Any number of circumstances can make it necessary to sell a house quickly.
Homeowners regularly search for tips on how to “sell my house fast Omaha,” and there are many options if you need to sell your home as fast as possible.
John Lennon once sang, “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” These words ring true for many of us.
Wondering How to Sell Your House Fast in Omaha?
You may find yourself in the middle of a change that makes it necessary to quickly sell a house that you once thought would be your forever home.
You might be moving for work or to be closer to family, growing your own family, downsizing, or avoiding foreclosure.
Perhaps you’re dealing with liens, going through a divorce, trying to split the proceeds of an inherited home fairly, or just seeking a change of scenery.
In any case, it’s common to be in a situation that makes you wonder, “How can I sell my house fast?” or more specifically, “How can I sell my house fast in Omaha?”
Omaha has a unique housing market that makes it a fruitful place to quickly sell a home. But you need to know who to sell to and what to avoid to ensure you get the best price for your Omaha house.
You’ll learn the ins and outs of selling a house fast in Omaha in this guide. Let’s start with what makes the Omaha housing market unique – and why your home may be a desirable asset for investors.
The Unique Omaha Housing Market
Omaha’s housing market is very competitive. In 2020, the median Omaha home sale price is $215,000 (that’s 9.7% higher than last year).
Compare that to the national median home sale price of $328,419 (which is 11% higher than last year). People are drawn to the area because of its continued affordability and the influx of jobs there.
And more people are looking for homes than there are homes available. Once a home hits the market, it doesn’t take long to be snapped up in Omaha.
While a house sits on the market for an average of 31 days nationwide, it only takes about seven days for an Omaha home to sell.
Houses in Omaha are selling 41% faster than the same time last year. This is a huge opportunity for any homeowner who wants or needs to sell their house quickly.
Omaha homeowners who take the traditional route and sell through a real estate agent usually receive an average of 3 offers while on the market.
Not bad, but there are agent commissions to pay, repairs that must be made, showings and open houses, and a long closing period to get through.
Selling to an Investor
There’s a much more beneficial opportunity here for homeowners who want to sell fast and are willing to sell to a real estate investor.
Selling to an Omaha investor instead of listing the home for sale on the market ensures you get:
- Freedom to “shop” your home around and get as many offers as you want
- Cash offers for your home in an average of 24 hours
- Uncut payment for your house – no paying agent commissions, repair bills, fees, etc.
- Faster closing process and payment
Below, we’ll talk about how to sell to a legitimate investor to get cash for your Omaha home quickly.
How to Sell My House Fast: Omaha Style
If you want to sell your house fast in Omaha, you’ll have to go a different route than listing it on the MLS through a real estate agent. Listing your home for sale is a fine option if you’re not in a hurry.
But to get quick offers and ensure you get paid for your home in about a week, you’ll have to look for a real estate investor. Real estate investors move faster through real estate transactions because they purchase homes with cash.
They don’t have to wait for a lender or bank’s approval because they don’t need financing. They look for houses they can buy below market value and either fix them up or hold onto them until the property appreciates.
Understand that the downside of this is that you probably won’t get your house’s full market value when you sell to a real estate investor.
However, on the upside, you’ll get the full payment in cash – and fast. Many investors can close and pay you for your home within a week.
Benefits of Selling to a Cash Buyer in Omaha
What else is beneficial about working with a real estate investor to sell your house in Omaha? Here are a few more advantages of selling to a cash buyer in Omaha.
1. Sell Your Home As-Is
Real estate investors aren’t terribly interested in buying houses that are already in perfect condition. They’re looking for as-is homes that have potential, are located in up-and-coming neighborhoods, or are in a convenient location.
That means you don’t need to fix the water damage in the kitchen, upgrade anything, repaint, or patch holes before selling.
Cash buyers want your home in its present condition because they plan to handle all the repairs and renovations themselves after purchase.
2. Sell and Get Payment Within a Week
If you list your home for sale with an agent and get an offer you’re willing to accept the very first day it’s on the market (which is unlikely), you still have to wait about a month minimum to get through the closing process.
If you need to sell quickly, you want the payment quickly. The traditional real estate sale process won’t help you with that. But selling to a real estate investor who pays with cash means you can sell the house and get paid within a week or two.
There’s no long waiting period. Once you get your cash offer and accept it, you can usually get your payment within about 7-14 days.
3. Receive the Full Sale Price with No Fees
Selling to a real estate investor who buys homes for cash in Omaha means you’ll receive the full amount they offer you. That’s not the case when you list your home for sale with a real estate agent.
