How to Find Cash Home Buyers in Pasadena for a Hassle-Free Home Sale
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Joseph Gordon EditorCloseJoseph Gordon Editor
Joseph Gordon is an Editor with HomeLight. He has several years of experience reporting on the commercial real estate and insurance industries.
Selling your home can be a complex process, but if you’re looking to sell your house fast in Pasadena, a cash home buyer might be the solution you need. With cash buyers, you can avoid the lengthy traditional selling process and close the deal quickly, getting the money from your home sale into your pocket sooner.
Whether you’re dealing with an inherited property, downsizing, or facing financial difficulties, selling your house for cash is a good alternative to the open market. We’ll cover essential tips for identifying trustworthy buyers, explain the pros of working with them, and walk you through the process from start to finish.
Disclaimer: As a friendly reminder, this blog post is meant to be used for educational purposes, not legal or tax advice. HomeLight always encourages you to reach out to your own advisor.
How to find cash home buyers in Pasadena
Looking to sell your home fast and easily? Cash buyers can be a great option. Here are a few ways you can seek out trusted cash home buyers in Pasadena who may be willing to make a fair offer on your property.
- Work with a reputable local real estate agent
- Agents often have connections to cash buyers interested in your home.
- An agent-recommended cash buyer saves you from vetting a long list of buyers.
- Agents bring expertise and negotiation skills to ensure the best offer.
- HomeLight can connect you with top agents in your area if needed.
- Real estate commissions may apply, but the convenience is worth it. Learn about real estate commissions.
- Focus on investors rather than owner-occupiers
- Pasadena has a significant share of institutional buyers, such as companies and LLCs.
- Post your property on investment websites or attend real estate investing events.
- Search online for “We Buy Houses for Cash” companies in your area.
- Note that house flippers typically follow the 70% rule, offering 70% of your home’s after-repair value minus repair costs.
- Do your due diligence
- Research and vet cash-for-homes companies to ensure their legitimacy.
- Use the Better Business Bureau to verify companies. You can also reach out to your local office like BBB of Los Angeles & Silicon Valley.
- Read online reviews on Google, Yelp, Facebook, and Trustpilot.
- Check the company’s track record, licenses, and customer referrals.
- Before signing an offer, ask for proof of funds
- Ensure the buyer has readily available funds by asking for proof of funds.
- Proof of funds shows they have the necessary cash to purchase your home.
- If a buyer is unwilling to provide this, consider it a red flag and look for a more trustworthy company.
Inside the Pasadena cash home buyers market
While real estate investors are a large part of the cash home buyer market, it’s not the only option for selling your Pasadena home. Here are some examples of the type of buyers willing to purchase your property for cash:
New residents
- Motivation: Seeking vibrant culture, excellent schools, and employment opportunities.
- Advantages: Prefer cash purchases to expedite moves and avoid mortgage approval delays.
- Equity: Often relocating from higher-cost areas with significant equity to reinvest.
- Opportunity: High demand for quick home sales benefits homeowners looking to sell fast.
Baby Boomers
- Market Share: In February 2024, 33% of U.S. homebuyers had all-cash sales.
- Key Stats:
- Younger Boomers (1955–1964): 26% of home sellers in the past year.
- More than half of Older Boomers (1946–1954) and 53% of the Silent Generation (1925–1945) paid all cash for homes in 2023.
- 32% of Younger Boomers paid all cash.
- Appeal: Features like first-floor primary suites, low-maintenance outdoor spaces, or wide doorways and hallways.
- Listing Tip: Highlight attractive features in the listing description to capture Boomer attention.
Property investors
- Success Rate: Homeowners often find more success selling to real estate investors.
- Investor Types: Institutional buyers, house flippers, buy-and-hold investors, wholesale investors, and iBuyers.
- Market Presence: Pasadena has a high proportion of real estate investor purchases due to its desirable location and strong rental market.
- Advantages: Investors have the resources and motivation to close deals quickly, ideal for homeowners looking to sell fast.
Pros of working with a Pasadena cash home buyer
Cash offers come with a host of benefits. Let’s explore the key reasons why you might consider working with a cash home buyer to sell your home:
- Quick closings: Cash transactions can close in as little as a week, compared to the typical 30-60 days with a financed sale. This speed is ideal for homeowners who need to sell quickly due to relocation, financial needs, or other time-sensitive reasons.
