Time and time again, property sellers are told the more viewings that take place, the more likely it is a property will sell. Is this true in the buy-to-let sector? Well, the answer is ‘it’s complicated’.
Due to unique, personal and sometimes frustrating circumstances, viewings of a buy-to-let property aren’t always possible but that doesn’t mean a rental can’t be sold unseen. Many landlords have sold their buy-to-let without a single potential purchaser stepping foot through the front door.
If you identify with any of the reasons below, you may benefit from a direct cash sale to a professional purchaser.
You want to minimise disruption to tenants
There’s nothing more unsettling for a tenant than a regular flow of strangers coming into their home to look round but that’s exactly what will happen if a landlord tries to sell their property on the open market. Avoiding viewings ensures a sale takes place behind the scenes, with little to no anxiety or disruption for the renter. When selling to LandlordBuyer, sitting tenants don’t even need to know a sale is taking place and there won’t be a ‘for sale board’ either. The LandlordBuyer team will simply get in touch with the tenants to introduce themselves once completion has taken place.
You are embarrassed about the property’s condition
In the latest Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report, the top reason for people wanting to improve their home was because they were embarrassed about where they live. The same issue can be more prevalent in the buy-to-let sector, as the landlord rarely has control over how a tenant treats the property while they occupy it. The property could be dirty, cluttered or smell, or it could have been maliciously damaged and unpleasant on the eye. LandlordBuyer will purchase a buy-to-let ‘as seen’. We won’t ask you to clear the house, decorate or make structural repairs.
You don’t want neighbours knowing that you are selling your property
Nothing gets the neighbours gossiping like unusual people repeatedly visiting a property – especially if one happens to fit the estate agent stereotype. While some landlords are fiercely private over their personal matters, others may have more practical reasons. If there is any hint of animosity between the landlord or the tenant and those living next door, a neighbour could take action to jeopardise a sale. LandlordBuyer offers the utmost discretion during our purchase and your neighbours will not know that the property is for sale and whether it’s changed ownership.
Your tenants won’t let people into the property
Many landlords will face resistance from tenants when it comes to a property sale. Naturally, many don’t like the thought of leaving their home and as a result, some can refuse to let estate agents and potential buyers into the property. In fact, there is no legal obligation for a tenant to let anyone in while their tenancy is valid, so a landlord may be faced with no other option than to sell without a single viewing. LandlordBuyer is the purchaser, so when landlords sell to us, there is no worry if the tenant refuses viewings.
You don’t want to appoint an estate agent
An estate agent will charge you for their services and their fee is not welcome when you’re trying to offload a buy-to-let that’s not making you money. Landlords who bypass an estate agent can, however, find they struggle to accompany viewings and drum up interest, especially if they live far away from their property. One way around this is to sell to a cash buyer, such as LandlordBuyer. With us, there is no need to put the buy-to-let on the open market via an estate agent. Instead the transaction involves us and the landlord – no one else. With LandlordBuyer, there are no estate agent fees and it’s a chain-free sale.
No viewings in summary
- LandlordBuyer will purchase all types of buy-to-lets, including those with short leases, sitting tenants and dilapidations
- No viewings required
- No need to ask a tenant to tidy up or be home at set times
- No need to travel to accompany viewings
- No need to appoint an estate agent
- Tenants don’t need to know the property is for sale
- Tenant’s won’t be disturbed
- No outward signs that a property is for sale