Can My Real Estate Agent Offer to Buy My Home If There are No Offers?

The short answer is "yes," but know what you're signing up for.

In a seller's market it seems like most homes should sell — given enough time and exposure on the market. But there are some situations where a home MUST sell: the owners need to move for work or because of a job loss; or, the home was left in a will and proceeds need to be split among the inheritors; the sellers are experiencing divorce, or any number of other reasons a home needs to sell quickly.

With a quick sale required, sellers may be temped to go for an agent's offer that sounds too good to be true: The agent will "buy your home if it doesn't sell!"

According to Angie's List, such offers are not scams. They are, in fact, marketing tactics that might work for you in your situation — a win-win — or, might be a really bad deal. Before signing on the bottom line, make certain you know what you're agreeing to.

Home sale guarantees

Real estate professionals may offer a variety of types of guarantees. Each has its own value to both the agent and the seller:

• "If I don't sell your home, I'll buy it" — Often, this type of guarantee offer comes from agents that work with investors. An investor wants to buy a home either to rent or to sell at a profit. In this scenario, you should plan to part with a chunk of your equity. This program may work for you if you need to sell quickly but don't need top dollar from your home, if you need to sell to settle an estate, or if you've found a new home at a substantial discount and just can't afford the two mortgages at once. Just know that you will see less return on this type of sale. If your agent only sells under this program and not to the general public, you'll end up with less in your pocket.
• "If I don't sell your home in X months, I'll buy it" — When a program has time stipulations, it usually also has price stipulations. You'll most likely be agreeing to a schedule of markdowns (monthly, bi-weekly or weekly) so that by the "I'll buy it" date it reaches the price the agent will pay for it.
• "We guarantee you X% of the value" — In this approach, the agent offers a specific discounted price if your home doesn't sell. Often, this is about 90% of its fair market value, plus fees and commissions.

The bottom line

Before you agree to any home sale guarantee plan, know that if the agent does not sell your home outright and the plan goes into effect you'll be accepting far less for your home than on the open market. While this seems like a lose-lose for the typical home seller, it can be a win-win if the sale is urgent or the sellers have extenuating circumstances.

The best scenario

When selling your home, the best scenario is to work with a real estate professional that knows the home's market, can advise you on the best way to prepare your home and create curb appeal, and offers all marketing resources (online, offline, print, local, signage, MLS, etc.).