Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Maybe you have a few questions. Most people do! Here’s a quick re-cap of some questions people ask, along with our answers. If you still have unanswered questions, please give us a call.
Q: Will you be listing my house on the MLS or will you buy it directly from me?
A: We’re not agents, and we don’t list houses. We are professional home buyers: We buy houses in Omaha that meet our purchasing criteria. From there we may repair the house and resell it to another investor or homeowner, or keep it as a rental ourselves.
Q: Do you pay fair prices for properties?
A: Yes. Many houses we buy are below market value (so we’re able to make repairs and resell the property at a modest profit to other investors or homeowners). We look to get a fair discount on the property. However, in our experience, many sellers aren’t necessarily expecting a windfall from the sale, but rather appreciate that we usually offer cash, can close quickly (no waiting for financing), and that little time, effort, and expense is required of you to make improvements or pay agent fees. Our no-obligation offer means you don’t have to move forward with the offer we give unless you want to!
DOWNLOAD our Free Guide that walks you through the Pros and Cons (plus the costs and timeline) of selling your house to a real estate investor like Anna Buys Houses … and learn the pros, cons, and costs of the other two alternatives… listing with an agent or selling it yourself.
Q: How do you determine the price you offer on my house?
A: Our process is pretty straightforward. We look at the location of the property, the repairs that are needed, the current condition of the property, and the values of comparable houses sold in your area recently. We take all this information into consideration… and come up with a fair price that works for us and will hopefully work for you, too.
Q: Are there any fees or commissions to work with you?
A: No. This is what makes us stand out from the traditional method of selling your house: There are NO fees and NO commissions when you sell your house to Anna Buys Houses. We’ll make you an offer, and if it makes sense to you, we’ll buy your house (and we’ll pay for the closing costs too). We want it to be a no-hassle process for you. We make our money after we pay for repairs on the house (if any) and sell it for a profit. We take the risk as to whether we can sell it for a profit or not. The responsibility is ours, and you can walk away without the burden of the property and its payments… most often with cash in your hand.
Q: How is Anna Buys Houses different from a real estate agent?
A: Anna Buys Houses is different in a couple of ways. Real estate agents list properties and market the properties to sell. You probably know the agent shows the properties virtually, or through open houses. You’re probably aware from talking with others that the average time to sell a home in many markets is 2 to 4 months. When considering how long it will take, remember that even if you accept an offer after 3 days, you’ll still need to wait for inspections, financing, and final closing. And the real estate agent takes a percentage of the sale price when they find a buyer and the house sells. The agent’s commission is typically 3-6% of the sale price of your house (so if it’s a $100,000 house, you pay between $3,000 – $6,000 in commissions to the agent). Agents provide a great service for those who can wait a little longer to sell, oftentimes for higher prices, but also with commissions to be paid.
In our case, we’re not agents, we’re the actual home buyer. Our company buys your house directly. And since we’re able to pay with cash, we can make a decision to buy your house within a couple of days (sometimes even the same day). We make our living by taking the risk to buy the house with our own cash, repair the house as needed, and then market it to find another great buyer or to keep it as a rental if that makes sense for us.
Q: Is there any obligation when I submit my info to you?
A: No. There’s absolutely zero obligation to you. We definitely aren’t your typical hardcore salespeople. Once you tell us a bit about your property, we’ll simply take a look at your house – we can come and see it or you can show us photos or do a video walkthrough. Then we’ll run some numbers, taking into consideration some of the repairs that might be necessary (if any). If it makes sense for us to buy it, we’ll make you an all-cash offer that’s fair for you and fair for us. It’s 100% your decision on whether or not you’d like to sell your house to us… and please know we won’t hassle you, won’t harass you… it’s 100% your decision, and you decide what’s right for you!
Q: I saw a different phone number listed for Anna Buys Houses. Is that still you?
