You are probably reading this article because you recently did a Google search for “We Buy Houses in New York” or something similar and realized that there are a lot of we buy houses companies out there that are all saying the same thing – “we’ll buy your house in 7 days”, “sell your house fast”, “quick closing”, “no commissions”, etc. You are probably overwhelmed with all the choices and want to make sure you pick the right house buying company to sell what is likely your most expensive asset.
There are plenty of legitimate companies in New York that buy houses for cash, however, there are also some bad apples that are less than ethical and tend to overpromise and underdeliver. Here are some tips to help you through the process of sorting through all the noise and selecting the right we buy houses company you want to work with.
How to Identify The Best We Buy Houses Companies to Contact
The first step is to figure out which We Buy Houses companies you should even reach out to. There is a lot of information available online that will help you make this decision prior to even picking up the phone or submitting a form to get a cash offer. These concepts are widely applicable to searching for companies of all types, not just companies that buy houses.
While you may be inclined to take a chance and try a new restaurant or hair salon, probably not so much with a new house buying company. You’ll want to make sure the company you choose has experience buying homes and is reputable. Here are some steps you can take in order to narrow down your choices.
1) Scroll Past the Paid Ads
When searching online for “We Buy Houses in New York” to find companies you want to contact, start your search by scrolling past the ads you see from Google and Bing. These ads will be specifically, but subtly, labeled as an “ad” as you can see in the image below where we’ve highlighted what to look for with the red boxes.
There’s nothing wrong with running paid ads, in fact, we run them ourselves too. However, any brand new or fly-by-night company is able to pay to get their ad to the top of the list. What you really want to look for is the search results that do not have the “ad” label. You may not know it, but Google has already done a lot of the hard work in narrowing down the best home buying companies for you. Google uses a lot of factors to rank their search results but some of them include how long the company/website has been around, the reviews for the company, and what other websites of authority (i.e. national/local news sites) have linked to or referenced this company. These are all helpful indicators that the websites you see at the top of the search results, after the ad section, are reputable companies.
2) Look for Google Reviews & Video Testimonials
When you visit the individual websites for the various we buy houses companies, you’ll often find a reviews or testimonials page or they’ll be scattered throughout the website. It’s very easy for the company to make up their own reviews and post them on their website since there is no third-party validation of these reviews. For this reason, it’s important to look for reviews that are much more difficult to fabricate by the company.
One common solution for this is to look for video reviews on the company’s website which help give you a good idea about how the homeowner really feels about working with the particular we buy houses company. These video reviews also often give more insight into how the process went and their overall satisfaction than you may get from a written review. Additionally, your next stop should be to look for reviews on third-party websites such as Google and Facebook which require actual “real people” to leave these reviews that are linked to their profiles.
3) Skip The Faceless and Hard-to-Contact We Buy Houses Companies
Another good way to help find legitimate home buying companies in New York is to review the website and look for these telltale signs of a trustworthy business.
- Do they have a phone number available to call and speak to a real person who is located in the US?
- Do they list their business address and is it a local address or a national company?
- Is the “About Us” page filled with photos and names of the owners/employees?
- Do they have Youtube videos with themselves as “real people” that match the team on the “about us” page?
4) Find a Local Home Buying Company
While it’s important to choose a company that has a lot of experience, you also want to make sure you are dealing with a company that has local expertise. There are certain nationwide home buying companies and franchises without the local experience where you risk not being given the time of day and being treated like just another transaction. Whereas a local we buy houses company will know the in’s and out’s of your market and be able to better advise and assist you.
Comparing Offers from We Buy Houses Companies
So you’ve narrowed the large list of we buy houses companies down to one or two and you’ve received an offer to buy your home. However, aside from the offer price, not all offers are equal. The home buyer’s ability to buy your home and execute on the promise of a quick and easy sale is of paramount importance so that you can move forward knowing that it’s a sure thing. We’ve seen less than reputable home buying companies back out of contracts and abandon sellers days before they were supposed to close, leaving the sellers much worse off than before they started. So being able to further qualify the prospective home buyer is critical in properly evaluating any offers you’ve received. Here are some things you can ask in order for you to make sure you are accepting an offer from the right cash home buyer.
5) Ask for Proof of Funds
This is a very important question for any seller to ask the home buying company because it directly impacts the company’s ability to execute on their promise of buying the property no matter what. If they are relying on outside financing and don’t have the cash in the bank, they can’t guarantee that the lender will underwrite the deal and give them the money needed. You should ask for proof of funds and look for bank statements/actual cash in the bank. Some companies will show letters of credit for their lender, but this is not as good as cash.
6) Ask for Proof of Purchased Properties
The successful we buy houses companies are buying and selling dozens of properties a year and should be able to easily demonstrate that they are consistently buying homes. Proof could come in many forms from seeing properties they are buying on social media, asking for some before and after photos, asking for a list of some properties they have purchased, or asking for some copies of closing statements. It’s easy to find pictures online and repost them as if they are your own, however, if they are actually in these photos or videos, they can be viewed as trustworthy proof.
7) Ask For References
This is probably an obvious one, but it is often overlooked. When evaluating an offer, don’t be afraid to ask the home buying company for some seller references. A reputable we buy houses company will be able to provide you with some other sellers they’ve done business with, that you can call and ask about their experience working with the company. Other clients can not only answer your questions but also remove any doubts that you might have.
Do Business With People You Like and Trust
Many people who sell to we buy houses companies like Leave The Key Homebuyers are in challenging situations and require a personalized solution from people who care and who can give each seller the proper time and attention they deserve. After you’ve checked all the boxes above and found a reliable and trustworthy company, you ultimately want to make sure you are working with people who genuinely care about you and will treat you with respect throughout the entire process. We take pride in the work we do and do what we say we’re going to do. One example is this great story where we took the seller back to visit the home after we renovated the property. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to sell your home, we hope you’ll contact us and give us a chance to earn your trust.