In Augusta, Georgia, homes sold “as-is” are most commonly purchased by real estate investors and house flippers, rather than regular homebuyers. If you want to sell your home fast for cash, in as-is condition, and close quickly, real estate investors are probably your best option. They are cash buyers who will pay cash for your home. If you would like to sell your home fast, it is helpful to understand who your potential buyers are so you can negotiate the best deal for yourself. Here is a breakdown of the typical home buyers:

1. Real Estate Investors

• This is the most common buyer group.
• Cash home buyers often are looking for properties they can purchase below market value, fix up, and either rent or resell.
• Investors typically pay in cash and can close quickly. They will buy your house in as-is condition.
• Investors are less concerned about cosmetic or structural issues since they often have renovation crews. They are willing to take on the additional risk of deferred maintenance and other construction issues.
• There are three types of investors, house flippers, landlords, and wholesalers.
• For more information about finding investors to buy your house, check out this blog How to Find Reputable Cash Home Buyers in Your Area

2. House Flippers

• A subset of investors focused on buying, renovating, and reselling for a profit within a short timeframe.
• Flippers are drawn to as-is homes that need cosmetic upgrades, outdated layouts, or even significant repairs—as long as the numbers work for resale.
• House Flippers are usually interested in short term profits. They don’t care about the long term prospects of a property.

3. Buy-and-Hold Landlords

• Some investors buy as-is homes to fix up and rent, especially in areas with strong rental demand like parts of Augusta near Fort Eisenhower (formerly Fort Gordon), Augusta University, or downtown.
• Landlords are long term investors and may be willing to pay a little more for a property than a home flipper. That is because they look at pro-forma cashflow going out 5 to 10 years, then discount those cashflows back to today’s dollars. 
• Landlords will fix up your house and then rent it out.

4. Cash Buyers/Wholesalers

• Wholesalers often buy or contract as-is homes with the intent of assigning the contract to another investor.
• They’re part of a fast-moving, network-heavy segment of Augusta’s real estate scene.
• There are two different types of wholesalers, and one has a big drawback
  • The first type of wholesaler is a true cash homebuyer, they can close on their own and they have a list of investors they will resell two.
  • The second type of wholesaler does NOT have enough cash to close on your house. They must find an investor to go in the deal with in order to close. So you may find yourself negotiating with a person who does not have the ability to close on your house. There is a second investor behind the scenes making the negotiation much more difficult. This process is often not transparent.

5. Regular Buyers (Less Common)

• Traditional homebuyers are usually deterred by as-is homes because:
  • They often require repairs that won’t pass FHA or VA loan appraisals.
  • There’s risk and uncertainty without seller fixes or warranties.
  • Many regular buyers don’t have the time, money, or expertise for repairs.
  • The traditional home buying process is very lengthy in nature. If you are in an urgent situation, such as facing foreclosure, then you may not have the time to work with a traditional home buyer.
  • Traditional home buyers are usually risk adverse, especially if they are a first time home buyer. They often do not have the risk profile to buy a house as-is. Fore more information about selling your home as-is, check out this blog What You Need to Know About Selling Your Home”As-Is”

Bottom line: If you’re selling a home as-is in Augusta, your most likely buyer is an investor or flipper who is ready to pay cash and move fast—especially if the house needs repairs, has code violations, or is in pre-foreclosure.