I Need to Sell My House Fast in West Palm Beach: What Are My Options?

If you need to sell your house fast in West Palm Beach, whether you’ve inherited a house, you’re relocating for work, need to cash out your home’s equity fast, or are looking to put a divorce behind you, the two best strategies are: 1) seek out a cash offer, or 2) work with a top real estate agent. In this guide, we will review the pros and cons of each approach to help you decide which makes the most sense for your home sale.

Option 1: Sell your West Palm Beach house fast for cash

HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform connects you to the largest network of cash buyers in the U.S. We use the information you provide about your home plus local neighborhood data to get you a convenient cash offer, allowing you to close in as little as 10 days.

Simple Sale saves time in other ways since clients can skip repairs, home prep, and showings while still receiving a strong offer from our network. With Simple Sale, you also don’t have to pay closing costs, and you have flexibility about your moving date, as long as it’s within 30 days of closing.

HomeLight was founded in 2012 and is BBB accredited with an A+ rating. The company has 4.6 stars on Google based on more than 500 user reviews.

Sell Your West Palm Beach House Fast With an All-Cash Offer

Get an all-cash, no-obligation offer through HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform whenever you’re ready. Receive your offer in 24 hours and close in as little as 10 days. No showings, no repairs, no open houses.

Step 1: Request Offer

Who else will buy your West Palm Beach house for cash?

There are other ways to get a cash offer for your West Palm Beach home. Here are a few options to consider:

• iBuyers: Short for “instant buyers,” iBuyers use algorithmic technology to analyze market data and determine how much they’ll pay for your house. They tend to look for homes that are in good condition and require fewer repairs, so their cash offer may be closer to the market value of your home than some other cash buyers offer. iBuyers typically offer about 90% of market value. Sellers input information online and receive an initial offer from the iBuyer, often within minutes.
• Buy-and-hold investors: These are real estate investors who purchase properties and wait for them to appreciate in value. They will likely use the home as a rental property. This allows them to gain income from renters in addition to building equity through property appreciation.

• We buy houses companies: You’ve probably seen companies advertising that “we buy homes for cash.” These companies are made up of real estate investors looking for homes to buy cheaply, fix up, and sell at a profit. We Buy Homes for Cash companies will usually look at your home, make an offer, and close on the deal in a short time, often a week to 10 days. Generally, these companies will offer to pay 70% of what they think your home could sell for, minus the cost of fixing it up.
• House flippers: In addition to large companies in the cash-for-homes business, a house flipper may be willing to pay cash for your home. A house flipper is an investor who fixes up a home to sell it for a profit. House flippers tend to look for homes they can buy very cheaply, such as distressed homes or those in foreclosure. Flippers use the same formula as Cash for Homes companies: typically paying no more than 70% of what they think they can sell the home for, minus repair costs.

Cash Buyers in West Palm Beach

Here are some examples of cash buyers in the West Palm Beach market right now:

South Florida Home Investors/We Buy Homes in Palm Beach County is a family-owned business that buys homes in any condition with no fees or commissions. According to their website, they pride themselves on their “reputation for helping homeowners get rid of their properties quickly and easily.” The company has a 5-star rating on Google. 

Florida Investors Realty presents a three-step process to sell your home and strives to provide a cash offer within 24 hours. The company lets sellers choose their closing day and covers closing costs. It has several positive reviews on Google, with sellers saying the process was easy and quick. 

We Buy Ugly Houses/HomeVestors is one of the oldest We Buy Houses chains in the U.S., with at least two franchises in Southeast Florida. We Buy Ugly Houses Treasure Coast in Saint Lucie County has a 4.9 rating on Google, while the West Palm Beach franchise doesn’t show any posted Google reviews. The company touts its 25 years of experience.

FL Cash Home Buyers, LLC buys homes throughout Florida. Depending on the seller’s level of urgency and preferred timeline, the company typically has the ability to close in two to four weeks. FL Cash Home Buyers has a 4.7 rating on Google reviews.

Freedom Cash Home Buyers says their simple process begins when you speak with a representative over the phone and provide information about your home. Typically, you receive your cash 10 to 20 business days after signing. The company has a 4.9 Google review rating.

The Friendly Home Buyer works with sellers to close on their homes in as little as three days. When it’s time to close, you can do so from your home, another state, an attorney’s office, or anywhere you choose. The company holds a 5.0 Google review rating.