A: Probably yes. We use several numbers, so we can track where people are calling us from. For example, if you are on Anna Buys Houses YouTube Channel, you will see our number as 402-915-0959. You may also see one of our other website URLs that help people sell their homes.
Q: Where do you buy houses?
A: We purchase homes in Nebraska and the rest of the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states. In Omaha, we focus on the Dundee and Happy Hollow historic neighborhood, in addition to North Omaha.
Q: My family member is no longer able to live independently in their lifetime home due to health/safety concerns. Can you help?
A: Yes! In many circumstances, seniors experience some type of emergency that leaves little time to prepare for the transition from their home. Often, these are lifetime homes that carry an emotional attachment and years of memoirs to sort through and clean out. That’s where we come in.
Anna is certified as a Senior Transition Specialist, which means she is trained to help seniors and their families determine the best course of action for their situation. Anna Buys Houses provides education about community resources to help with the transition. Our goal is to decrease the family stress so that the focus can be placed on finding the best possible care for your loved one(s). If the home needs to be sold, we buy as-is on YOUR terms and timeline, relieving the burden of expensive repairs and exhausting clean outs. If the time isn’t right to sell, we connect you with others who can help, like reliable roofers, cleaning services, and Realtors.
DOWNLOAD our Free Book that provides resources for seniors and their families to help them understand their options and guide them throughout the process of transitioning into a senior care community.
Q: I need to sell my lifetime home to help finance a senior living community. Where do I start?
A: Anna Buys Houses specializes in helping seniors and their adult children with the often-stressful decision and process of transitioning into a senior living community. Anna recently co-authored, Paying for Long-Term Care: The Essential Guide to Understanding and Funding Senior Care, to help seniors and their families understand their options and guide them throughout the process with compassion and respect. You can download the book for free here. Please don’t hesitate to contact Anna directly to discuss your options. She will work alongside you to help make an informed decision at no cost or obligation to you.
Q: What are some of the situations where you help homeowners who want (or need) to sell quickly and/or as-is?
A: Anna Buys Houses helps homeowners in a variety of situations. Here are a few:
- The need to finance a transition into a senior living community
- Job relocation or Military Permanent Change of Station (PCS)
- Inheritance of a home that’s too overwhelming to clear out or repair
- Rental property with tenants that require a lot of time
- A vacant property that’s losing value because of deferred maintenance
- Looming pre-foreclosure or foreclosure where selling could help pay off the mortgage
- Owning a “Fixer Upper” but having no interest or time to fix it up!
- Divorce liquidation
- Bankruptcy/liens
There are many scenarios where we can help or make referrals to other services if the time is not right for you to sell. Just ask!
Q: How do I know if selling my property to a direct home buyer like you is the right option?
A: There is more than one way to sell a house. We can guide you through your options and help determine which one works best for your situation.
When you sell your house there are 3 options:
- List your house on the market with a real estate agent: From listing to cash in hand it’s usually 45-90+ days, hassles of open houses, commissions, and uncertainty.
- Sell the house yourself/For sale by owner (FSBO): You’re doing all the work an agent would, saving a bit of money but requiring an investment of dozens of hours of your time for showings and completing all the paperwork for the sale of the home.
- Sell your home for cash to Anna Buys Houses: Avoid all the hassles with listing on the market, pick your closing date, no fees, no commissions, no repairs, and we LOVE the most difficult situations agents or other investors won’t touch.
Need to take action to sell your house?
Fill out the quick form below to get a no-hassle, no-obligation, all-cash offer on your home.
Learn the Pros and Cons of Selling Your House to a Local Professional Home Buyer– FREE Guide:
Download the FREE Guide here. Or, you can always contact us anytime if you have questions, want a no hassle Situation Evaluation, or want to just learn more about how we can help you sell unwanted properties for cash.
Get the FREE Guide and then give us a call at (402) 313-8700, and we’ll discuss what your property is worth and what we can offer to buy it for with our Cash Offer Program.