Checklist for selling a house in San Antonio, TX

Checklist for selling a house in San Antonio, TX

What’s the best way for you to sell your house?

When deciding how to sell your house, you have several options to choose from. These include working with a real estate agent to sell on the traditional market, selling FSBO (for sale by owner), selling to an iBuyer, or working with an off-market house buyer. Every method has its own ins and outs, so we’ve compiled a checklist for selling a house that’s specific to each one.

Selling a house FSBO or with a real estate agent

The most traditional method for selling a house is to list it on the traditional market with the help of a real estate agent. An agent can help you with every step of the home-selling process, including setting the right price, marketing the property, negotiating with potential buyers, and navigating the closing. They typically know the local market, so they’ll be able to help you get the best price for your property.

When you sell FSBO, you take on all the responsibilities of selling a house. This can save you money on commissions, and you’ll have more control over the selling process. It also means you’ll have to put in a lot of time and effort to handle all the financial and legal parts of the sale.

Both processes generally follow the same checklist for selling a house. The difference is how much you’ll have to do on your own vs. what a real estate agent will be helping you with.

1. Real estate agent. Finding the perfect San Antonio real estate agent is very important if you’re going with the traditional method of selling with an agent. You may have to interview multiple agents to find one who’s just right for how you want to sell your house. An agent’s services historically cost around 2.5%–3% of the home’s sale price, so you’ll want to make sure you work with the right one. You can skip this step if you’re selling FSBO.
2. Home inspection and seller’s disclosure. A home inspection isn’t legally required in Texas, but a seller’s disclosure is. This document lists any problems with the property. The buyer will likely want to have a home inspection done themselves before they buy the house, so getting one before the process begins can help you decide which issues you want to fix and which ones you’d rather leave alone and disclose instead. According to Houzeo, home inspections in San Antonio usually cost around $325–$425, depending on the house size.
3. Repair budget and house prep.Getting your house ready to sell can be expensive, so you’ll want to figure out how much you want to spend upfront on repairs and updates. If you’re working with a real estate agent, they’ll be able to advise you on which fixes are more likely to net you money on the sale and which ones are best left alone. Some options they may suggest to boost your home value are cosmetic upgrades like a new coat of paint on the walls or improving the home’s landscaping. You can take on more extensive repairs and renovations in hopes of getting a higher price, as well. Before potential buyers see the house, you’ll also need to clean and organize it.
4. Pricing. To price your house, a real estate agent can research how much sellers have gotten for similar homes in your area. They’ll then use that information to recommend a selling price to you. If you sell FSBO, you can check real estate websites for that data. A good rule of thumb is to compare your house to those that sold in the last six months, are the same type of home, and are within 250 square feet of your home’s size. You can also get a pre-listing appraisal or broker price opinion (BPO), which is a valuation report by a real estate professional. According to Bankrate, property appraisals cost around $300 or more, and a BPO will cost about half of that price, sometimes even less.
5. Stage the house. After making all the repairs and upgrades you want to make, and setting a price, you can stage your house using either your own furniture or furniture you’ve rented. According to Redfin, staging costs “can range anywhere from $600 to $4,000,” depending on the house’s size and how much furniture you already have. A real estate agent should be able to point you toward businesses that rent furniture for house staging, or you can find a business online.
6. Hire a home photographer. The next step is to hire a home photographer to capture the best angles of your house for the listing. You can take these photos yourself, but professional pictures are more likely to catch the attention of potential buyers online. These photos will be one of the main draws for buyers to make an appointment to see the house in person.
7. List the property. The real estate agent will list the home on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), a private database for real estate professionals. They use the MLS to find properties to show their clients who are looking to buy a house. If you’re selling FSBO, you can list the house yourself on real estate websites, put a For Sale sign in your yard, and advertise your home sale around your area. Offering a buyer’s agent commission, a fee you pay to the buyer’s real estate agent once the house is sold, can be a great way to encourage buyer’s agents to show your house to their clients. In Texas, the average buyer’s agent commission is historically a little less than 3% of the home’s sale price.
8. Host showings and open houses. Potential buyers can schedule a showing, where they see the house privately, or they can come to an open house, a more public viewing where multiple buyers can tour the house. Your real estate agent can set these up, or you can do it yourself if you’re selling FSBO. You can advertise open houses online and in your neighborhood.
9. Negotiate with possible buyers. After some showings, open houses, or both, you can start receiving offers to buy the house. You can get help with negotiations from your real estate agent, if you’re working with one. If you’re selling FSBO, there are some strategies you can use to get the best price for your house. Only accept offers after you’ve hosted at least one open house. Potential buyers’ offers may be higher if they assume they’re competing with other people who have also seen the house. If you or your real estate agent have done your homework when pricing the house, don’t feel pressured to lower your asking price, especially if you have multiple offers. If you’re having issues finding interested buyers, you can offer seller concessions like paying for closing costs.
10. Close the sale. When you’re selling a house in San Antonio, you have to use a title company or an escrow agent to close, even if you aren’t working with a real estate agent. You can also hire a real estate attorney to create the sale contract and double check that you’re following all the local real estate laws and regulations. Make sure you bring all required documents to the closing. Check with your real estate agent, title company, or escrow agent to get a list of what you’ll need.

