If you need to relocate from Pittsburgh quickly for personal or professional reasons, selling your home is probably not something you have a lot of time to think about. Since you’re short on time already, today’s post will be very brief. If you own a home and need to move, here are some options for selling your house when relocating from Pittsburgh.
Rent Your House
Some people decide they want to keep their house and rent it on a short-term or long-term basis. This is becoming increasingly popular in today’s market with tools such as Airbnb making the process both intuitive and efficient. This may be a good option for you if there’s a chance you’ll return to Pittsburgh in the future, as it will prevent you from having to purchase another home when you move back. Whatever your reasons for renting your house, be sure to consider the difficulties that arise when trying to rent and manage a property remotely. For example, finding a qualified contractor to help with repairs can be difficult in the absence of face-to-face interactions. If you are considering Airbnb, make sure you have a complete list of service providers lined up (e.g., cleaning service, handyman) for when guests check in and out of your property.
For Sale by Owner (FSBO)
This is a popular option among the Do-It-Yourself crowd. The obvious appeal is that you will save money on a real estate agent’s commission by selling your home directly to a buyer. You also don’t have to spend time interviewing different real estate agents to find one that you feel comfortable with.
The downside to this approach is that you will likely not reach as wide of an audience as if you were to list it publicly on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). You also may have a hard time valuing your property. Websites such as Zillow and Trulia provide an estimate of your homes value, however these estimates aren’t always accurate. On top of all this, selling your home by yourself is A LOT of work.
To find out more about FSBO, check out a more detailed blog post we recently published on the Pros and Cons of For Sale By Owner (FSBO) in Pittsburgh.
Hire a Real Estate Agent
Working with a real estate agent is probably the best option for people that have plenty of time to sell a home that’s in great condition. Real estate agents have experience pricing homes accurately and have tools that allow them to market a house to the most number of prospective buyers. Unfortunately, homeowners needing to relocate from Pittsburgh often need to sell quickly, and it can take between 60-90 days on average to sell a house with a real estate agent. And these statistics imply that your house is ready to sell. Oftentimes real estate agents and/or buyers ask that you make repairs before listing/buying your home. When you factor in an agent’s commission and the extra time it takes to sell your property to a buyer with an agent, this oftentimes isn’t the best option for people needing to sell their home quickly.
Sell to a Cash Buyer
Cash buyers are becoming more common in the Pittsburgh market for several reasons. For one, they can close quickly and don’t care about the condition your house is in. As we mentioned above, being able to sell quickly and not have to make repairs to a house is highly desirable for people who need to relocate from Pittsburgh. Cash buyers are also becoming a popular option because they are able to offer a customized experience to homeowners. For instance, they can provide options to move or store your belongings in addition to buying your home, which eliminates one of the most stressful parts about moving.
At the end of the day, you should at least consider contacting a professional homebuyer if you are relocating from Pittsburgh. At McIntosh Management, LP, we work with homeowners who need to relocate, and provide several options that can help make the process go smoothly. Fill out our form below to get started. Someone will be in touch within 24 hours to get you a no-obligation offer on your home, and talk to you more about how we can help.