In a traditional home sale, sellers are on the hook for additional fees and costs that reduce the total amount they take home from the sale price.
The seller pays the real estate agent commission for both the buyer’s agent and listing agent out of the total sale price. That comes to about 6% of the total sale price. They also need to pay for any pre-sale repairs, inspections, and renovations to help stage the home.
In a buyer’s market, the seller might even be asked to cover the buyer’s closing costs.
- If you sell your home for $200,000, the agents take $12,000 in commissions, leaving you with about $188,000.
- That’s not counting the cost of repairs you likely had to make before selling, a pre-sale home inspection, and staging the home for sale, another $5,000 to $8,000, leaving you with about $181,500.
- You might even be talked into paying closing costs of about 4% of the sale price: reducing what you take home by another $8,000.
That can leave you with about $173,500 out of $200,000 when you list your home for sale with a real estate agent. But if a real estate investor offers you $200,000 in cash, you get the full $200,000.
How Do I Know If I Can Sell My House Fast in Omaha?
Most people will be able to sell their house fast for cash in Omaha because it’s such a hot housing market.
You can find out if your home is a good investment for a real estate investor (and see what kind of cash offers you get) by following these steps.
1. Locate Legitimate Omaha Investors and Cash Buyers
Find trustworthy, established Omaha real estate investors and cash buyers by doing a little research. You may recall seeing signs or flyers locally with info like “We Buy Houses for Cash!”
However, we recommend going online to find legitimate companies. This enables you to browse for reviews, check their status with the Better Business Bureau, see how long they’ve been around, and view more information on their website.
Here are a few Omaha investor/cash buyer options you can start your search with:
- Qualified Property Solutions Omaha
- Sell My House in Omaha Fast
- 402 Homebuyers
- SP Acquisitions & Management
2. Submit Information on Your Home
Once you’ve found a few legitimate Omaha real estate investors or cash buyers, you’ll be able to call them or visit their website to submit a little preliminary information about your home.
You’ll share the location, any known repairs that are needed, etc. This enables the team to review your property and see what they can offer you for it.
The amount they determine at this stage (if any) will not be an official cash offer. It will be a range or estimate that hinges on the next step: Visiting and inspecting your home.
3. Schedule an Appointment
Once the team has reviewed the preliminary information about your home, they will reach out to schedule an appointment to view it if they are interested in potentially buying it.
Reliable investors and cash buyers will make sure they schedule an appointment at a time that is convenient for you.
During the appointment, they will walk through the house with you, inspecting and analyzing the property for needed repairs, hidden issues, features that add value, and ways they could potentially increase the overall market value of the home.
4. Receive and Review the Cash Offer
Some investors will be ready to provide you with a written cash offer at the end of this inspection. Others will take a day or two to review what they’ve found before submitting an official offer. Once you’ve received a cash offer for your house, the ball is in your court.
You can decide whether you want to accept it immediately, think about it for a bit (offers are usually valid for 30 days), reject it, or shop your home around to other investors to compare offers first.
If you choose to accept the offer, you’ll follow the investor’s process to close on the house at an approved title company so you can receive the cash payment for the home. This usually takes place in less than two weeks, sometimes as little as seven days.
What Else Should I Know to Sell My House Fast in Omaha?
- Most investors don’t buy mobile homes for cash, even if they’re on a permanent foundation.
- Look for a company based in or with an office in Omaha, Nebraska. While there are plenty of legitimate nationwide cash homebuyers, you’ll appreciate being able to work with someone local.
- Cash buyers should want to see your home in person before making an offer. If they don’t, it’s a red flag.
- Cash offers tend to be around 60% to 80% of the home’s market value. For a $200K house, that’s equal to a cash offer of $120K to $160K – comparable to the amount you’d take home from a traditional sale.
- You won’t need to bring anything but the keys to the closing when you sell your house to a cash buyer. If you’ve already moved out of state, most will use services like FedEx and DocuSign to complete the closing transaction.
- Avoid “buyers” that ask you for any money upfront, including application fees, money for repairs, inspection fees, etc. These are frequently scams. Legitimate cash buyers and investors make money by rehabbing and selling or renting the property after paying you for it.
Keep these tips in mind as you research and get offers from homebuyers in the Omaha area.
As long as you are careful to avoid scams and work with a legitimate investor, you can receive a cash offer for your house and sell your house fast in as little as one or two weeks.