Pros and cons of selling your West Palm Beach house for cash

Before you decide to sell for cash, consider the advantages and disadvantages.

Pros of selling for cash

• Fast closing: A cash sale is significantly faster than a traditional mortgage-backed home purchase, often allowing you to close in as few as three to 10 days.
• No repairs needed: You can sell your home as-is, in most cases, with no repairs or renovations.
• No fees or commissions: Many cash buyers will cover closing costs and fees.
• No showings or open houses: You won’t have to stage the home for listing photos or prepare the property for showings or open houses.

• No obligation until you commit: After you receive a no-obligation offer, you can compare it to other offers. You can even consult a Realtor® for comparisons.

• Step away from a problem: With a fast cash sale, you can often avoid dealing with problem tenants or potential foreclosure.
• No contingencies: Cash buyers can waive contingencies that can make negotiations difficult, namely the financing contingency and appraisal contingency.
• No negotiating: You won’t have to deal with multiple buyers or the pressure of back-and-forth negotiating on price, credits, or repairs.
• Move on with life: If you inherited a home, facing a divorce, dealing with a death, or having financial challenges, a cash sale can help you move on from the home and possibly resolve some issues faster.

Cons of selling for cash

• Lower sale price: Cash sales typically result in a lower selling price than a traditional sale with the help of a qualified real estate agent.
• Repairs cost may be deducted: If the home does need major repairs, the cost of those may be deducted from the offer, depending on the cash buyer.
• May be harder to find a buyer: Depending on the condition or location of your home, you may have limited cash buyer options, especially if you have a unique property that will be harder for investors to flip.
• You’ll need to vet companies: It’s important to do research on “we buy houses for cash” companies to make sure they are legitimate and reputable.
• Transparency may be limited: Some cash buyers won’t share their home evaluation process or how they calculated their offer, which is sometimes reduced last minute.
• Hidden fees: As you vet cash buyers, watch for hidden or unexpected fees. Read your purchase contract carefully before signing.

Option 2: Work with a top agent to sell fast in West Palm Beach

If you don’t absolutely need an instant cash offer or don’t want to settle for a lower offer, working with a top agent in West Palm Beach may help you sell your home faster than you think. HomeLight data shows that top agents sell their clients’ homes more quickly than average agents and the top 5% of agents sell homes for up to 10% more than average agents do.

This can be a great strategy to both sell quickly and maximize your home sale to help pay down debt, decrease the sting of divorce, or increase a loved one’s estate after their passing.

How fast are homes selling in West Palm Beach?

The market in West Palm Beach remains strong, says HomeLight Elite real estate agent Larry Mastropieri, who sells homes 32% faster than the average agent in his area. Homes that are priced right receive multiple offers. The median time on the market — from listing to contract — is 32 days, and the median days to fully close the sale is around two months.

Prices are down compared to the peak in 2022, but they are “still up significantly year over year,”  he says. Additionally, demand is still healthy, and there’s limited inventory, so “select homes that are perfect ideal properties that check every box” can still bring top dollar, Mastropieri says.

Here’s a snapshot of current real estate and economic conditions in West Palm Beach:

*Days on the market is the time between listing and signed contract. Data as of March 2023.

10 tips to sell a house fast in West Palm Beach

Here are some tips from Mastropieri and other West Palm Beach experts to help you sell fast:

1. Set your price competitively

In any market, pricing your home right is key to generating interest in a property. Experienced agents like Mastropieri know how to price a home so that it will attract multiple offers, how to list and market a home, and how to negotiate to get you the best price. An agent will conduct a comparative market analysis (CMA) to help you set the best price to sell your house fast.

“If you list a property right in South Florida, the market is strong, and demand is healthy. There are enough buyers who are paying cash that you can close in 30 days without having to sell low,” Mastropieri says.

If you’re curious about your home’s current value, try HomeLight’s Home Value Estimator. While it shouldn’t dictate your final pricing strategy, an online home value estimate can give you a ballpark price range. You can get a preliminary estimate in less than two minutes.

2. Make your home feel move-in ready

Homebuyers in West Palm tend to be relocating from outside the area, whether they are retirees or buyers looking for the Florida lifestyle, and sellers need to keep that in mind, Mastropieri advises.

Because most West Palm Beach buyers are newcomers to the area, they don’t know good local painters, electricians, or building contractors — and they aren’t interested in buying a home where they’d have to find contractors to do repairs right away. Buyers in this market “are typically resistant to doing work on a house, so it’s tougher to sell a home that needs work,” Mastropieri says.