Selling to an iBuyer

An iBuyer makes instant online offers on homes, which can be useful if you’re looking for a quicker, less personal sale. Keep in mind, the offer can be lower than what you’d get elsewhere.

1. Check the sale price of houses nearby. Look at online listings of houses near you to get an idea of how much they’re selling for. Try to find houses that are similar to yours (same number of bedrooms, bathrooms, in similar shape). If your house needs repairs, you can factor that in and arrive at a rough estimate of your house’s value. Remember that you probably won’t get that number for your house from an iBuyer, but you can decide whether the speed and convenience of selling to an iBuyer are worth the reduced price.
2. Request offers. There are multiple iBuyers in San Antonio, so it’s a good idea to request an estimate from more than one. Each buyer may be looking for a different type of house (fixer-upper vs. in good shape, for example), so do some research into which buyers may be willing to offer more for your house. You’ll enter some information about your house, like the year it was built, the street address, how much land is included in your property lines, and more.
3. Get your offers. Once you’ve received some offers, you can consider them against the number you came up with in step 1—your home’s estimated value. Is the trade-off for a quick sale worth the price cut? If not, you may consider fixing up the house and selling it FSBO or with a real estate agent instead. If so, you can move on to a home assessment.
4. Have an in-person consultation. While an iBuyer sale takes place mostly online, they’ll usually want to have a representative come out and take a look at the house before anything is finalized. This is where the offer you received earlier can be lowered, if the house needs some expensive repairs that the iBuyer will need to deal with after the sale.
5. Speak to family and friends. An iBuyer sale can go by pretty fast, so you should talk to some trustworthy people you’re close to. Do they think it’s a good idea? They may bring up some points you haven’t thought of yet.
6. Accept or reject the offer. An iBuyer’s offer is usually “take it or leave it,” without much room to negotiate, since the goal is to sell the property quickly and easily rather than getting the best price possible. You also likely won’t need to do any repair work, either, because the iBuyer will purchase the property in its current condition.
7. Close the sale. You should get some help from the iBuyer with the closing of the sale, including the legal parts. Generally, you can close quickly.

How to sell your house to an off-market house buyer

Selling your San Antonio house to an off-market home buyer is simple like an iBuyer sale, but with a more personal touch. There are fewer steps than if you sell with a real estate agent or FSBO, and the price you get may be higher than what you’d get from an iBuyer because there will usually be fewer fees.

1. Research local, sold homes. You can start the selling process with an idea of what your house is worth by comparing it to homes in your area that have sold recently. Try finding houses similar to yours—same number of bedrooms and bathrooms, in the same condition, etc.
2. Find multiple off-market home buyers. There are many off-market home buyers in San Antonio, some of which are more trustworthy and experienced than others. Don’t settle for just anyone—shop around for the best option for your home sale. Find out how many years they’ve been buying houses, what property types they’re experienced in buying, and what fees they may charge. Check their online reviews to see what other sellers have thought about them.
3. Make an appointment. Once you’ve found a buyer or two that you like, you can set up an in-home consultation with them to show them the property. A representative, or the home buyers themselves, will come out to inspect the house and then do some research to figure out what they want to offer you. You don’t need to do anything to your house to get it ready for them since they’ll be making an offer on it “as is.”
4. Think about the offer. If the buyer makes you an offer, take some time to think it over. Compare their offer amount to the home value you came up with earlier, and decide whether it’s enough or not. Some off-market home buyers charge fees or commissions while others don’t, so factor that into the price they’re offering. The amount could be lower than you could get on the traditional market, but if you’re strapped for time or just don’t want to spend the money upfront on repairs, it could be worth it.
5. Talk to friends and family. As with an iBuyer, this type of sale tends to move quickly, so it’s recommended that you take at least a few days to talk it over with people you trust. Get their perspective and take it into account when you’re making your decision.
6. Accept or reject the offer. If you accept the offer, the buyer will help with the rest of the sale, including all the paperwork and legal aspects. Read the fine print in any contract before you sign it, or get a real estate lawyer to look it over for you and explain whether there are hidden fees or contingencies.
7. Close the sale. Trustworthy companies that buy houses will ensure that everything is taken care of when closing the sale. You can usually close faster with an off-market home buyer than in a traditional sale, especially if they’re pre-approved for financing.

We Buy Ugly Houses^® is here to help make your sale fast and easy.

If you’ve decided that working with an off-market home buyer is right for you, get in touch with us at We Buy Ugly Houses^® in San Antonio. Our local home buyers live in the area and know it well, so they can give you a quick offer for your house. We buy houses “as is,” so you won’t have to fix, renovate, or even clean anything at all. If you have some items you want to leave behind, we’ll take care of them for you.

We do our best to close on your schedule, and we don’t charge any hidden fees or commissions. You also won’t have to worry about typical closing costs because we pay for those, too. Our offers are typically discounted below market value in exchange for speed and convenience.

We Buy Ugly Houses provides a fast home sale that takes your needs into account. Your priorities are our priorities. Check out our excellent seller reviews to get an idea of how we do business and whether we’re the right fit for you. Our 95%^* nationwide customer satisfaction rating from sellers who responded to our post-sale survey shows our dedication to doing right by every seller we work with.

Contact us today to set up a no-obligation consultation at your house and get started on your fast and easy home sale.

This blog is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice.