Sundae Reviews: What People Say About This Real Estate Service

Sundae Reviews: What People Say About This Real Estate Service

Time Stamp: December 11, 2023 12:49 AM
Source Node: 3013901

Every year, countless property owners spend hours and thousands of dollars preparing their homes for sale. The average homeowner will spend around $5,400 on repairs and upgrades to get their home ready to be listed on the real estate market. However, not everyone has the time, money, or ability to make home improvements. They can’t afford to spend six months working on the landscaping or updating the carpet.   

Fortunately, there are some options for people who need to sell their homes as-is or move in a hurry. One service is Sundae Real Estate. Learn more about this company to see if it is a good fit for you. Here’s how it works, along with Sundae reviews to see what the experience was like for sellers before you.

What is Sundae?

Sundae is a real estate company that buys properties off-market from sellers. Through this company, people who need to sell their homes can reach out, receive a cash offer, and close on the sale in as little as 10 business days. However, Sunday is not an iBuyer. It is also different from companies like We Buy Ugly Houses which will buy your house and resell it to home flippers. This company is different because it never actually buys your house. Instead, it is a referral engine that connects sellers with investors. 

Sundae has a large team of investors who track the website for new listings. When a seller lists on Sundae, the investors review the property to see if it is a good fit for their needs. If it is, they can place a bid. Sunday claims that most sellers will receive multiple offers on their homes within a few days and they can choose the best one that meets their needs. Once they accept the offer, they can move out and set a closing date with the investor.  

Sundae is an online marketplace that pairs investors with sellers, not an actual buyer. It turns a profit by collecting fees from investors at the closing appointment and by selling premium memberships to increase investor access. Sellers do not pay to use the Sundae marketplace.

How does Sundae work?

Sundae strives to make the sales process as easy as possible for homeowners who want to skip the real estate process. The seller’s home is never listed on the open market and it will be sold as-is. There also aren’t any negotiations to deal with or risks that the buyers will back out. Here is the process of selling your home through Sundae. 

  • Check to make sure Sundae is available in your area. This real estate company currently only operates in a few cities in Texas and California. It has a very limited reach.
  • Tell Sundae about your property. You can either fill out an online form or talk with a Sundae employee to review your property. They will want to know where it is located and its size, features, and condition. 
  • Sundae will market the home. A representative will take pictures of your property and create a 3D tour. They will also schedule a home inspection if needed. 
  • Your property is listed on the Sundae marketplace. Investors can look at your house and make an offer if they are interested in it. 
  • Choose the best offer and close. If you receive an offer you like, accept it and prepare for the closing appointment. You can close on the house within 10 to 60 days.

The team at Sundae believes competition from investors ensures home sellers get fair market value deals for their properties. If one investor lowballs a seller but another offers a fair price, the seller would choose the higher option. The goal of the Sundaemarketplace is to ensure sellers get fair rates for their homes when they sell them as-is to investors. 

Who can benefit from working with Sundae?

Sundae works with people from all walks of life who have one thing in common: they need to sell their homes quickly. Here are a few types of Sundae sellers who benefit from this process.

  • Homeowners in distressed properties. Your home will sell whether it is worn down or needs major repairs like a new roof and electrical wiring. 
  • Homeowners in financial trouble. Sell your home before you face the foreclosure process. This could potentially save your credit score and give you a fresh start financially. 
  • People going through major life changes. Sometimes you need to move suddenly. Sundae could help if you need to relocate for work or are going through a separation from your partner. 
  • The rental property is problematic. Instead of dealing with difficult tenants who refuse to pay rent or leave, you can sell the property and let an investor take over. 
  • Beneficiaries who inherited property. You can quickly sell an inheritance and distribute the cash to beneficiaries. This could also be a good option if you cannot afford to maintain the house you inherited.  

In each of these cases, the sellers have access to a property they don’t want and aren’t sure they can sell. The goal of Sundae is to make selling possible.

Sundae Reviews

While the concept of Sundae makes sense if you don’t want to enter the real estate marketplace, it’s important to read online reviews to see if the company fulfills its promises. Here are a few places to look for Sundae reviews and comments from sellers who listed their homes as-is.

Better Business Bureau

Sundae has a strong profile on the Better Business Bureau (BBB). It has an A+ rating and has been accredited since 2019. It boasts four stars out of five with more than 100 reviews. It also has only had two complaints in the past 12 months. Overall, these are positive results. Here’s what a few people have to say about working with Sundae investors. 

  • “The whole process was quick and easy… I was allowed to leave my home of 23 years on my terms which was greatly appreciated,” – Ken S, five stars
  • “I would give you 5 stars, however, all of your investors want to lowball the offers. I don’t blame them. They were looking for a steal,” – Wanda R, four stars
  • “Do not sell with Sundae if you want anything near fair market value. Our home is valued between $275k-$310k. We would have been happy to get something as low as $265k, frankly. Sundae offered us between $138k-$176k,” – Jonathan S, one star

While the BBB has an overwhelming number of positive reviews, the negative ones stand out. This could be a good service if you really want to sell your house fast, but make sure you know what it’s worth before you contact this company. This will help you know if you are getting a fair price. 

Reviews.io 

Reviews.io is another website with hundreds of Sundae reviews. An impressive 97% of users say they would recommend Sundae and it has a 4.8-star rating out of five stars. Here are a few recent comments about the brand. 

  • “A quick and easy cash sale with a 10-day escrow. Sundae took care of all belongings left behind so I was able to walk away with no worries,” – David H, five stars
  • “We like the no-hassle, no-open-house preparation. Within one day we had a home inspection and the required photographs completed by a friendly and punctual team,” – Anna T, four stars
  • “The process with your company was uneven at best. Then to add insult to injury we find that less than six weeks after we sold the house to one of your investors, they flipped the property for nearly $100,000 more than they paid us!” – Charles, one-star

These comments reflect why reading Sundae reviews is so important. This is very much a “you get what you pay for,” company. You might be able to sell your house for much more on the traditional real estate marketplace, but that takes time and effort. Instead, home sellers often have to accept lower offers for their homes as a way to pay for the convenience of moving out as-is.

