You’ve no doubt seen the signs throughout Jacksonville, FL: “We Buy Houses Fast in Jacksonville FL.” These signs promote companies that purchase houses quickly for cash, such as Locklear Offers that helps homeowners get rid of their properties and walk away with a check.
It Begs the Question: Are “We Buy Houses in Jacksonville FL Companies” Legit?
You’re not alone if you wonder if local house buying companies are trustworthy and credible.
We take on that subject in this article.
On the outside, many home buying companies look the same. They aren’t all identical, though, and you should know how they’re different if you’re considering working with one.
First, understand that house buying companies are usually teams or groups of investors. These investors buy and sell homes, and there’s nothing wrong with doing that as a profession. Done properly and with integrity, home buying and selling is a wholly valid business pursuit. Many investors, including Locklear Offers, care about their communities and feel good about offering homeowners a way to get rid of their properties quickly.
However, as in all industries, there are usually a few bad apples. In the home buying industry, the bad apples are people for whom turning a profit is their sole priority. They will fleece homeowners and take advantage of vulnerable people for their own gain. These people give we-buy-homes-for-cash companies a bad name.
Below, we give tips for avoiding unscrupulous house buyers. By implementing our suggestions, you can work with ethical, legit home buying companies who will make you fair cash offers and treat you respectfully.
Before we list the tips, let’s look at the positive side: what good, honest house-flippers do as standard operating procedure.
What Do Credible Jacksonville FL House Buyers Do?
When you find a company whose services and practices result in the benefits below, you can be sure that it’s a trustworthy house-flipper to work with.
- They help people move forward
Often, people who need to sell their homes quickly for cash are under some kind of duress or time-sensitive situation. They must move for a job; they need money for large medical bills; a foreclosure is looming—that sort of thing. A credible home buyer comes alongside this type of homeowner, providing an option for a quick close and fair cash deal. The homeowner gets the check, peace of mind, and a fresh start.
- They help people get rid of their properties with no hassles
Going the traditional sales route with a home can take too long for the homeowner who needs to move fast. Home buying companies provide timely, hassle-free solutions.
- They create local jobs
Credible home buying companies hire many different tradespeople to carry out the work of repairs, upgrades, and remodels on the homes they buy. Did you know that on the average, 86 people participate in taking a real estate transaction from beginning to end? House flippers create employment for many people in the Jacksonville FL area.
- They support the US economy
Home buying companies purchase great quantities of supplies from US manufacturers, including timber mills, fabricators, and supply shops.
- They boost home values in Jacksonville FL communities
Often, the houses that home buyers purchase have been neglected and aren’t in great shape. The process of fixing them up for rental or sale transforms them and makes the neighborhood look much better. Other homeowners near the property are often grateful for the rehab.
- They increase the tax base
A renovated home sells for more. The buyer of the improved home pays higher taxes based on the new home value. Those tax dollars support schools, libraries, police and fire departments, and other components of the local infrastructure. More funding means improved neighborhoods.
You can see that legit home buying companies do a lot of good!
Misunderstandings about house-flippers exist because of the shady ones out there. They also exist because of some reality TV shows that depict house flipping as easy-money, get-rich-quick schemes.
In actual reality, home buying is anything but easy, and there’s little getting rich quickly. A lot of work coordinating many people must happen for a house to go from purchase to sale.
Now let’s look at tips for avoiding those home buyers that put a smear on the industry.
Tips for Avoiding an Unreputable Jacksonville House Buyer
If you’re considering working with a local house buyer, make sure the company is a trustworthy business before you sign a contract.
Ask Questions
- Ask the company agent directly: “How do you guys help clients?”
- Ask the rep what gives them pride about being in the home-flipping industry
- Ask them to list and describe their services
- Find out how you can be sure the closing will happen on schedule
Don’t Fall for a “Kitchen Table Closing”
The process of signing over a property deed should happen at a professional establishment, such as the offices of a closing attorney or a title company. Furthermore, the signing should happen in the presence of the neutral third party (the attorney or an officer of the title company). These protocols ensure that everything gets done legally and properly.
The home buyer that tries to get you to sign the deed at your kitchen table over coffee should be avoided.
Walk Away If You Feel Pressured
Any home buyer that says you need to decide today about selling your home should be avoided. Resist pressure to make a same-day decision. Any company that applies quick-decision pressure is likely a scammer looking for someone desperate and ignorant.
Know that most house buying companies will give at least two to seven days to consider their offer to buy your house. Offer acceptance deadlines such as these are standard in the industry because of market fluctuations, other sales in the area that impact home values, etc.
Reasonable deadlines of 2-7 days also exist because home buying companies, once they make an offer, reserve cash for your home purchase until you decide yes or no. If you decide against accepting the offer, then at that point, the home buying company can assign the offer funds to a different project.
Cash for Homes in Jacksonville FL
Sell your house in Jacksonville FL for cash through legit home buying companies. Companies like these, including Locklear Offers, want to be around for a long time and are genuinely interested in homeowners’ well-being and success. They are committed to building a solid reputation for fair offers, respectful customer treatment, and reliable services.
Remember: ask questions and don’t let yourself be pressured.
Call us, Locklear Offers, any time to discuss an offer on your home. Or fill in this simple form to request an offer.