The advantage of working with an experienced real estate agent is that the agent can walk through your home, point out the items that are likely to concern potential buyers, and coach you on how to prepare your home for showing without spending a lot of money, he notes.

3. Promote your pool and other Florida features

Buyers from out of town are often interested in specific features, namely a pool and hurricane protection such as impact-resistant windows and hurricane-rated doors. However, if your home doesn’t already have those features, Mastropieri doesn’t recommend putting them in if you need to sell now. Instead, focus on the things you can do that don’t cost a lot.

4. Remove blinds and screens

West Palm Beach buyers are looking for homes that offer bright open spaces, so start there. Remove blinds and other window coverings. Patch up and repaint any blemishes they’ve left on the walls, and let the sunshine in. On a similar note, remove the screens from your windows, store them in the garage, and wash the windows inside and out. “Yes, your house is exposed, and people can see in, but if you’re comfortable with that, it’s an advantage in most cases,” Mastropieri says.

5. Deep clean and declutter

A thorough deep cleaning of the property is non-negotiable, he stresses. “Take it to the nth degree. You want the home to feel spotless.” For example, scrub the grime off every light switch in the home and, “take it to that level of detail.”

Declutter the house and remove most or all your belongings to make the space look more open. “Most sellers don’t have furniture that is appealing to the masses, or it’s worn — so at the very least, remove the bulk of your stuff,” Mastropieri says. Decluttering is especially important in smaller homes.

6. Finish repairs you’ve started

Address issues that can raise concerns, even if you’ve fixed the underlying problem. For instance, if you had a leaky roof and repaired it, be sure you’ve painted over the water stains on the ceiling. Even with a new roof, those stains can cause buyers to wonder if there’s mold or insulation damage, “so avoid further questions” by eliminating the spots, Mastropieri advises.

If you have the budget for it, go ahead and paint the walls a neutral color throughout the entire home.

7. Pump up your curb appeal

Curb appeal is critical, especially in West Palm Beach, where buyers expect lush, elaborate landscaping. “People here don’t like a cookie-cutter, ‘builder’ landscapes that look newly installed,” comments Luc Limbourgh, owner of Green Team Solutions LLC. “Buyers like to see properly maintained yards.”

In addition to mowing, edging, and trimming your existing landscaping, add some red mulch for a touch of color. You can make the yard look lush by adding potted plants in areas that need to be filled in. Native plants are especially popular in Southeast Florida.

8. Make your backyard into an oasis

Buyers in West Palm Beach are buying the Florida lifestyle, and they love outdoor entertaining spaces, comments Jeff Lichtenstein, a top West Palm Beach real estate agent who sells 72% more single-family homes than his peers. Backyard havens are especially popular with newcomers with dogs, he says. Get your backyard ready for viewings by pressure washing your deck or patio and scrubbing your outdoor furniture so it’s spotless.

If you don’t have a deck or patio, you can stage an outdoor entertainment area on a budget by arranging some chairs around a portable fire pit.

9. Create a vacation-ready look

Some Florida cash buyers are looking for properties that have a vacation feel to their interior design. Whether they’re retirees looking for a waterfront cottage or an investor seeking an  Airbnb rental property, they’re looking for homes whose decor gives off a vacation getaway vibe. However, don’t overdo it with seashells or beach-themed decor. Instead, tasteful reminders of the beauty and heritage of the area combined with modern finishes are winners with many West Palm Beach buyers.

10. Take advantage of market timing

Along with the recommendations above, it can be helpful to know the level of market activity in your area during different times of the year. HomeLight’s Best Time to Sell Calculator uses housing market data for your area to show you the best and worst months to sell your home. See when is the best time to sell a house if you want to make the most money and which months are best to sell your house fast.

Ready to sell your West Palm Beach home?

A top real estate agent can help you navigate the many nuances that you might not otherwise discover until you’re swamped in the process. Their organization efficiencies and marketing expertise can help you sell your West Palm Beach house fast.

If you need an even faster sale, HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform provides cash offers for homes in almost any condition in West Palm Beach. If you don’t have the time or the means to prepare your home or move through the traditional listing process, you can skip the repairs and showings and close in as few as 10 days. Complete a short questionnaire and receive a no-obligation cash offer in 24 hours.

Header Image Source: (Richard Sagredo / Unsplash)