Are You Looking to Sell a House in Houston?

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Amanda Gladin

If you’re looking to sell a house in Houston, the best suggestion I can make is to figure out if time or money is the most important to you. Whether you have owned the house for years, inherited it, or maybe it’s just wasting your time sitting in need of repairs…either way you found the right article. 

Please keep in mind when you want to sell a house, that if you want to do it quickly, like grabbing something at a convenience store on a road trip, you will lose money. I’m sure that 24 pack of water, that would normally cost max of $4.50, will cost anyone buying at a convenience store $1.25 for a single bottle of water.

This is Your Personal Home

Our homes have a tendency to be looked at as a reflection of ourselves. They are the most important in the big milestones of life. Maybe it was a first home. Maybe it was the empty nester home. Or maybe it was the house before the downsize and travel home. 

Whatever the reason the home needs to become a previous house, the question of whether time or money is the most important to you when you want to sell a house. 

You do have more than one option to sell. Yes, you can use a real estate agent to get top of the market for your home, whether in completely updated condition or in a deferred maintenance state. 

Up to Date Condition

Have you lived in this home and updated it over time, with hopes to sell a house in the future? Maybe you changed the roof when it was shot, updated the plumbing throughout due to a broken pipe 2 years ago during the unprecedented freeze or maybe upgraded from carpet to tile downstairs. 

I will mention that if you personalized a house to your taste, but not to the tastes of lots of other people, you may have an issue selling through blue tile, unless it’s being sold to someone who loves blue tile or they will account for it in their offer amount.

If this sounds like your property’s condition and situation, then the best thing to do is figure out if time or money is more important. You’re in the perfect position to sell a house on the market and sell it for top dollar. However if you prefer a quicker sell, then selling to an investor is still a possibility. 

Deferred Maintenance Needed

While these things are sometimes a pain in the but to do when you’re living in the house, the best thing to do is figure out what the end goal is. Is it to sell a house for top dollar? Or is it to sell it and move on? Time or money is really the question you should be asking yourself. 

It is best to not repair things all at once, or it could potentially appear as though some things could have been covered up. Not saying you’ll be doing this, but it is something that may pop up, so be prepared with receipts. 

Plus you’ll want to consider what spending twenty thousand – for example – will get you in return along with the time and effort it takes to do the things you have been deferring. If it gets you a dollar for dollar return, you’ll need to determine if the outcome is worth the time and money. 

If you are wanting to sell to another family, you’ll want to make sure the big things are done for the house to qualify for your potential buyers financing. Things like roof leaks, water leaks, ac not working, flooring missing, and a few other big ticket items; these things could prevent a buyer from being able to get a loan. 

You Inherited this Home

Depending on if you are one of a few heirs or if you’re the only heir for the estate, you’ll have a few questions you’ll need to answer first. Was there a will? Has it been probated? Or did the deceased not leave behind a will leaving it behind for you to figure out.

With a Probated Will

If the probate has already been processed and you are officially the owner, then you have an easy case of figuring out which is most important: time or money. 

If time is on your side then listing the property and selling it to whom will pay the money you’re looking for. However, if time is of the essence and you do not want to wait to move on past this property, then speaking to an investor will be the quickest option. 

With a Will but Not Probated

This one will already take some time, so unless you’re wanting to gamble on making the best dollar figure you can, you’ll probably want to put this one on the multiple listing service. 

On the other hand, if all the heirs are on the same page, it may be just as simple to sell to an investor and avoid probate all together, as long as all parties are in agreement.

Without a Will

In this case, there is only 1 way to move forward: if all heirs are on the same page. Otherwise, probate would need to be filed. It would be considered an intestate probate, which means they died without a will.

Texas has very cut and dry heirship instructions, unless otherwise stated in a will they are divided based on the intestate laws depending on their marital status, children, and whether it was community or separate property. 

All of this can be viewed by all heirs to see the percentages they are entitled to sell a house. This may be helpful for anyone that has family struggling to see eye to eye. This is just one of the easy to find breakdowns, you can find more information by googling “texas intestate law”.

Project House that’s Taking Up Time

One of the hardest things we can do is admit that we have taken on more than we have time for or maybe that we are in over our heads. At the end of the day, neither is important in allowing yourself to cut ties with something that is draining you of energy. 

You’ll need to decide which direction you would like to go though. Do you want to sell the property quickly with all the repairs still needed? Or do you want to sell the property and fix the things a future owner wants corrected before closing? 

The first option will lead you to make a convenient choice, which may affect the amount of money that you walk away with, but it’s easier. The second option will take more time, but will probably get you more money, if you have the connections to have the repairs completed in the time prior to closing.

 

If any of the above situations has added stress to your life and you would like a hand in helping figure out which direction you need to go to sell a house, without the stress of figuring it out by yourself. Give us a call, we are able and willing to lend a hand.

Call 832-839-0890