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Selling your Home for Cash – Pro’s and Con’s

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If you ever drive around town on the weekends you have surely seen the signs stuck everywhere – “Sell your home fast”, “I will buy your ugly home”, “Cash for your house”. I see these so often, I thought it deserved better investigation into the process of a “quick sell” and what, if any, are the benefits. Have you ever considered selling your home for cash? Here are some pro’s and con’s.

First, let me say, I am completely surprised. I always assumed cash offers were there to take advantage of people in bad situations and expected to find a bunch of con-men. I also assumed that cash offers probably took advantage of a seller in a bad situation. Though this may be true at times, it often isn’t the case. A cash deal for your home has so many benefits I am now considering it for my home.

Pro’s of selling your home for cash

Here are some reasons why you might consider a cash offer on your home:

No showing your home – if you speak to any real estate agent they discuss staging your home. This involves cleaning, more cleaning, and taking out much of your stuff to make the house more presentable. It may even involve renting furniture or other items to help sell the home quicker. You also have to commit to showing your home just about whenever they call. The agents usually call at the worst time when you are least available or prepared. A cash home buyer often buys a home sight unseen. No showings, no clean up, no worries. This alone is worth something.
No fees or commissions – well, this isn’t completely true, there are still fees, they are just usually greatly diminished. First, there are no buyer or seller agents – so no fees or commissions to them. The cash home buyers usually have an arm that handles titles and legal work and usually most of those fees are waived. Overall, when questioned, most cash offers save between 10% and 15% in fees depending on many factors. The average is about 13%. So on a $200,000 home, that’s over $25,000!
Fast – Cash buyers can often close in a matter of just a few days.
As is – Repairs can be expensive. Especially if you have foundation, termite, roofing, mold, hoarder, or other problems. Repairs also take time. Cash home buyers have contractors that can come in and finish work faster and cheaper than anyone you could hire. Therefore there is no reason to take the time to find someone to make repairs and schedule them. Additionally, you don’t have to make sure things are done right – you can just walk away as-is.

Other reasons to sell your home fast:

If you are in a bad situation or are remote:

Perhaps you inherited a home and want to sell it remotely and have the buyer take care of the contents and procedures. A cash home buyer may be right for you. Especially if probate is involved.
You are a landlord with excess inventory. You want to sell some of your homes and not bother to repair them or find people to rent them.
You are facing foreclosure. The bank will foreclose soon and not only will you lose your equity, your credit rating will take a hit. You will have a difficult time getting a loan for the foreseeable future. You will lose everything. A cash offer will at least give you something back toward your equity.
You need a place to live temporarily. Many cash home buyers will rent your home back to you until you have time to move.

Overall, there are many reasons to consider selling your home for cash. The next question is, which company should I trust to give me a fair offer?

We researched dozens of companies and many are looking for the pre-foreclosure homes and to take advantage of people who have fallen on hard times. There are a few companies which give fair offers despite your personal conditions and market conditions. They also offer the best offers in general and are the easiest to work with.

For the Arlington, Texas area, if you are considering selling your home for cash we found that Money Buys Houses is the best solution for a fast, fair, honest offer on your house. Another great option is Trusted Texas House Buyers.

Feel free to give them a call today and tell them where you heard about them!

September 7, 2023 | Tom Vandergriff

Enchant Christmas in Arlington

Picture of lights from Enchant Arlington Christmas lights

Something has been brewing in Arlington, TX. Enchant Christmas makes its U.S. debut at Globe Life Park with the largest Christmas light maze and North Texas’ largest outdoor Christmas tree. Unwrap a new holiday tradition this Christmas season to the most wonderful scenic light show in Texas. You can virtually get lost in the light maze. Trust me, it’s easy to do, we had so much fun searching for Santa’s reindeer and taking pictures that we lost track of time; before we knew it, it was closing time.

Plan ahead. One thing that we love are our pictures, right? And with the many backgrounds that ENCHANT gives, you will create memories with your loved ones that will last beyond the holiday season.

