Help Me Sell My House? These 6 Pros Can Help

If you’re overwhelmed by the prospect of prepping your home to sell, don’t be. You don’t need to take on this Herculean task alone. There are several real estate experts who can help you sell your house, regardless of its current condition.

We’ll introduce you to different experts to guide you each step of the way. For added insight, we interviewed Sherry Ekdawy, a top-selling agent, designer, and contractor in Phoenix, Arizona.

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1. A top real estate agent who knows the ins and outs of your local market

If you choose to list your home on the market, you need a seasoned local real estate agent with experience selling homes like yours. But don’t just hire any real estate agent — our research reveals that the top 5% of agents sell homes for as much as 10% more than the average agent.

Assisting you with every step of the home sale, a top real estate agent will:

• Research the local market
• Pinpoint a precise listing price to encourage high offers
• Gather and prepare all documentation related to your home
• Recommend reputable cleaners, stagers, and contractors who are available at a moment’s notice
• Take photographs of your home
• List and market your home
• Schedule your home appraisal, showings, and inspection
• Pitch your property to other agents or buyers
• Negotiate with buyers on your behalf
• Prepare with closing documentation

To find top real estate agents near you, share your details with HomeLight. We’ll connect you to the three top real estate agents in your area based on transaction data like average sale-to-list ratio, days on market, and client reviews.

2. An experienced real estate attorney who can help reduce legal risk

You may require the services of a real estate attorney to protect you from documentation issues, titling errors, and costly lawsuits.

Some states require a real estate attorney at closing. Even if your state does not, you may want to hire an attorney to help with your home sale if one of the following applies:

• You’re selling due to financial hardship
• You’re selling a property with tenants
• You’re selling an inherited property
• You’re selling a shared asset during a divorce or separation

Here are some of the legal services a real estate attorney offers:

• Draft and negotiate the contract for sale
• Prepare the deed
• Prepare the closing documents
• Review the title and lien search and resolve related issues
• Solve any documentation disputes

Real estate attorneys generally charge $150 to $400 per hour. You can find a reputable real estate attorney through your real estate agent, network, or an online directory like Avvo.

3. A direct buyer who makes cash offers

If you need to sell your house fast, consider selling to a cash buyer. A cash buyer is someone who pays cash for homes that they lease or resell.

When you sell to a cash buyer, you can skip the cleaning, staging, and showings. You’ll also avoid the red tape associated with buyer mortgages and sidestep contingencies that can delay or derail a home sale.

In exchange for convenience and certainty, you’ll receive a lower price on your home with a direct buyer than if you go through a real estate agent.

Selling to a direct buyer is a great option if you:

• Need to sell your home quickly
• Want to skip the stress-inducing stages of a traditional sale
• Don’t have the time or money to upgrade an old home
• Are OK with a lower sale price in exchange for convenience and speed

These are the companies that make instant cash offers:

• House flippers purchase older or run-down homes with the intent of remodeling and reselling for a higher price. If you sell to a house flipper, expect to receive a low offer.
• Buy-and-hold companies are investors who turn homes into rental properties.
• iBuyers are companies that use automatic valuations and machine-learning algorithms to make sellers instant offers on their homes. They typically charge 5% to 8% in fees to handle the purchase and resale of your property. Many iBuyers require an inspection and may reduce the sale price to account for needed repairs.
• Trade-in companies provide funds to purchase your next home, holding your current home as collateral until it sells. HomeLight’s Buy Before You Sell program is one option for buying and selling at the same time. It lets homeowners unlock the equity in their current home and use the funds to make a cash offer on a new property. Once they move into their new home, HomeLight helps sell the old one for the best price.

Get a competitive cash offer with Simple Sale

HomeLight’s Simple Sale provides you with a competitive cash offer so you can sell your home as-is fast — as quickly as 10 days. Skip the stress and hassle of repairs and negotiations so you can move on from your home sale with a satisfying sale price.