Selling a House As Is in California – Fast & With Ease

Selling a house as is in California presents several advantages for homeowners. It streamlines the process by eliminating costly repairs and renovations, saving time and money. This approach is particularly beneficial for those with distressed properties or those needing to sell quickly due to financial or personal circumstances.

From our extensive experience of 16 years, selling as-is can expedite the process significantly, often reducing the selling time by 30-50%. When it comes to selling your home as-is, you have choices that include iBuyers, national companies that purchase homes through local franchisees, house flippers, and real estate investors – all of whom pay cash for as-is houses.

A local real estate investor, however, can offer you cash on the spot – after the initial inspection – and there are no fees or commissions to consider. This option often results in a smoother and faster transaction, providing peace of mind and financial relief.

Understanding an As Is House Sale

An as is house sale means selling a property in its current condition without making any repairs or improvements. The buyer agrees to purchase the home in its present state, accepting any issues or defects it may have. This approach is common in real estate, particularly for sellers who need to expedite the process or lack the resources to invest in repairs.

In California, selling a house as-is can be particularly advantageous. The real estate market here is diverse, and there are many buyers looking for fixer-uppers or investment properties. An as-is property sale can attract various types of buyers, such as real estate investors, house flippers, and iBuyers, all of whom are often willing to pay cash and close quickly.

Can you sell a house as is in California?

Yes, not only you can sell a house as is in the State of California but doing so can also benefit you and the buyer – by saving both time and expense. By selling your house in the condition that it’s in right now, you skip the need to make major repairs, to do maintenance work, and to make cosmetic improvements, which can make the process a lot less challenging.

At SoCal Home Buyers, we buy houses in California regularly. Hence, we recognize that there are many reasons for wanting to sell an as-is home, and we invite you to contact us for more information about the cash offers we make today. 

Easy Guide to Selling Your House As Is in California

Selling a house as-is can simplify the process, but it’s important to understand the legal obligations and steps involved. While the as-is language protects you against claims regarding defects that are reasonably apparent to the buyer, you cannot intentionally mislead the buyer about the condition of the home.

At SoCal Home Buyers, we provide an in-house inspector to perform the home inspection at no cost to you. This helps alleviate concerns about the complex laws and regulations associated with selling a property as-is.

If you’re considering selling your house as-is, here are several basic steps you’ll need to follow:

Step 1: Determine the Home’s After Repair Value (ARV)

• Research Comparable Sales: Look at recently sold homes in your area that are similar in size, age, and condition to estimate what your home would be worth after repairs.
• Consult with Real Estate Professionals: Get a professional opinion from a real estate agent or appraiser to accurately gauge your home’s ARV.

Step 2: Calculate the Cost of Necessary Repairs

• Get Repair Estimates: Obtain quotes from contractors for all needed repairs and improvements.
• Prioritize Repairs: Identify which repairs are critical and which are optional to understand the full scope of potential costs.

Step 3: Estimate a Fair Market Value

• Subtract Repair Costs from ARV: Deduct the estimated repair costs from the ARV to arrive at a fair market value for your as-is home.
• Consider Market Conditions: Factor in the current real estate market trends and conditions to adjust your estimate.

Step 4: Assess Worth of Repairs

• Subtract Repair Costs from ARV: Deduct the estimated repair costs from the ARV to arrive at a fair market value for your as-is home.
• Consider Market Conditions: Factor in the current real estate market trends and conditions to adjust your estimate.

Step 5: Choose the Right Selling Option

• Evaluate Selling Options: Compare selling to an iBuyer, house flipper, real estate investor, or through a traditional real estate agent.
• Consider Speed and Convenience: Choose the option that best fits your need for speed and convenience.

Step 6: Initiate the Selling Process

• Contact Your Chosen Buyer: Reach out to the buyer or service you’ve chosen to start the selling process.
• Schedule a Home Inspection: If required, schedule an inspection to finalize the sale.

