How do relocation companies work?

Moving to Alpharetta

I once purchased a condo for a client and it made the deal much more difficult on many levels. The offer will treated mathmatically and it will be easy to acertain their absolute minimum. The listing agent will unusually helpful because his commission is terribly low. Take negotiations out of it and casually ask him for the acceptable bid. The reloc. co. knows nothing about the home, so they just go by numbers. You’ll have additional paperwork to deal with and the whole process will take longer. The homeowner was contacted for some frivilous issue, but he shrugged it off and redirected to the reloc. company.

Moving to Alpharetta

It works pretty much the same way as if you’re buying from a private party. My husband and I went through a relocation program when we sold our home. Basically, we technically sold the house to the relo company and then they sell it. But that’s just technicallity..we were still involved. My husband and I OKed or turned down offers (with input from our relo person). Relo companies will not ask for more than the house is worth, but they do turn down some buyers that don’t qualify for a loan (or something like that). If you’re going through a reputable bank for your loan, you shouldn’t have a problem.

Also your first answerer is right. The realtor for the relo company is paid lower than usual. How this affects the you, the buyer, who knows.

Another thing, buying a house from a relo company will usually be faster. They are on a strict timeline, so this may be a plus for you (or not).