They can offer a faster closing period. Your credit score doesn't consider the process. You don't need a home appraisal. If you want to sell your house quickly or don't want to deal with contingencies, a cash offer may be ideal for you.
But if you need more time to find a new home or want to make sure you're maximizing your profits, you'd be better off with a mortgaged buyer. In reality, it all comes down to the details of the offer, not just where the buyer gets their funds from. Paying cash for a home eliminates the need to pay interest on the loan and any closing costs. Lenders don't charge mortgage opening fees, appraisal fees, or other fees they charge to evaluate buyers, says Robert Semrad, JD, principal partner and founder of the Chicago-based bankruptcy law firm DebtStoppers.
For sellers, cash offers usually involve a faster closing process and a much lower risk of an offer failing due to funding problems. For sellers, the biggest advantage of a cash offer is the security it entails, especially in a volatile rate environment. Mortgaged buyers simply carry more risks than those with cash. That is, they must have financial contingencies in their contracts, which allow them to reverse if their loan is not approved.
And lest you think that iBuyers (instant buyers) are driving the influx of cash purchases, the same report indicates that they have fallen in recent years to represent only 2% of the market share. Because of the ease and certainty it offers the seller, buyers who can pay in cash are more likely to have their offers accepted. For example, if it turns out that the house needs major repairs or renovations, it may be difficult to obtain a home equity loan or a mortgage because you don't know what your credit score will be like in the future, how much the home will be worth, or other factors that will determine the approval of the financing. At the lower end, you'll see investors and investors buying homes that might not qualify for a mortgage because of their condition, price, or both.
Mortgage offers indicate that the potential buyer needs a mortgage loan to cover the purchase price. Although an inspection isn't required when buying a home with cash, it's a good idea to get one to make sure your new home isn't accompanied by costly unexpected repairs. Therefore, a cash buyer can waive appraisals and inspections to improve the deal for the seller, if they so choose. In addition to the increase in bargaining power, there are several benefits buyers can expect from making a cash offer.
Speed is one of the reasons real estate investor Craig Stevens chose a cash offer over other comparable funded offers when selling a property in New York earlier this year. Some sellers may even be willing to accept a lower offer in exchange for the guarantee of a quick sale. However, most of the real estate agents we spoke to agreed that, given the seller's market over the past two years, it's not worth accepting a cash offer below market value. Although cash offers tend to have fewer strings attached, most homebuyers will want to have an inspection.
Cash offers are more popular in some markets than others; for buyers trying to find a home in an area where cash offers are prevalent, competing against those offers can be a discouraging part of the homebuying process. While the loan still depends on the lender's appraisal, the buyer can choose to give it up, which means they'll have to invest extra money if the valuation is low again. .