Benefits of Selling Your Home As Is

Selling a house as-is offers several compelling benefits for homeowners, making it an attractive option under various circumstances:

• Cost Savings: By selling as-is, you avoid the financial burden of making repairs and renovations. This can be especially beneficial if your property requires significant work that you cannot afford or justify.
• Time Efficiency: Preparing a house for sale through traditional means can be time-consuming. Selling as-is speeds up the process, allowing you to move on with your plans without delay. This is particularly useful if you need to sell quickly due to financial difficulties, relocation, or other urgent reasons.
• Reduced Stress: Managing repairs and dealing with contractors can be stressful. An as-is sale eliminates this hassle, providing a more straightforward selling experience.
• Attracting Cash Buyers: Many cash buyers, including real estate investors and companies specializing in quick sales, are specifically looking for as-is properties. These buyers often provide faster closings and fewer contingencies.
• Simplified Sale Process: Selling a house as-is often involves fewer negotiations and contingencies. Since the buyer is aware they are purchasing the property in its current condition, the transaction can proceed more smoothly and quickly.
• Avoiding Market Preparation: Traditional home sales require significant effort to make the property market-ready, including cleaning, staging, and landscaping. Selling as-is allows you to bypass these steps entirely.

Can you sell a house as is without inspection?

You can sell a house as is without an inspection, and it can simplify the process considerably. Perhaps you’ve inherited real estate that you can’t afford to fix up,  have a property that you don’t have time to deal with, or simply need to sell a fixer-upper as quickly as possible. Whatever your reason, selling a house that needs repairs as is comes with all the following benefits:

• You can skip preparing the house for the market and working with a real estate agent.
• There’s no need to list your house – or prepare it for listing. 
• You can bypass the home staging, viewings, and open houses.
• You can sell the house for cash even if you’re not there to take part in the sale.

Rules for selling a house as is in California

When a home sale is as-is in the State of California, the process is far more streamlined, but there are important legally binding rules and restrictions involved. Using an as-is clause does not shield sellers from the common law duty of being transparent, which means you must disclose any defects in the property that you’re aware of.

When the property sale agreement includes language reflecting that the buyer is relying on their own home inspection, it can eliminate your need to inspect the home for defects or to share concerns that you should know about but do not.

Under California laws for selling a home, selling a house as is does not decrease your responsibility in relation to intentionally or negligently failing to reveal any hidden defects that are not apparent in the course of an inspection.

Time You Save Selling Your House As Is

If you are wondering how much time it takes to sell a house as-is, the process can be significantly faster compared to traditional home sales.

On average, a traditional home sale in California can take anywhere from 60 to 90 days from listing to closing. In contrast, selling a house as-is, especially to cash buyers such as real estate investors or iBuyers, can expedite the process dramatically.

Many cash buyers can close within 7 to 30 days. Homes sold as-is often sell 20-50% faster than those requiring repairs and renovations, primarily because they eliminate the need for time-consuming prep work and negotiations over repairs. This expedited timeline can be particularly advantageous for sellers needing to move quickly due to financial constraints or personal circumstances.

Options for selling a home as is in California

If you’re selling a house in poor condition as it is in California, there are several primary options available.

Sell to an iBuyer

iBuyers are online buyers that make instant offers on properties without laying eyes on them – based on pricing algorithms that take 2023 market trends into careful consideration. You can expect iBuyers to be speedier than a real estate broker but to include significant fees. Further, iBuyers generally won’t purchase properties that are in distress.

Sell to a House Flipper

There are individuals out there who are in the business of buying deeply discounted homes, making minor cosmetic fixes, and flipping them for considerable profit. While house flippers are an option, they accept considerable risk in the process and, as a result, their offers tend to be significantly lower than those made by most other buyers. House flippers are often smaller operations, which means that the buyer may not have the resources to even make you a fair offer.

Sell to a we buy houses company

There are national companies that pay cash for as-is houses through local franchisees. These sales are relatively speedy, but there are pros and cons of selling a home this way.

While these companies make cash offers, they also charge fees that can subtract thousands of dollars from your bottom line and tend to make low-ball offers that could cost you tens of thousands.  

Sell to a real estate agent

Real estate agents are sometimes interested in buying houses as is. Generally, if the house needs extensive repairs, they proceed to sell it to a for-cash company. In the process, they take a commission that comes out of your pocket. 

Sell house as is for cash in California 

Another option is selling to a real estate investment company like SoCal Home Buyers that pays cash for houses just the way they are. Once you give us a call to discuss your home for sale, we’ll schedule an inspection, and when that’s complete, we’ll make you a cash offer on the spot – affording you the financial freedom to move forward towards whatever comes next for you.

I want to sell my house as is for cash, can you help?

Yes, we at SoCal Home Buyers are committed to making the cash sale of your as-is house as streamlined as possible. We charge no fees, take no commission, and are well prepared to help you efficiently settle the matter in the following four easy steps: