If you’ve been driving around in San Bernardino, chances are you’ve seen some billboards advertising companies that buy houses. We see them on bus stops, on busses, and signs on telephone polls.
Often times they say things like “We Buy San Bernardino Houses!” or “Cash For Your House”.
Are These “We Buy Houses in San Bernardino Companies” Credible?
How do I know if the local house buying companies out there are honest and credible?
Well… sometimes they all look the same at the start… but below we’ll walk you through some things to look for in a local house buying company before you should work with them. There are several factors that can be used to check on the credibility of these companies before signing an offer or contract from them.
Buying and selling houses is a valid and respectable profession that can help communities and house sellers in many ways. But just like any other line of work – a minority of house buyers in any market are the ones who make the rest of us look bad. Just like many other industries, there are always a few bad apples that can leave quite a sour taste in your mouth.
There are people who are really great, ethical folks who improve their neighborhoods one property at a time and will honor their word going above and beyond to provide beneficial service.
And then there’s shady, dishonest people who put money ahead of the well being of their clients and who would sign the contract to sell their own grandmother with one hand while stabbing you in the back with the other – as long as they were making enough money.
Yes, they are out there.
We’ll help you avoid these “shady house buyers” so you can work with honest, ethical, and reputable local companies who can buy your house for a fair all cash offer and close on your schedule. It is ALWAYS a great idea to meet the company representatives or better yet, company owners, so you can feel comfortable knowing who it is you are trusting.
But let’s not focus on the negative – at least not yet.
First, let’s cover exactly what the best house-flippers are doing.
What Reputable San Bernardino House Buyers Are Doing
- Helping folks improve their lives by accessing the money they need right away. People often need the cash in their house to cover unexpected medical expenses, or to relocate to be close to a relative. We can make that happen in just a few days, and we deliver peace of mind. We offer a cash advance within 24 hours of an accepted offer- this can really come in handy if you happen to be in a tight situation.
- Helping sellers get rid of a burdensome property without the hassle of having to list it with a broker, negotiate with a demanding buyer and wait months and month for a sale.
- Creating local jobs. We hire plumbers, contractors, electricians, brokers, title reps, loan officers, administrators and many other folks along the way. The average real estate transaction involves 86 people from start to finish. Our investments help create real jobs for people around San Bernardino, CA and throughout Southern California. We enjoy working with our team and we make it our duty to provide the utmost beneficial service.
- Buying US products. We spend tons of money on materials that are made right here in the USA – that creates jobs in our timber mills, factories, supply shops, distribution centers and more. The US economy depends on steady improvement, we are consistently searching for more investment opportunities which brings appreciation to neighborhoods throughout San Bernardino.
- Increasing the value of San Bernardino neighborhoods. When we improve a house, we’re helping to increase the value of the entire community. We often repair abandoned and neglected houses, turning them into beautiful homes for families. These houses typically sell for more due to their updates and appearance which increases the value of surrounding homes. That activity strengthens San Bernardino.
- Increasing the tax base. When a new buyer takes over one of our properties, they’ll pay a higher tax rate based on the new and improved value. Those taxes go to pay for our schools, fire, police, libraries, streets and other valuable pieces of infrastructure. Again, improving our neighborhoods. We love the impact we can make on our communities by simply solving problems and serving homeowners throughout San Bernardino.
Pretty cool stuff, right?
Lots of people think of house-flipping as a get-rich-quick scheme. That’s fueled by silly “reality” shows that amp up the drama because the reality of what we do on a daily basis is actually pretty boring. We are sorry to break it to you but it is a lot of paperwork and a lot of labor.
Most of our work is coordinating with lots of people to make sure things are happening on time. We have to keep track of lots of moving parts. This is all part of the job description and it takes a lot of organization to properly manage a real estate transaction.
So let’s get back to how you can use this information to find out if someone is a credible investor, and not just pulling a house buying scam.
How To Ensure You’re Working With A Reputable San Bernardino House Buyer
When you talk with a San Bernardino house buyer to potentially buy your house… ask them some of the questions below to ensure they’re reputable, knowledgeable, and honest.
Ask open-ended questions like:
- How do you help your clients?
- What do you do for people?
- Can you tell me more about your services?
- What aspect of your business makes you the proudest?
- How would you describe your investment philosophy?
- How can I know that you’ll close on my house when you say you will?
- Do you have $$ in a bank account that can prove you are making an honest offer?
- Are you registered with the Better Business Bureau of Inland Empire? Do you have an A rating?
- Will you provide a cash advance within 24 hours in order to help with expenses when moving?
Second, look for tell tale signs of tactics that those few shady operators tend to use.
- “Kitchen table closings” – If a property buyer tries to get you to sign the deed (ownership) of your house over to them at your house, rather than a professional place like a closing attorney or title company… be leery. Most reputable house buying services will perform the actual closing of the sale at a neutral 3rd party place… like a title company. These 3rd party services are very important to ensure that all sides of the transaction are done properly and on the up and up.
- Pressuring you into a fast closing – If a house buyer tries to pressure you into selling your house and says that you have to make the decision today, be leery. Most reputable house buying services will make you and offer and that offer will be on the table for at least 2-7 days (minimum) for you to make a decision. The reason reputable house buying services like ours at Saker Property Solutions do place deadlines on our offers is because the market changes and values can change week to week depending on other sales in the area, also… we buy multiple houses a month and when we make you an offer we’re assuring you that the cash to purchase your house is ready and we’ll reserve that cash for several days so if you do want to sell your house, we can close on your schedule. If you feel the offer isn’t a fit for you, then we’ll assign those funds to help another seller with their home sale. We cannot buy every house that we have the opportunity to so we have to set a certain amount of time in order to guarantee we are ready to perform when you are ready to commit.
Most scammers are looking for a quick score, and not an in-depth interview.
Chances are good that they’ll find excuses to get off the phone and move on to someone who doesn’t ask too many questions. Please feel free to ask any questions and share any comments or concerns that you may have in regards to our services or if you are in need of a consultation to better understand your options.
True investors who run honest and ethical San Bernardino house buying services, however, are building long-term businesses based on relationships and community development.
So when you’re looking at one of the “we buy houses in San Bernardino companies“… never be afraid to ask questions!