Be Weary of Guarantee Offer Programs

There are a lot of programs out there for "Guaranteed Offers" on your home, but here are a few reasons why the smart homeowner should be weary of those programs:

1. The offers are always low. Most homeowners understand that if a company is going to guarantee an offer on your own, the offer is going to be low. They are right. Most offers are 15%+ less than what the market could bring in their neighborhood. That means you could be paying a premium of $40,000+ just to get that offer. Many homeowners can't do that.

2. Showings are not nearly as intrusive as these companies make them out to be. In all cases, buyers are represented my licensed real estate professionals and the showings conducted are done so in a professional manner. Here in the Twin Cities, most homes are selling within days of going on the market so there may only be a day or two of showings before an offer is accepted. That doesn't seem like a lot considering the low-ball offers of these "guaranteed offer" programs.

3. Guaranteed offer programs generally don't buy homes in cities that require municipal inspections such as Saint Paul or Minneapolis.

4. Guaranteed offer programs always give an out to their investors so they may not even decide to buy your home.

In short, a "guaranteed offer" is really just a marketing "gimmick" for a real estate agent to try to sell your home. Nothing replaces a knowledgeable, dependable, real estate adviser and a smart homeowner knows this.