- No contingencies: Cash buyers often purchase homes without contingencies, meaning the sale isn’t dependent on financing, appraisals, or inspections. This eliminates common obstacles that can delay or derail traditional sales.
- As-is purchase: Cash buyers are typically willing to buy properties as-is, meaning you don’t need to invest time and money in repairs or upgrades. This can save you significant costs and reduce the stress associated with preparing a home for sale.
- Simplified process: Without the need for lender approval, the selling process involves less paperwork and fewer bureaucratic steps. This makes the transaction smoother and less stressful for both parties.
- Certainty of sale: With cash buyers, there’s a lower risk of the deal falling through due to financing issues. Once a cash offer is accepted, the likelihood of a successful close is much higher, providing peace of mind to the seller.
How to request a cash offer in Pasadena
If you’re looking for an easier way to secure a cash offer for your home, consider using HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform. Here’s how it works:
1. Answer a few basic questions: Provide information about your home by completing a short quiz.
2. Receive an offer: Get a no-obligation, all-cash offer within 24 hours.
3. Close quickly: If you accept the offer, you can close the sale in as few as 10 days.
4. Flexible move-out: Choose a move-out date that works for you, up to 30 days from closing.
5. Skip the hassle: No need for repairs, prep work, or endless showings.
Important Consideration:
- Cash buyers typically pay less: Cash buyers usually offer less than what you might get on the open market. However, selling the traditional way comes with fees that can eat up 9% to 10% of your sale price. Depending on your situation, a cash buyer could still save you money in the long run.
How much are Pasadena cash home buyers willing to pay?
Cash investors and home-buying companies often look for deals where they can buy properties for less than what they’re worth on the market. In return, sellers get the benefit of selling their homes quickly and with less hassle. House flippers usually follow the 70% rule, meaning they try not to pay more than 70% of a home’s after-repair value (ARV), including repair and upgrade costs.
The Pasadena housing market has been on the upswing; home sales are up year-over-year, though prices remain elevated. Given the current conditions, offers from house-buying companies might be higher than what you might normally get when selling your home for cash (though still below what you might expect on the open market.)
During periods with high demand and low inventory (seller’s markets), cash buyers often come closer to a home’s market value. Offers in this scenario can sometimes range from 80% to 85% of the ARV of the property.
What’s the process of selling to a Pasadena cash home buyer?
If you’re looking for speed and simplicity, a cash home sale may be right for you. Here’s a breakdown of how the process generally works:
Complete any required disclosure statements
- Disclosure requirement: When selling your home in Pasadena, you are required to disclose certain information about the property’s condition through the California Transfer Disclosure Statement.
- Content: This document includes details about the structure, systems, and any known defects, ensuring transparency and protecting both parties during the transaction.
- We Buy Houses companies: If you’re working with a Pasadena “We Buy Houses” company, they will likely prepare all of the necessary documents for you, including this one. However, you can speed up the process by filling it out ahead of time.
The buyer runs a title search on the property
- Title verification: The cash buyer will verify the property’s title to ensure you have legal ownership and to check for any liens or claims that could prevent a smooth sale.
- Common issues: Title issues can include boundary disputes, unknown easements, undisclosed heirs, public record errors, and forgery.
The seller pays any associated fees
- Fewer closing costs: A cash sale typically has fewer closing costs than a traditional home sale, but sellers may still have to pay some costs.
- Associated fees: These can include transfer taxes, title insurance, escrow fees, and attorney fees.
- California transfer tax: In California, the transfer tax varies but generally costs the seller based on the sale price.
- Avoiding closing costs: If you’re looking to avoid closing costs altogether, “We Buy Houses” companies often pay them for you in exchange for an offer that’s below market value.
Deciding to sell to Pasadena cash home buyers
Pasadena remains a popular area for real estate investment, giving homeowners a good chance of selling for cash. You have several options:
- Compare buyers yourself: Research and vet potential cash buyers to find the best offer.
- Enlist a real estate agent: An agent can connect you with reputable cash buyers and handle the negotiation process.
- Request an offer from Simple Sale: HomeLight connects you with top professionals and valuable resources.
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