You’ve found the genuine We Buy Ugly Houses® people, but some fake real estate buyers try to pose as us.
These “we buy houses” scams may try some trickery to buy your house for an unfair price. We don’t like the “we buy houses” signs, but we can’t really blame them for trying to imitate us. They want you to think they’re as dependable and experienced as we are. But we’re the ones who, for more than 25 years, have helped more homeowners get freedom from problem houses and problem situations. Of course they’d want to appear to be us, America’s #1 home buyer, since more than 140,000 homeowners have trusted us to buy their homes fast for cash.
How can you tell if a buyer is trustworthy?
Look out for online and inexperienced buyers who will make you an attractive initial offer, often without seeing your house first, but reserve the right to charge you undisclosed fees. Those charges may even happen just before closing, when there’s no time left for you to do anything about it.
Our friendly and honest property specialists actually visit you and your house. We don’t rely on formulas and numbers. Your house isn’t a statistic in the local housing market. Rather, your house is unique—and so are you and your situation. We put our sellers first, and we value extending personalized service to each and every client. Each local We Buy Ugly Houses® property specialist is required to adhere to our strict code of ethics; you can trust that they will do exactly what they promise. We stake our good reputation on it!
Things to watch out for.
There are buyers who are watching to take advantage of people who want to sell fast because of the difficult situations they’re facing. These buyers are counting on the pressure the seller is under to make homeowners less careful than usual and more susceptible to scams and unscrupulous people.
To identify scammers, be sure to ask a lot of questions. For example, ask how many houses they’ve bought and how long they’ve been in business. Do they have an online presence such as a website and customer reviews? If you can’t find the company on the internet, or if the buyer gets defensive or evasive when answering your questions, you should drop them fast. Those are major red flags.
Another warning sign is if someone tries to intimidate or bully you into selling. We Buy Ugly Houses is respectful, customer-forward, and supportive. We don’t use high-pressure tactics, and our consultations are always free and come with no obligations or strings attached.
Is it a legitimate home-buying company, or just a recent graduate of a real estate seminar?
Many people claim to be real estate investors when in reality, they may never have bought a house before. They may not even be able to get a loan to buy your house, and you won’t find that out until the very last minute. They may not be dishonest at all, just inexperienced and unable to make good on their intentions.
Once you accept an offer from We Buy Ugly Houses, you can count on it to be legitimate and fair.
Is this a real company, or simply a lead-generation “virtual” company?
Today, there are a lot of companies that exist only online. If you respond to them, you could become nothing more than a lead that is sold to the highest bidder. It’s important to work with someone in person when it comes to selling your house.
Check out the advertising.
You know those temporary signs that get stuck beside the road? They’re called “bandit signs,” and that’s an appropriate name. In most cities, these signs are illegal and simply environmental pollution that city services have to deal with. If someone’s going to resort to bandit signs to build a business, do you think you can trust them to be ethical with you? Many seminars teach their students to use bandit signs.
We count on our great reputation and professional advertising to reach potential sellers, not illegal signs staked beside the road or tacked onto telephone poles. We don’t bother people with cold calls, either. We won’t contact you unless you reach out to us first. We value your time and privacy.
How do I know if the offer is fair?
When you’re in a distressed situation, you may need to sell your house fast but still want to get the best price you can. Your local We Buy Ugly Houses® property specialists are professional investors who know your market. Their fair cash offers will reflect market value and the time and expense it will take to fix up the house and sell it.
Is the offer too good to be true?
You know how this one goes—if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. But it’s easy to fall for good news when you’re in a bad situation. Some buyers are counting on that, and after you accept an offer, they might hit you with surprise fees.
Or, what might be worse, some unscrupulous investors make an offer and then delay your closing by weeks or months as they try to sell the house to the next buyer. Then you’ll be right back where you started, only with less time and possibly less money. How will you be able to get another offer that can help you recoup that lost time and expense? When one of our property specialists is outbid, it’s surprising how often the homeowner calls us back because that “higher bidder” couldn’t close the sale.
Deal with professional real estate investors.
The best way to protect yourself is to deal with experienced and legitimate real estate investors. They may not make you the highest offer, but it will be a fair one. They will be able to close and get you your cash fast.
How to find professional real estate investors
No surprise, our advice is to call us! Our local We Buy Ugly Houses property specialists each have their own independently owned and operated businesses that they were only authorized to start after being fully checked out by our company. Since 1996, we’ve built our business on fair, fast cash offers people like you can trust. Furthermore, our process is transparent, and we walk you through each step of the sale to a fast and easy closing.
Working with We Buy Ugly Houses®
Your local We Buy Ugly Houses property specialist is the only person you will work with while selling your house with us. We will meet with you and see your house first, often making a fair cash offer on the spot. We can close quickly, often in as little as three weeks, but if you need more time, we will work with you. We even pay normal closing costs, and there are no commissions.
We’ll be with you for each step of the process, walking you through the procedure and explaining each stage as it comes. We’re the buyers you can trust to make you a fair offer and close fast, with hundreds of outstanding reviews.
They understood our need to sell quickly and get as much as possible for our home. And they did everything in their power to get thru the process quickly. I would recommend them to anyone looking to sell quickly and for a good price.
-Helen S.
