Have you heard? More and more people are turning to sell houses online in Kansas City. Not only is it a more convenient option, but it has become more popular due to COVID-19.
When selling a house online, more people can see your listing, and you get to avoid a lot of strangers walking through your residence. It makes sense why people choose to sell online vs. not online, but is it worth it? And where would you even begin if 1) you’re not overly tech-savvy, and 2) you don’t have a lot of experience selling a home, let alone online.
To help you get prepared, we’ll go over how to sell your home online in Kansas City; and what it would look like to sell online with a realtor or buy-owner. So let’s begin!
Can I Sell My House Online In Kansas City?
Selling Your Home Online
To begin, let’s clarify what selling online means vs. offline. To sell your house online means your listing gets put on multiple websites for hundreds of people to view. To sell offline would be to use traditional methods of selling your home, like putting a for-sale sign in the yard and using word of mouth to let people know your property is for sale. Both have their pros and cons. Some people like the idea of only a limited number of people knowing their home is for sale; others like that hundreds of people can view their listing, so they have a better chance of selling quickly.
And the numbers don’t lie either: 63% of sellers used online resources. In younger demographics, that number is higher — 86% of millennials report going online to sell their house, and 67% of Gen Xers say the same. The reason why people are selling their houses online in Kansas City is that 4 out of 5 buyers shop online to purchase their next home.
Since COVID-19, more and more people are turning to buying and selling houses online for health and safety reasons. People can look at listings easily by viewing photos posted online or by watching video walk-throughs from the comfort of their homes. In turn, this limits foot traffic in your property and weeds out only the very interested buyers to view the home in person.
So the truth of the matter is people turn to online sources to buy and sell houses. To sell your residence quickly, you will need to do the same. The next step is to figure out how you intend to do that, though.
How to Sell a House Online in Kansas City
There are three primary strategies for selling a house online in Kansas City. Whichever one you choose will depend on your timeline, financial goals, and your ability to put in some DIY work.
- Sell Your Home Online With a Realtor
The good news is that when you hire a real estate agent, it is extremely likely they’ll market your house online. Typically agents are members of their local MLS, which is an online database of professionally listed properties. The MLS is linked to several similar sites that will help your listing gain exposure. Some realtors also utilize other online channels such as Trulia, Zillow, Redfin, paid ads, and social media to help get the listing in front of more prospective buyers.
But selling your house with a realtor will include some effort on your part too. Usually, agents recommend sellers to make repairs and updates to their homes to increase their chances of selling. But for several people putting more time and money into a house, they’re about to sell isn’t something they would choose to do.
On top of the cost of potential home repairs or renovations, you should expect to pay 5%-6% of your home’s final sale price in realtor commissions. Though a full-service agent will handle the entire sale process and online marketing strategy, it will come at a cost. Roughly half goes to your agent, and half goes to the buyer’s agent- yes, the seller typically pays the buyer’s realtor too.
So if you were to sell your house online in Kansas City with a realtor for $250,000, their commission would cost between $12,500-$15,000 (5-6%). When people hear that amount, they instantly consider other ways to sell their home, which is why some people choose to sell by owner instead.
- Sell Your House Online By Owner
The main reason for selling your house online by-owner is to save some money on realtor commissions. Sorry to burst your bubble, though, but selling by owner can save you 2.5% to 3% on commissions that you’d pay your agent, but many people selling by owner still end up paying a buyer’s agent’s commission. So you may still be on the hook for paying $6,250-$7,500 (2.5-3%) on a $250,000 house, and you would be doing all the work.
That’s right; you would be doing everything when it comes to selling a house by owner. You will need to handle listing, marketing, negotiating, and everything else. And don’t forget home repairs, you will still need to do those too.
You will be able to use the same online strategy as an agent would by posting on social media and using online advertising. But you will need to hire a photographer and videographer for listing images and videos.
Sadly, only 10% of sellers successfully sell on their own. When people take into account all the time, money, and effort involved in selling a home online on their own, they look for other options besides FSBO (for-sale-by-owner) and selling with a realtor.
- Sell Your Home Online to an iBuyer
Selling your home online to an iBuyer is a newer way to sell a house. When selling to an iBuyer, you are not selling to a typical buyer who plans to move in and live in the house. Unlike conventional buyers who request to view the property, require financing, want to negotiate, and may have specific requirements or restrictions about closing, iBuyers have a more streamlined process. They typically don’t request any repairs to be made to the property either, and listing the home isn’t required.
The offer you receive is usually based on an automated valuation model (AVM) that determines your property’s fair market value.
But the catch with iBuyers is their service charge- which can get as high as 6.7%. And even though they don’t require home repairs, they still deduct the cost to do them from your offer. So the trade-off may be to sell your home with ease, but you will be charged an even higher fee than working with a realtor or selling by owner.
