Need to Quickly Sell Your Home in Arizona?

The housing market in Arizona has drastically declined since mid 2011, and is now similar to where it was in 2007. This may be a jarring statistic to take in, but the market is actually getting better. It’s currently in a healthy state, and the risk for further collapse is very low.

In many areas, homes have seen a value increase. It may not be as fast and as bustling as it once was, but it’s no longer dangerous or unpredictable. While this is a comfort to many homeowners, it’s important to remember that a healthy market is not necessarily a fast market.

Averages show that properties that would be considered highly in demand, such as modernized homes in good neighborhoods with no need for repairs, sell in about 70 days. On the further end of the spectrum, some homeowners can expect their homes to sit on the market for 180 days before the closing process can begin.

Sedona Arizona

New Investment companies are popping up all the time. These companies aren't always run by experienced professionals. Experienced investors will understand your benefit is more important than the potential profit to be made from your property.

Honest investors will tell you whether or not they're your best option or if there's a better alternative. Inexperienced investors can take advantage of desperate homeowners to line their pockets, with little regard to the impact they’re having.

These types of investors will often make promises that seem too good to be true. And have a "do anything to get the deal" mentality. If you feel your investor is speaking a foreign language when discussing your contract - something's off. Experienced investors can answer your questions in plain English. They’ll explain their offers, how they arrive at their numbers and tell you what they intend to do with your home.

If you’re turning to an investor for a short sale, that investor should act as an advocate for you when it comes to your lender and the court. They’ll want to help you avoid foreclosure at all costs.

Always thoroughly research an investment company before working with them. Read testimonials from other sellers who've worked with this company. If things aren’t adding up or you’re sure an investor is trying to pull a fast one, you can always contact the Arizona Attorney General with a complaint or turn to a more professional company.

Arizona allows both judicial and nonjudicial foreclosures. Because most mortgage contracts contain stipulations about what will happen in the event that you’re delinquent, the majority of lenders won’t need to take you to court in order to foreclose. Your lender can foreclose in as little as 90 days after they’ve sent you the notice. [read more="Read more" less="Read less"]

Time is really of the essence when your home is in foreclosure, but if you can find a buyer in such a short period of time, you may be able to stop the process. Arizona does not allow redemption after sale, so you’re going to lose the home no matter what you do. It’s better to attempt to end the process, and walk away without any debt obligation to your lender.

Some states allow what is called a deficiency judgement. This is where, after a foreclosure, your lender can sue you for the difference between the sale price of the home and the full market value of the home. In some states, the lender can sue you for everything left on your loan, less the sale price of the house. The great thing about Arizona is that, while deficiency judgements are allowed, they’re only allowed under very specific circumstances. Unless your property is unique, deficiency judgements probably will not apply to you.

In Arizona, a deficiency judgement is not allowed on single family homes, two family homes, or homes on less than 2 and a half acres of property. Since the overwhelming majority of homes fall under these exclusion, there’s no real reason to worry about your lender taking you to court for a deficiency judgement.

Without the deficiency judgement hanging over your head, it’s fairly easy to solve foreclosure with a short sale. Every minute your lender spends in the foreclosure process is a minute they’re losing money. Whether they used a judicial or nonjudicial method, it’s still costing them money in man power, legal fees, and advertising your home. If they don’t have to do it, they’d rather not. It’s a great idea to approach them with a short sale buyer.

Home investors will buy homes in virtually any condition. It doesn’t matter if the property is highly in demand or dressed up to sell – an investor intends to renovate and repair the home anyway. A great investor will be able to contact your lender with a short sale offer. They’ll come to an agreement, and the investor will buy the home in cash. This puts an end to the foreclosure process before the home is actually foreclosed on, and because your lender probably isn’t allowed a deficiency judgement, you don’t owe them any money once everything’s said and done.

It is worth noting, however, that a short sale will not immediately fix your credit. While it’s ideal to avoid a foreclosure from becoming completed, and a lack of deficiency judgement will help you from going further into debt, you will not walk away unblemished. A short sale will appear on your credit report as a settled loan, rather than a paid loan. When all is said and done, it’s easier to rebuild from a loan gone awry than a full-on foreclosure. They both have significant impact, but a foreclosure will make rebuilding even harder.[/read]

You can sell your property, but you can’t sell your tenants. You’ll need to get them out before you can sell the property. Great tenants will be understanding. Let them know as soon as possible that you won’t be renewing the lease simply because you’re no longer interested in being a landlord.  [read more="Read more" less="Read less"]

Offer to write them a letter of recommendation that notes their exemplary tenant status that they can provide to new potential landlords. Give them the option to end their lease without penalty and offer them their full security deposit back. You can’t make great tenants leave, but you can make it easier for them.

If you need to evict bad tenants, make sure you’re doing so in accordance with Arizona law. You can evict with as little as 24 hours of notice in serious situations. If blatantly unlawful behavior (such as irresponsible gun use or drug dealing), substantial damage to the property, or serious violence has transpired on the property, a 24 hour notice is all that is necessary. Everything else falls under a 5 day or 10 day notice.

If your reason for eviction is nonpayment, you must first begin with a five day notice to pay the rent or face eviction. Five day notices can also be used for violations of lease agreements that can be considered health and safety risks. This includes an excess of trash on the property, or even damage to the wiring in the home. Ten day notices are for minor lease violations, such as a dog for which a deposit was not paid or a tenant living in the home who was never properly added to the lease.

