If you have a house that you need to sell fast, or if your house needs a lot of work, you may want to consider selling to a Real Estate Investor.  If you list with a Realtor you may get more for your house but it may take six months or longer to get the deal closed.  If your house needs too many repairs it may not be able to be sold by a Realtor at all.  Every situation is different, but for many choosing to work with an investor can be a good option.  Considering the fact that your home is probably your biggest asset, it pays to chose wisely when considering Real Estate investment companies!

Let me say this… just because someone says they are a Real Estate Investor doesn’t always mean that they are a legitimate company.  I could tell you plenty of stories of people who tried to work with a rookie investor who ended up regretting it!

So how do you know if you are dealing with a reputable company?  Here are my top suggestions:

1.  Try to deal with only local Real Estate Investors.  This makes checking up on a company much easier.

2.  Ask for and call references.  This is so important.  A good company should have plenty of satisfied customers.

3.  Check with the Better Business Bureau.  This isn’t always a completely reliable source, but it is still a good place to start.

4.  Insist on using a local title company.

5.  Meet the person face to face if possible.

6. Ask lots of questions.  If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t.

7. Have a local attorney review the contract.

8.  Make sure that they have the funds available to close.  A legitimate investor will not be offended if you ask to see proof of funds.  This may be the most important one of them all.  Many so called Real Estate Investors don’t actually have the funds available to close on a house.  They simply try to get it under contract and then sell the contract to someone else.

It is important to remember that not all real estate investment companies are bad.   We buy Amarillo houses but we also help people.  Sometimes we advise people to do something besides selling us their house.  They just look at us kind of funny.  But that’s just how we do it.  We have to live and work here in Amarillo with the same people we help.  We are very much a local company.  People can stop by our office for a cup of coffee anytime.  But the bottom line is that our deals close on time.  We do what we say we’ll do. That’s why we are still in business.

If you are looking for a legitimate Real Estate Investor give me a call.  I would love to visit with you about your house.  You can call me at 806-359-7653 or visit my website at Amarillo Real Estate Investor.