How to Sell a House As-Is in Fort Worth

Selling a house “as-is” means you sell it in its present condition: you do not fix the roof, replace the carpet or repaint before closing, and the buyer accepts the house the way it is. For a lot of Fort Worth homeowners that is the whole appeal. The house needs more work than you have the money, time or energy for, and you would rather move on.

This guide explains what as-is does and does not cover in Texas, the three ways to sell a house in that condition, and how to tell which one leaves you better off.

What “as-is” means, and what it does not

In a Texas sale, as-is is about repairs. The standard Texas residential contract lets a buyer accept the property in its present condition, which means you are not agreeing to fix anything they find. It does not mean you can stay quiet about problems you know about.

• You still disclose what you know. Most Texas home sellers have to give the buyer a Seller’s Disclosure Notice, even when the house is sold as-is. Be honest about the foundation, the roof, past water and anything else you know of.
• The buyer can still inspect. Many as-is buyers inspect anyway, so they know what they are taking on.
• The price reflects the condition. A house that needs work sells for less than the same house fixed up. The real question is whether the repairs would add more to the price than they cost you in money and months.

Three ways to sell a house as-is

1. List it as-is with an agent. An agent markets the house on the open market and tells buyers it is being sold in its current condition. You can still reach a regular buyer, but many of them use loans, and a lender may require certain repairs before it will lend on the house. You also pay the agent’s commission, usually a share of the sale price, and you keep paying the mortgage, taxes, insurance and utilities until it closes.

2. Sell it yourself. You save the commission, but you handle the pricing, marketing, showings and paperwork, and the same loan and repair questions come up with most buyers.

3. Sell to a direct buyer. A company like ours buys the house itself, with no listing, no showings and no lender to satisfy. The price is lower than a fully renovated house would bring, because the buyer is taking on the repairs and the cost of reselling. In exchange you skip the repairs, the commission and the months of holding costs, and you pick the closing date.

Offer from your phone

Get your cash offer
without anyone coming over.

Want your offer faster, or rather not talk to anyone yet? Send a few phone photos of each room. We price the repairs from them, line by line, and send your cash offer back, so you see a real number before you ever meet us or pick up the phone.

CabinetsFlooring

Tub & tile

Floors

Roof

Example

Cash offer

$176k – $186k

Repairs priced14 items

You fixNothing

Add photosStraight off your phone is fine. Up to 20.Choose photos

Send photos, get my offer or

Take photos with our guideNo photos?Scan to take them

How to compare your options

Put the numbers side by side instead of comparing headline prices. For each option, start from the price you expect and subtract what comes out of it:

• Agent commission, if any
• Repairs and clean-out you would pay for before or during the sale
• Closing costs you would pay as the seller
• Months of mortgage, taxes, insurance and utilities while you wait
• The chance the sale falls through, for example when a buyer’s loan is denied

What is left is your real walk-away number. Sometimes listing wins, especially when the house is in good shape and you are in no hurry. When the house needs major work, or time matters, a direct sale is often closer than it looks.

Getting ready to sell as-is

• Gather what you have: the deed, your latest mortgage statement, the property tax bill and any repair estimates.
• Make a short list of known problems. It helps any buyer give you an accurate number and it keeps your disclosure honest.
• Decide what you want to take with you. With an as-is sale to a direct buyer, you can usually leave the rest behind.
• Get more than one opinion of value, and ask every buyer to show you how they got to their number.

How we buy houses as-is

Mercy Property Solutions, also known as Savanna Buys Houses, is a family-owned home buyer based in Fort Worth. We buy houses in any condition, and you pay no fees or commissions. We cover the normal closing costs, you do not clean or repair anything, and you choose the closing date. After a short virtual consultation we put more than one offer on the table, so you can pick what works best for you.

Want to know what your house would bring as it stands? See how we work, or call or text Savanna at 682-321-9138. There is no obligation, and if selling to us is not your best move, we will tell you what we would do instead.

About the author

Savanna Kwieran

Savanna Kwieran owns Mercy Property Solutions and buys houses in and around Fort Worth directly from homeowners. Every guide here comes from real sales, not theory.