or title company… be leery as this is a red flag. Most reputable house buying companies will perform the actual closing of the sale at a neutral 3rd party place… like a title company. Closing at a local title company ensures everything is done right and both the buyer and the seller are protected during the transaction.
- Insisting on a long close of escrow – You need to sell your house fast, but the house buying company is requiring 30 days or more to close. This is a another red flag. An indication that the house buyer doesn’t actually have the funds to buy. They may be depending on a 3rd party investor to come to the closing table and take over their contract with the seller. Often referred to as “assigning the contract” or “wholesaling”. If this house buyer isn’t able to find another investor to buy the contract, they will often just back out with a weasel clause they have hidden in the contract, leaving you with an empty house and no buyer.
- Pressuring you into signing today – If a house buyer tries to pressure you into selling your house and says that you have to make the decision today, be leery. Most reputable house buying services will make you and offer and leave that offer on the table for at least a few days. Typically 2-7 days (minimum) for you to make a decision. The reason reputable house buying companies like ours at Valley Home Buyer do place deadlines on our offers is because the fact the market changes. Where values can change week to week depending on other sales in the area. Also… we buy multiple houses a month and when we make you an offer we’re giving our assurance to you that we have the cash to purchase your house. We can only agree to buy your house if this cash is available and we’ll reserve that cash for your sale, so if you do want to sell your house, we can close on your schedule. If you feel the offer isn’t a fit for you, then we’ll assign those funds to help another seller with their home sale.
Most scammers are looking for a quick score, and not an in-depth interview.
Chances are good that they’ll find excuses to get off the phone and move on to someone who doesn’t ask too many questions.
True investors who run honest and ethical Phoenix house buying services, however, are building long-term businesses based on relationships and community development.
So when you’re looking at one of the “Companies that buy houses in Phoenix “… never be afraid to ask questions!
Valley Home Buyer is a local House Buying Company that buys houses for Cash in Phoenix
Give us a call anytime at 602-734-3662 or
fill out the form on this website today! >>