Frequently Asked Questions
Maybe you have a few questions. That’s okay; most people do. Here is a quick collection of some of the questions people ask us, along with our answers. If you still have a question, don’t hesitate to contact us anytime. We would be happy to answer it for you.
Q: Will you be listing my house on the MLS or actually buying it?
A: Great question. We’re not agents, and we don’t list houses. Here at First Call Home Buyers, we are professional home buyers: We buy houses Tampa that meet our purchasing criteria, and we don’t use bank financing so you don’t have to worry about our ability to close on a deal. After purchasing, we may repair the house and resell it to another homeowner or keep it as a rental ourselves.
Q: How are you different from a real estate agent?
A: Real estate agents list properties on the public market and hope that someone will buy them. Prospective buyers and neighbors will be walking through your home often until it is sold (the average time to sell a property in many markets right now is 3-6 months). Your agent and the buyer’s agent then take a percentage of your sale price. Oftentimes, the agent’s commission adds up to 6% of the sale price of your house. If it’s a $200,000 house, you’ll pay up to $12,000 in commissions agents. Usually, you’ll have to repair the home first before listing to get it both presentable to buyers and eligible for bank financing. You’re also responsible for removing all of the contents from the home before the sale closes.
Agents provide a great service for those that can wait 4+ months to sell, have homes in excellent to perfect condition and who don’t mind giving up some of that sale price to pay for the commissions. But that’s where we’re different. We’re not agents, we’re home buyers. Our company buys the house directly from you. Since we pay with all cash and purchase the house from you, we can make a decision to buy your house within 1 day. Again, we make our living by taking the risk to buy the house with our own cash, repair the house, and market it ourselves to find a buyer.
Looking for this to be broken down further? Here’s a comparison chart to give an overview:
| Selling w/ A Tampa Agent | SOLD To First Call Home Buyers | |
|---|---|---|
| Commissions / Fees: | Up to 6%, paid by you, the seller | None |
| Who Pays Closing Costs? | 2% on average is paid by you, the seller | We pay all costs. |
| Inspection & Financing Contingency*: | Yes, sales can fall through. | None needed |
| Appraisal Needed: | Yes, the sale is often subject to appraisal. | No, we make cash offers. |
| Average Days Until Sold: | +/- 91 Days | We provide immediate cash offers & close as fast as 14 days |
| Number of Showings: | It Depends | 1 (Just Us) |
| Closing Date: | 30-60+/- days after accepting the buyer’s offer | The date of YOUR CHOICE. |
| Who Pays For Repairs? | Negotiated during the inspection period | We pay for all repairs. |
Q: Do you pay fair prices for properties?
A: Many of the houses we purchase are below market value. We do this so we can resell it at a profit to another homeowner. We are looking to get a fair discount on a property. In our experience, many sellers aren’t necessarily expecting a large “windfall” on the property. Instead, they appreciate that we can offer cash, we close very quickly (no waiting for financing), and no time, effort, or expense is required on your part to fix up the property or pay agent fees. If that’s what you’re looking for and you see the value in getting your house sold fast, let’s see if we can come to a win-win price for both parties. Our no-obligation pricing commitment means that you don’t have to move forward with the offer we give… but it’s good to know what we’re offering!
DOWNLOAD our free guide that walks you through the Pros and Cons (plus the cost and timeline) of selling your house to a real estate investor versus 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 to offer on my house?
A: Great question, and we’re an open book. Our process is very straightforward. We look at the location of the property, what repairs are needed, the current condition of the property, and the value of comparable houses sold in the area recently. Taking the many pieces of information into consideration, we come up with a fair price that works for us and works for you, too.
Q: Are there any fees or commissions to work with you?
A: This is what makes us stand out from the traditional method of selling your house: there are NO fees or commissions when you sell your house directly to us compared to listing fees, where up to 6% comes out of your pocket. We’ll make you an offer and, if it’s a fit, then we’ll buy your house with no hassles and no fees. We’ll often pay for the closing costs, too! We make our money after we pay for repairs on the house and sell it for a profit. We’re taking the risks here on whether we can sell it for a profit or not. Once we buy the house from you, the responsibility is ours and you walk away without the burden of the property and its payments, as well as cash in your hand.
Q: Is there any obligation when I submit my information?
A: There is absolutely zero obligation for you. Once you tell us a bit about your property, we’ll take a look at things, maybe set up a call with you to find out a bit more, and make you an all-cash offer that’s fair for you and fair for us. From there, it’s 100% your decision on whether or not you’d like to sell your house to us. We’ll let you decide what’s right for you.
Q: My home is full of stuff – do I need to remove it?
A: Nope! You simply take whatever you’d like to bring with you after closing and leave the rest for us! We will attempt to donate as much as possible from the property to reduce landfill waste.
Q: How do I get started?
A: Fill out our online form below, or call Johnny Diamantas right now at 321-759-8144. We’ll discuss your situation for 5 minutes, set up a time for me to do a quick walk-through of the property at your convenience and, if we agree on a deal, sign a contract, set your closing date & close!
Q: I live far away from the house, do I need to be there?
A: Nope! 99% of the time can evaluate the exterior of the house if no interior access is available. We’ll call you to discuss the deal and if we reach agreement, you can electronically sign the sales contract and the title company will send a mobile notary to wherever you are for your closing. No need to make the tedious travel all the way to Florida.
Q: Do you buy probate houses?
A: Yes! We have vast experience buying probate houses. We can even recommend an unaffiliated attorney and sometimes we can even front the cost to get the probate started. Who else does that besides First Call Home Buyers?!
Q: Are you a wholesaler?
A: NO! We are the actual cash buyers ourselves. We will NOT be “shopping” your home around to other buyers, looking for a quick buck.
Q: I tried to sell to somebody I thought was a real cash buyer, but they jerked me around and wound up cancelling. Will that happen with First Call Home Buyers?
A: NO! It sounds like you may have been under contract with a wholesaler. Wholesalers are essentially middle-men who put houses under contract with lengthy inspection periods and then use that time to try to flip the contract to an actual real cash buyer for a profit. If they can’t find a buyer, they will extend your inspection period, ask for price drops and eventually cancel. With us, this will NEVER happen to you. Our owner, Johnny Diamantas, a 10 year veteran investor, will come to your property 1 time, make you an offer and if you reach agreement, it’s a done deal. There’s zero inspection periods and we will be the actual buyer of your property. This happens often and we’ve saved many sellers from wholesaler nightmares.
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Learn The Pros and Cons Of Selling Your House To A Local Professional Home Buyer – Your FREE Guide:
Download our FREE Guide here and contact us anytime with questions or if you would like a no-hassle Situation Evaluation. Learn more about how we help Tampa homeowners sell their unwanted properties for cash.
Get your FREE Guide and then give us a call at (813) 812-4180. We would love to discuss what your home is worth and what we can offer to buy it with our Cash Offer Program.