Sell your house direct to a cash buyer

Should You Sell Your House Through a Realtor or to a Cash Buyer?

Are you thinking about selling your house fast and wondering whether to use a realtor or sell directly to a cash house buyer? The answer depends on your situation, your timeline, your home’s condition, and your goals.

Both approaches have their pros and cons, and understanding them can help you make the best choice for your needs.

When It Makes Sense to Use a Realtor

If your home is in good condition, you have time on your side, and you’re willing to prepare it for showings, then listing with a realtor can help you squeeze out the highest possible price.

A realtor can market your home to a wide audience of buyers, often people purchasing with bank financing. These buyers tend to pay top dollar, especially for move-in-ready homes.

However, there are trade-offs:

• You’ll typically lose around 10% of your sale price to commissions and closing costs.
• The bank’s appraisal and inspection can delay or even derail your sale.
• You may be asked to make repairs or lower your price if the inspection turns up issues.
• If the deal falls through, your listing goes back on the market, often with a stigma that makes new buyers hesitant.

So, while selling through a realtor can work well for clean, updated homes, it can become stressful and costly for properties that need work.

When It Makes Sense to Sell to a Cash Buyer

If your property needs repairs, cleaning, or updates, or if you simply want to sell quickly without the headaches, selling to a local cash buyer can be a great option.

Cash buyers like Home Buyer Louisiana purchase homes as-is, meaning you don’t need to fix, clean, or stage anything. You won’t have inspectors or banks dictating repairs or timelines.

Here’s what typically happens when you sell to a cash buyer:

• We make a fair cash offer based on your home’s condition and market value.
• You choose your closing date, often within days instead of months.
• We cover standard closing costs, and there are no realtor commissions.
• You can leave behind anything you don’t want, and we’ll handle cleanup after closing.

Sure, cash buyers purchase at a discount compared to the retail market, but when you factor in the cost of repairs, months of holding expenses, and agent fees, many sellers walk away with similar or even better net proceeds (and without the stress).

A Real Example from New Orleans

We recently worked with a homeowner in Gentilly, New Orleans, whose roof was leaking and whose tenants had stopped paying rent. A realtor told them they’d need to replace the roof and clean out the house before listing, repairs they couldn’t afford.

Instead, they contacted us. We inspected the property, made a cash offer, and closed in under two weeks. They didn’t have to spend a dime on repairs or deal with contractors. After closing, we handled the roof replacement and restored the property as part of our rental portfolio.

That’s the type of situation where a direct sale to a cash buyer just makes more sense.

Why Home Buyer Louisiana

We’re local New Orleans-based investors, not an out-of-state franchise or wholesaler. Our team buys houses all across Greater New Orleans, including Jefferson Parish, St. Bernard Parish, the Westbank, the Northshore, and Baton Rouge.

Our goal is to make the sales process simple, honest, and stress-free. We’ll walk you through your options,  even if the best one isn’t selling to us. Many sellers call us just to get advice on how to handle succession, repairs, or tenants, and we’re always happy to help.

Thinking About Selling Your House in Louisiana?

If you’re considering selling your home directly to a cash buyer in Greater New Orleans, reach out to Home Buyer Louisiana. We buy houses as-is for cash and can close quickly on your timeline.

Call us today or fill out our quick form. Even if you decide to list with a realtor, we’re happy to share our local insight so you can make the best decision for your situation.