ENCHANT is great for families, big groups, or a special date night. Strolling through the winter wonderland, incredible features include: The Maze: Experience the largest light maze in the world as you help Santa find his nine missing reindeer to save Christmas. VIP Event Lounge: Enjoy a VIP experience with exclusive access to ENCHANT and the world’s largest light maze, along with dining on festive foods and sweets from John Coleman, Executive Chef of the Dallas restaurant Savor. Santa’s Palace: Visit Santa in his one of a kind golden palace. Enchant Christmas Market: Beautiful market huts, featuring Texas Christkindl Market Lane, are home to an elite group of vendors representing gifts from home decor, jewelry, gourmet foods, holiday gifts and more!

Eat & Drink: There are local food trucks on site to feed you and your family. You can enjoy snacks, dinner and sweets. Skating Pond: Glide around the magical ice skating pond. Rent a pair of skates and head out for a spin! Romantic dates and family fun. Kid Zone: Sit back, enjoy a beverage and let your kids run free in a secure kid zone. Main Stage: Enjoy nightly live music and entertainment.

Free Parking. ENCHANT runs through December 31st. Hours of operation are 5 pm-11 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. ENCHANT is located in Lot F at Globe Life Park, 1000 Ballpark Way in Arlington.

This article reproduced with permission. Original article: Focus Dallas Magazine.

December 13, 2017 | Tom Vandergriff

The Best Barbecue in Arlington Texas – Article

Everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes BBQ. Arlington Texas is home to such larger than life names like AT&T Stadium, home to the Dallas Cowboys, Six Flags over Texas, Arlington Stadium, and the Jambo Texan. That’s right, the Jambo Texan.

In Arlington there is a little slice of barbecue heaven called Jambo’s. Luckily, there are two location in Arlington (and a third in Rendon TX) because they often run out of meats before dinner is over. (Takeaway hint: Go for lunch or early dinner – or call ahead to check the status). At Jambo’s they serve a monstrosity called the Jambo Texan. Two slices of Texas Toast with brisket, bologna, pulled pork, sausage, and topped with ribs.

Practical? No. Not at all. Delicious? Definitely. The real question is how to eat it. Obviously you can’t bite through a sandwich with bone in ribs on it. So the question usually becomes – after taking the ribs off, do you eat them first, or do you take the meat off and add it to the sandwich – or do you place them to the side for a finger lick-in dessert?

The Jambo Texan will assault your taste buds with quality and insult your gastric system with quantity. And if that isn’t enough, Jambo’s also has the signature “Sadie”. The Sadie is a giant baked potato that gets cracked open and buried under a mound of toppings including butter, sour cream & cheddar, cheese then topped with chopped brisket, sausage & onions and finally smothered in beans. Me personally, I like my beans on the side and then have it baptized in sauce (they have a couple of choices for you).

Another popular item is the “Hot Mess”. Everything on the menu is delicious and though it is an amazing barbecue shop proper, the french fries are amazing. There are the standard BBQ sides, but Jambo’s goes further with cowboy corn (my favorite) and bacon wrapped jalapenos. If you are a competitive eater and make it through a meal, then you can try some of their amazing cobbler. For normal people, I recommend a take home dessert.

Another takeaway hint – Jambo’s will smoke turkeys and hams for the holidays. Has dear Grandma lost her touch? Offer to bring a Jambo’s turkey or honey glazed sweet spiral cut ham, your whole family will love you more.

The best part about Jambo’s – it is affordable! It runs the same price as other local barbecue fare (and cheaper than Dallas haunts), but tastes immensely better.

Jambo’s is owned and operated by Paul and Ashton Lovato who live locally here in Arlington. They are Jambo’s “super duo”. Ashton can be seen near daily on Facebook live giving you a rundown on specials and having meat porn shows – for some reason I could stare at the brisket for hours.

In regards to quality, these folks really know their stuff. The brisket has an excellent bark on it. You can tell by the pink smoke ring that they get awesome smoke penetration – all from super sweet smelling pecan wood. For barbecue, the right ingredients include wood. No skimping here. Their smokers must be tuned perfect and the timing great, because their meats are near perfect consistently. For sauce, they have two options and one or the other should cater to the purist, no matter your taste.

Jambo’s recently opened their newest location on Division. They are helping revitalize the area as they continue to spread their craft and charm (maybe that credit goes to Ashton’s sweet smile). Stop in, grab a Jambo Texan, sit and sip on some sweet tea, and say hi to the wonderful employees who will make you feel right at home.

…and remember, everything is bigger AND better in Texas.

November 17, 2016 | Tom Vandergriff

Business Directory of Arlington TX