In every scenario except for an emergency scenario, the notice is for the amount of time the tenant has to either comply or willfully leave before the eviction lawsuit will begin. Most tenants don’t want to go through the trouble of being evicted via the court system, so those unwilling to comply will sometimes leave voluntarily. Make sure you’re directly serving the notice to someone on the lease, sending it by registered mail, or affixing it to the door. Keep a copy of the notice and prepare a written statement about its delivery for your records.

If the tenant doesn’t comply and cannot use a defense (such as claiming discrimination or retaliatory eviction), you need to have a document prepared called a forcible detainer. This document outlines the reasons for eviction, the service of your compliance notice, a list of all tenants on the lease, an outline of the money owed to you by the tenant (including your legal fees), and a writ of restitution.

This notice needs to be served at least two days before the court date, and it must be served by a process server. The tenant is required to provide the judge with a written response and pay all applicable fees. If they don’t, the court will place a default judgement in your favor. After the judgement, the tenant has not left after six days, the writ of restitution can be given to the police, who may forcibly remove tenants from the property.

After this has occurred, you’re free to remove any property the tenants have left behind, change the locks, and disconnect the utilities. It is imperative that you wait until after the writ is used and law enforcement has removed the tenants, as self eviction measures are illegal in Arizona. [/read]

Arizona has some unique shortcuts in their probate laws that allow simplified probate for certain properties. Disregarding the entire value of the estate, you can file an affidavit with the court to claim any property valued at less than $100,000. If the home you’re inheriting is in a state of disrepair, you may be able to skip formal probate. [read more="Read more" less="Read less"]

The only stipulations behind the affidavit method is that it can be filed no less than 6 months after the individual has died, all debts have been paid from the estate, and the estate does not have a personal representative.

Though it seems like it’s impossible to fit all of the criteria to expedite the probate with this affidavit, it’s a great alternative for families looking to skip probate altogether. If you’re starting off late, this option may be available to you. If you’re acting immediately, you’ll have to utilize either a formal or informal probate process. Informal probate is the most common, and if the decedent’s family is getting along, it’s the ideal way to go.

If the will hasn’t been challenged and everyone agrees to abide by it, the heirs will appoint an executor (sometimes called a personal representative) to the court. This person is responsible for handling all aspects of the probate. The court will oversee minor details, such as the payment of debts to legitimate creditors. They’ll also make sure that no one contests any decisions. Once you’ve handled informal probate and the matter has been closed, you’re free to sell the property.

Formal probate is a little different. If the will can be perceived as invalid or outdated, this commonly leads to formal probate. Formal probate is also used when the family cannot decide on a personal representative, or everyone essentially has their own version of what the will is supposed to mean. The major debts and distribution will be settled first, and the house will have to be awarded to someone before it can be sold. If it isn’t, the home can be sold and liquefied into the estate.

Supervised probate is only used when things are especially complicated. Estates that leave behind large debts that may not be able to be satisfied by the assets of that estate will sometimes go through supervised probate. After an executor is appointed, that executor will need court approval for every decision that they make, including the sale of the property.

You’ll want to avoid complicated probate procedures if you’re looking to handle everything in a reasonable amount of time. Before anyone files to be the executor, sit down with your family and have a discussion. You may have some disagreements, but it’s better to handle them outside of the court room. The court’s actions cannot always be predicted, so privately resolving as much as you can before starting the probate process will lead to the best results for everyone involved. [/read]

How you handle a property that needs repairs depends on how much money you have to invest. Never run yourself into debt attempting to a repair a home, particularly because a lot of repairs and renovations don’t offer substantial return on investment. Some projects (such as kitchen remodels), might not offer any return on investment at all. [read more="Read more" less="Read less"]

Roofs have always been of the utmost importance to potential homebuyers. Nobody wants a property with a roof that’s going to allow rain into their living room, and roof replacements can be costly. Arizona home owners can expect an average roof to cost $5,043. A buyer doesn’t want to purchase a home at full market value, and then have to spend time and money getting the roof replaced.

If you can afford to do the work, it may be worthwhile. If there’s only one or two things that need fixing and you’re able to pay for these repairs and wait for their completion, you might want to do that. If the home has a laundry list of problems, it may not be worth your investment. Kitchen cabinets can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and you could be spending this money just to bring your home up to bare minimum standards.

You can avoid the whole debacle by finding someone who is willing to accept the property as-is. Home investment companies set out to by these kinds of property in specific. They intend to remodel the home to make it more attractive to buyers, so they aren’t intimidated by big issues. An investor will make on offer on your home that’s less the cost of any necessary repairs or renovations. They’ll buy your home in cash, so you can sell and move immediately.[/read]

Home Buyers USA is made up of competent professionals with years of experience in home investment. We’ve worked with enough homeowners to know that contacting an investor is usually a response to a dire set of circumstances, and you may feel overwhelmed.

We’d be glad to walk you through the process and help you sell your home in any condition, under any scenario.

All you need to do is contact us the moment you’re ready to sell. Provide us with some information about you and your home, and we’re prepared to draw up a quick cash offer on your home.

Time is of the essence. Damaged properties will only become more damaged if left unmanaged. If you’re looking for a short sale, you only have a few weeks to avoid foreclosure. Let us be your ally.

PHOENIX

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