Advice for Buying As-is Homes

As-is homes can become sticky situations.  And, as Realtors, we try to avoid working with as-is homes because they are notorious for major problems – not to mention liability.  Fortunately, we can say that we’ve never encountered such problems simply because we avoid the situations altogether.  But, all Realtors have heard horror stories about an agent who either found himself in a legal suit over the property (which is the worst I’ve heard), or an agent who had such a difficult time working with the seller that he and his client had to back out of the contract. 

There are two main cautions with as-is homes.  First, the sellers are not willing to make any repairs to the home.  That’s where the name comes from, of course – the buyer is getting the home as it is, with no if’s, and’s, or but’s.  Sellers who choose to list their home as an as-is are usually inflexible to the point of being stubborn.  They just want to sell the home and get out of it.

This is the reason that so many as-is homes become problematic.  In these cases, it is crucial for buyers to have a buyers agent – someone who represents them and only them in buying the house.  And, this agent needs to have plenty of experience in order to protect the buyer during the buying process.  Why?  Because a lot of buyers get taken advantage of in as-is sales.  They buy a house from a seller who is not willing to work with them to get the home in proper order before closing.  Since price is about the only thing that’s negotiable in as-is sales, it’s possible to estimate the costs for repairs and negotiate this amount off the asking price.  However, it’s best to get these problems fixed (as you would do in a typical sale) before you officially own the home.   

The second caution with as-is homes is that they usually require a lot of work to be done.  This problem is also partly because the seller just wants to get rid of the home and doesn’t want to bother with making repairs or updating parts of the home.  After all, making these repairs can be expensive and time consuming.  It’s understandable why a seller would simply want to sell and not mess with these potential headaches.  There’s a reason that these homes are sometimes synonymous with the term “handyman special” – they need a whole lot of work!  

And, even if the home doesn’t need major repairs, it’s practically guaranteed that it will need at least some attention.  It’s rare to find a home that doesn’t need any work done to it.  Even homes that are practically new need some kind of repair before move in.  The best way to protect yourself from this caution is to get a good home inspector.  Don’t ever rely on just the seller’s disclosure to learn about the condition of the home.  And, this tip applies to as-is homes and regular home sales.  Your agent should be able to recommend an experienced and thorough inspector so that you can be sure of the repairs that need to be made before you buy.

So, if you’re considering buying an as-is home, there are two things you should know.  First, you should go into the situation expecting that the seller is probably not willing to negotiate on anything other than price (and closing date, of course).  The best way to protect yourself in an as-is sale is to have an experienced buyers agent.  Second, know that the home will probably need a lot of work done to it.  The best way to know what needs to be done is to get a detailed home inspection.