Easiest Method of Selling a House Online in Kansas City: Sell to a Local Home Buyer
When you sell your home to a local home buyer, you decrease the typical back and forth and remove the stress and hassle of pre-sale home improvements. You will quickly receive an offer, usually within 24-hours, and get to close on your timeline, freeing up your equity sooner. This is especially helpful if you’re buying another home in the near future or you’re facing foreclosure, bankruptcy, or job loss and want to avoid a home sale contingency.
As it is, it takes 50 days on average to close a transaction in Kansas City, but when working with a local home buyer like Offer House, you can expect to close within 7-14 days.
A home buyer like Offer House has an easy three-step process for buying your property, and it looks something like this:
- Tell Us About Your Home
Fill out a form on our website or give us a call to get a FREE cash offer. Listing your home online is not required.
- Property Evaluation
Schedule a time for us to view your property, or you can email us photos or send a video walk-through of your house.
- Sell And Close On Your Schedule
Close and move out on your timeline, choose the date that works best for you and sell your home.
Offer House also doesn’t charge agent commissions or service fees-unlike the other selling strategies we’ve gone over-and they even pay closing costs.
Offer House is also an as-is home buyer. Meaning you would sell your home to them in its current condition, with no repairs or renovations necessary. Depending on how much work you need to have done, that could save you thousands of dollars on repairs and months of construction on your home before you would even be able to put it on the market- with no guarantee that will help your house sell quickly.
There are so many advantages to working with a local homebuyer that it is definitely worth looking into.
Standard Method of Selling a House Online in Kansas City: Hire a Realtor
Because you would be paying for the complete service an agent offers, this selling method can be less work for the seller than other alternatives. Keep in mind, though, that you will still be making home repairs and possible renovations to help your listing stand out, as mentioned above. But when hiring a full-service agent, he or she will handle all the marketing, guide you through negotiations and the closing process- which you would hope so, since you’re paying them a large commission.
To work with a real estate agent, it would look something like this:
- Research agents in the Kansas City area.
- Interview agents and determine which one you would like to hire.
- Start making home-repairs or renovations to get your house ready to sell.
- Agree on a listing price with your agent and put your house on the market.
- Declutter, clean, and stage your home.
- Accommodate showings at any time (of course within responsible hours of the day) and open houses on the weekends.
- Wait for an offer to come in.
- Negotiate any offer that comes in, then accept an offer that you’re happy with.
- Go under contract and get a home inspection by the buyer’s lender.
- Renegotiate the contract again if the home inspection reveals any costly issues.
- Have a real estate attorney review the contract.
- Pack all your belongings and move out.
- Sign closing paperwork and close on your home.
Tip: If you’d like to work with a top realtor in the area, make sure to find out how much time and effort they will personally put into your listing. Top agents will have multiple listings at one time, so make sure to find out how much effort they can realistically give to sell your house quickly.
Most Difficult Method of Selling a House Online in Kansas City: FSBO
If you decided to list for-sale-by-owner, you would be responsible for everything: marketing, showings, negotiating, and contract paperwork, along with all the other responsibilities.
To sell-by-owner would look something like this:
- Research the local housing market.
- Start making repairs and renovations to your home.
- Set a competitive asking price.
- Declutter, clean, and stage your property.
- Hire a photographer and videographer to take photos and videos of your listing
- Come up with a captivating listing description for your home.
- Share your listing on the For Sale By Owner website, Zillow, Redfin, Trulia, and social media.
- Respond to any inquiries about your property.
- Accommodate, schedule, and attend showings.
- Wait for an offer to come in.
- Screen prospective buyers.
- Negotiate the offer with the buyer’s agent or the buyer.
- Accept an offer that you’re happy with.
- Go under contact and have a home inspection done by the buyer’s lender.
- Renegotiate the contract again if the home inspection reveals any costly issues.
- Have a real estate attorney look over the contract.
- Pack your belongings and move out.
- Sign closing paperwork and close on your home.
Final Thoughts
Selling a house online in Kansas City may seem like a simple selling process but depends on which strategy you end up choosing. For many people, the advantages of selling to a local homebuyer make that method the most appealing. Consider the benefits for yourself:
- You wouldn’t have to list your home.
- You wouldn’t have to make any repairs.
- You wouldn’t have months of uncertainty waiting for an offer.
- You wouldn’t have to clean, declutter, or stage your home.
- You wouldn’t have to pay realtor commissions or services fees.
- You wouldn’t have to pay closing costs.
- You would get a free no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours.
- You would get to show your house only one time.
- You would get to sell your home as-is; no cleaning required.
- You would get to choose your closing date and move on your schedule.
- You would get to sell your house within 7-14 days.
- You would be able to sell your residence and be on your way faster than any other online selling method.
If you’re sold on working with a local home buyer or have questions about how it works, Offer House would be happy to go over all the details or get started on your fair cash offer today.
Offer House is a homebuyer in the Kansas City area that can offer you an easy sale process that eliminates the hassle and stress of selling your house online. Give them a call today or visit their website for more information.
Don’t be overwhelmed by trying to figure out how to sell your house online in Kansas City when you can easily sell to a local home buyer.