The most difficult part of selling your home for cash is finding a cash buyer. The need for cash home buyers makes many home sellers susceptible to a cash for houses scam. You see the evidence of house buying scams every day, from their victims on the news to their cheap, fake, and illegal advertising on telephone poles.
If you are looking for a cash buyer and worried about cash home buying scams or think you may be dealing with someone running a we buy houses for cash scam, this blog will tell you what to look out for. We will also talk about how the real cash buying system should look when dealing with a real buyer versus dealing with a we pay cash for houses scam.
How to Avoid Cash for Houses Scams
If you choose to put your house on the market yourself or try to find a cash buyer on your own, there are definitely some pitfalls. First, you may end up needing to pay a real estate agent for advice, when that was the very thing you were trying to avoid. You may have to pay for advertising. Finally, of course, you will have to show your home, and this alone exposes you to a ton of risks if you aren’t vetting people properly (or do not know how to).
Since there are a lot of risks and issues people face when they step outside of the traditional home sales method of hiring an agent and listing their home, many people choose to go with professional home buyers or companies who pay cash for houses. The problem with this is that there are so many cash-for-home scams.
What is a “We Buy Houses Scam”?
A we buy houses scam is a common scam where someone pretends to be a cash home buyer or a cash home buying company to take advantage of home sellers and even their agents.
You have probably seen these types of cash for homes scams on your local news. This may leave you wondering, “is cash from home a scam?”
The simple answer is no, not all cash for houses buyers are a scam, but many criminals take advantage of home sellers by using cash offers on house scams. Here are two of the most common home buying scams we see today:
-In the first cash for houses scam, a perfect buyer comes along saying all the right things, but when they send their check, it is drawn up for too much. Suddenly they need you to return a portion of the money, even before the funds are available. Then, their check bounces, and you are out the money you returned to them.
-In the second cash for houses scam, a real estate scam cash buyer is ready to buy your home. The problem is the contract heavily favors the investor. He will likely sell it to another investor, or the deal may fall through altogether. The problem with these types of house buying scams is that they will leave you where you started or tangled up in a terrible contract that you can’t get out of!
How can you avoid cash offer on house scams when you are trying to sell your house? The best way to prevent falling victim to one of these cash for home scams is to know their signs. You can also avoid many cash for home scams by knowing the real process and how it should work.
Signs of a Cash for Houses Scam
Here are some signs that you might be dealing with one of the many cash offer on house scams:
- The company is kind of sketchy. If you suspect the company is not real, you better check it out or you could get caught up in a cash offer on houses scam. Home buyers scams come in many shapes and sizes, but one thing most cash for homes scams have in common is that they don’t want you to be able to track them down.Cash for home scams might have a cheap website or an email address, but often you will find their phone number traces back to nothing or that they do not have a physical address at all. These are serious red flag signs of a we buy homes scam.
- Home buying scams often come from a home buyer who has strange behavior. Sometimes, you can spot house buying scams because the buyer starts to dodge answering questions or is slow to give you information or return calls.Another behavior that gives away cash offers on house scams is a buyer who is too aggressive and pushy. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. It’s better to walk away and find another buyer than to be caught up in one of these cash-for-home scams.
- In cash offer on house scams, the scammer wants you to sign over your deed before money has been paid to you. Never do this since you could lose both the money and the property. So protect yourself from we buy houses scams and always get the money first.Remember that scammers who run buy your house for cash scams are very good at what they do and are skilled liars. What criminals who run home buying scams count on is you not checking up on things. So always double-check everything to avoid house buying scams.
- Scammers who want you to fall for a cash for houses scam will never want to put things in writing. Make sure you get everything you are promised and your quote in writing to make sure you aren’t taken by any cash for home scams.
How Can I Sell My House for Cash Safely?
After everything you read above, you might be wondering, are the ‘’we buy houses’’ scams? The answer is that they are not. However, if a company makes you feel like asking is this a cash for houses scam, it probably is.
If you want to use a professional buyer or company that buys houses, it is actually a great idea! Here is a quick overview of how most of their processes work so you can keep away from cash home buyer scams :
- They will want information about your property and want to check it out before making an offer. Some companies can do this very quickly, but if they aren’t interested in doing it at all, you are dealing with a cash for houses scam.
- They will give you an offer in writing. If they avoid putting the offer in writing, you may be dealing with one of the cash offers on house scams. If they pressure you and do not want you to have time to consider the offer, it is likely a cash for houses scam.
- They will work at your pace and allow you to close at a time that works for you. For example, cash for houses scams often use high-pressure tactics and move fast before you can catch on. Slow down the pace to match your needs to shy away from house buying scams.
Stay Away From Cash for Homes Scams
Cash from home scams are so prevalent that they have hurt legitimate cash buyers. There is nothing wrong with selling to a professional buyer, but you do have to watch out for these cash for home scams. Buy house for cash scams often give themselves away as long as you pay attention.
A good way to make sure you aren’t dealing with one of these cash for homes scams is to contact a reputable home buying company yourself. So do your due diligence and then make the call; quite often, in home buying scams, it is the scammer who will reach out to you first.
Sell Your House Now
If you were thinking, I need someone who can sell my house fast, contact Milwaukee Metro Home Buyer. They are reputable and experienced cash home buyers in Waukesha, WI, ready to make a fast cash off on your home.
They are safe, transparent, and very easy to work with. If you are a homeowner in Waukesha, WI, and you are ready to sell your home, or you are thinking, I need someone in Glendale to sell my house fast, the most trusted home buyers in Wisconsin are waiting to hear from you!