Yelp

The Sundae marketplace is currently limited to California and Texas, so it makes sense to look at Yelp reviews as well. The investors and representatives mentioned near you might be the people you are working with if you decide to work with this company. The San Diego location has 73 reviews and a four-star rating out of five. Here are a few comments. 

  • “The whole process was very straightforward and transparent. Everything I was told was accurate and I had no surprises. I got a better offer than I expected. They did all the work and I paid no fees whatsoever,” –  Christopher B, five stars
  • “Our first ‘cash buyer’ backed out two weeks after signing the purchase agreement. Sundae insisted this was an anomaly, and that they had another buyer ready to step up with the same purchase amount. That turned out to be true, but needless to say, it caused some rattled nerves.” – John P, four stars
  • “Definitely not a serious offer. It was all taken care of with minimal effort on my part but the offer was 200k under market price,” – Kim W, three stars
  • “Offer came in nearly 100k less than what the market advisor estimated,” Elizabeth W, two stars

While the premise of Sundae Real Estate is sound, it’s possible that this company is currently too small to have a competitive investor market. Instead of dozens of investors bidding on and competing for your home, there might be only one or two interested people. This could be why home sellers report receiving lowball offers in some areas while others claim they received a bid that matched the fair market value.

Pros of Using Sundae

Sundae Real Estate has an appealing business model for people who are eager to move out of their homes. There are several reasons why people reach out to this brand when it’s time to sell. Here are a few pros of using Sundae. 

  • Close within 10 days. Not everyone has time to wait for their home to enter the market and attract prospective buyers who then need to apply for mortgages. They need cash offers immediately and want to close fast. Sundae meets this need. 
  • Skip any home repairs. You don’t have to spend a single dollar on upgrades, improvements, repairs, staging, or showings. You don’t even have to clean the house before you move out. 
  • Don’t pay any out-of-pocket fees. You can enjoy virtually zero fees at closing and won’t have to pay Realtor commissions. 
  • Your home stays off the market. By selling your home off-market, you don’t have to worry about showings or open houses. Instead, the company shares your home with multiple investors who are looking to buy houses in your area.

It might be better for some sellers to enter an online real estate marketplace instead of working with local investors or trying to make their homes turnkey-ready for buyers.

Cons of Using Sundae

Several customer reviews highlight the drawbacks of working with this organization. Here are a few things you should be aware of before you contact Sundae. 

  • It currently only supports two markets. Sundae operates in limited cities in California and Texas at this time. It might not be able to make cash offers in your area. 
  • The cash offers are often lower than expected. Some buyers claim the investor bids were $100,000 lower than the market value of their properties. 
  • You cannot negotiate. There’s no way to push back on a low offer and present a counter option. The bidding process is out of your control. 
  • You have to rely on the expertise of your Sundae representative. While most of the reviews were positive, some people said it was hard to work with the employees at this company.

Before you contact Sundae, get an estimate for your property value. This will tell you whether you are being lowballed by the company’s real estate investors so you can make a sound financial decision before closing. 

Sundae Marketplace Alternatives

Working with Sundae home buyers is one way to sell your house fast. However, there are alternative options if you don’t want to invest a lot of time and effort into preparing your home for sale. 

FastExpert

Just because you want to sell your house as-is doesn’t mean you need to fear the real estate market. You can find a Realtor who understands your goals and knows how to market your home to investors. 

This is often the best option if you want to get a reasonable purchase price for the property. While Sundae doesn’t charge sellers any closing costs, the reviews show that investors often lowball sellers. By hiring an agent, you can get more for your home sale even after you pay your closing and commission fees. 

Turn to FastExpert to find a real estate agent you can trust. You might still receive cash offers on your home and bids that come with fast closing dates. Look for an agent that specializes in distressed properties because they should have a list of local cash buyers they can reach out to.

Cash Buyer Companies

Sundae Real Estate isn’t the only company that works with investors. There are countless cash buyers across the country who are looking to invest in new properties. Most cash-buyer companies have a local focus and understand the market better than national corporations. Contacting multiple companies also allows you to shop around. You might be able to get a few bids for your home and see which ones are reasonable. 

Working with cash buyers could be a good way to skip the Realtor commissions and other closing costs if you don’t want to work with Sundae. 

iBuyers

Another option is to sell your house through an online company known as an iBuyer. You could work with big names like Opendoor or Offerpad and receive bids on your home almost immediately. With this option, the companies themselves buy your house. Their agents then fix it up and resell it for a profit. 

If you decide to work with a cash buyer or iBuyer, you will face the same challenges as working with Sundae Real Estate. These companies want to give you the smallest amount of money possible for your home. Compare this to working with real estate agents who want to maximize the purchase price. The higher the sale price, the bigger their commission, which means your goals are aligned. 

The price for selling your home fast is often that you sell it for less. However, a qualified Realtor can help you get a fair price for your home in a timely manner.

Sell Your Home for Its Fair Market Value

Navigating the real estate marketplace can be stressful, but you still deserve a fair purchase price for your property. While Sundae might be a good company if you live in Texas or California, it’s not a feasible solution for the majority of sellers. It’s possible to get cash offers for your home by working with a traditional agent. You will also likely get a higher purchase agreement out of the deal. 

Skip the investor marketplaces and iBuyers. Try FastExpert instead. See how working with a real estate agent can be fast, low-stress, and conducive to meeting your home sale goals.

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