Make sure you explore the options of different ways to sell before selling your house in Maui. This article will help you decide if a direct sale, going FSBO or hiring a realtor is the best option for you and your needs.
It’s common to assume that the only way to sell your house on Maui successfully is to hire a realtor then wait for them to find the buyer. But, that’s not the only way to sell, and it’s certainly not the easiest. Many home owners choose to sell on their own, either going the FSBO route or selling to a direct to a local cash buyer such as Maui Home Buyers so they can forget about the stresses of making repairs and the guessing game of how much cash they’ll actually get after paying commissions and all of the closing costs. However there is not one option that is the best choice for everyone; it just depends on your situation, what you value, the condition of the property, and how quick (or slow) you would like the process to move. In order to decide which method is best for you, we recommend that you compare how each method would work out for you financially and the time commitment required for each selling method, as well as the requirements you must make for each one. Here we’ll make some comparisons to help you make the best decision.
Selling Direct To A Cash Buyer
Selling your Maui house directly to a cash buyer will help you sell your house quickly and efficiently. Working with Maui Home Buyers will eliminate all selling costs, save you valuable time, let you plan ahead, and help you keep more cash in your pocket. You won’t need to spend any time or money on repairs, upgrades, cleaning or staging. We handle all of the paperwork and are able to pay you for your house right away. A traditional sale can take many months, whereas selling directly to Maui Home Buyers will take only a few days (of course we can have a longer closing time if you’re not in a rush). We will work on your schedule and we assist in all aspects of the sale, moving, relocation, financing, and whatever else you might need help with to make the process as simple as possible for you. It’s also important to note that with us you will not need to have open houses, showings, or home inspections. So you won’t need to worry about making sure your house or condo is spotless and all of your personal belongings are stored out of sight every day for months while your realtor tries to find a buyer. With this route, you don’t need to do any cleaning at all, not even when you move out!
Selling On Your Own Via FSBO
Selling your Maui house on your own will require some real effort. It works best only if you have a fair amount of experience in the Hawaii real estate industry under your belt so you can understand all laws and be prepared for the negotiation process, and know all of the disclosures you’re legally required to produce.
You should understand the local market, and be able to recognize a good offer, and more importantly you need to be able to recognize a qualified offer (for example, most buyers don’t know enough about real estate to know that they need to get pre-qualified before making a offer on a house, and being able to spot the signs of a buyer that is just day dreaming can save you a LOT of time, headaches, and expenses so you don’t accept an offer just to have the sale fall apart a month later when they buyers loan isn’t approved). With a For Sale By Owner Listing (AKA FSBO) you will need to handle all of the marketing on your own. This includes online listings, digital marketing, print materials, sending mailers out, newspaper ads, open houses, and signage. You will also need to be able to answer questions and show the property to potential buyers as requested. If you do find a potential buyer, you will need to ensure all of the paperwork and contracts are handled correctly. When choosing an FSBO listing, it is always smart to speak to a local real estate attorney to make sure everything is done the right way. But again, most real estate professionals will agree that selling FSBO is not wise if you don’t have at least a few years of professional experience selling homes on Maui (or some other role in the real estate industry). There are just too many scammers out there, and too many things that can go wrong and one small mistake over something you didn’t even know about could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars in a lawsuit. Unfortunately we hear stories about it all the time.
Hiring A Realtor
Hiring a Maui real estate agent is the choice for those who don’t mind a little upfront costs, costs after the sale, and who don’t have a set time in which they need to sell by. When you put your house on the MLS, you will likely need to do some work to the house so that retail buyers that are shopping for their family home can see that it’s move in ready and they are buying a home – not a project, and also to make sure your house is more attractive than all of the others listed for sale in Hawaii. You can typically expect the realtor to require that you remove all personal belongings (take down pictures, keep all dishes put away, shoes, etc., and keep all surfaces clear of any clutter), professional cleaning, staging, repairs, and upgrades. Most of the good realtors will remind you that the house needs to be cleaned regularly, usually every 1-2 weeks, so that it feels clean and new during the showings and open houses. Once the house is listed, the agent will schedule open houses and showings which you shouldn’t be around for. It can make buyers feel uncomfortable, decreasing your chances for a sale. If the seller is around, the buyer will usually take a quick look, but they’re usually more focused on getting out of there and not really taking the time to picture their family making this their home.. because let’s face it, it’s just an awkward situation for 9/10 of them. These typically last between 1-3 hours, and are usually 3-4 times a week, although they could be much less often, or they could be every day – just depends on the type of house, whether it’s priced right, and how much demand there is currently. You will then need to wait to see if an offer comes in. This can happen in days, weeks, months, or sometimes not at all. If a buyer is found, you will have to go through the escrow process which involves inspections, surveys, appraisals, filling out disclosures and other paperwork, and any other red-tape from the lender. After an offer is accepted, it will typically take between 45-60 days for the sale to close (Hawaii sales take longer than mainland sales).
At Maui Home Buyers, we want to help you make the decision that is in your best interest. Whether you decide to sell directly, on your own, or with an agent, make sure to fully explore all your options before choosing how to sell your Maui home. If you have any questions about these options please don’t hesitate to call or text, we’re here to serve you and we promise not to pressure you – in fact, we end up recommending to work with a realtor for about half of the people that call us! We do this because Maui is too small of an island, and we believe we would not stay in business long if we only tried to convince people they should work with us even when another route might be best for their circumstances. Our goal is to serve our community, and even though we probably lose some business by referring them to realtors or other professionals, we believe this attitude will help our business continue to grow far into the future when we get referrals from those some people for other sellers that we are the right choice for! Point is, we’re here to help you. We hope that we are the best option for you, but we certainly won’t try to force that.