How selling your house for cash actually works
Three steps, and no part of it requires you to spend money, clean anything, or commit to anything before you have seen a number in writing.
The three steps
Tell us about the house, and your number
The address, a rough sense of its condition, and what you need to get for it. You do not need photos, an appraisal, repair estimates, or anything cleaned up first.
About 2 minutes
We check whether your number works
We pull comparable sales, look at the condition ourselves, and do the arithmetic against the figure you gave us. One walkthrough, at a time that suits you, and we pay for any inspection.
Usually within 24 to 48 hours
You get a straight answer, not a pitch
Yes we can do your number, or no we cannot and here is exactly where the gap is. In writing, with no pressure and no expiry games. If it works, a title company handles closing and you pick the date.
Close in about 1 to 3 weeks, or later if you prefer
How we check your number
Once you have told us what you need, working out whether we can do it is arithmetic, not a formula we hide. We are happy to show our working on your specific house. It comes down to four things, and your number either fits inside them or it does not.
What the house is worth once it is fixed
We look at what comparable houses nearby have actually sold for recently, in the condition yours would be in after renovation. Sold prices, not asking prices, and recent ones. This is the number everything else comes off.
What it costs to get it there
Roof, systems, kitchen, bath, flooring, whatever it needs. We assess this ourselves and we pay for our own inspection. You never need to get contractor bids for a renovation you are not doing.
What it costs us to hold and resell it
Money is not free. There are taxes, insurance, utilities, and financing costs while the work happens, and then the costs of selling it afterwards, including the agent commission we pay on the other end.
A margin
We are a business and we take a profit on the resale. We are not going to pretend otherwise. What we can tell you is that the margin is a line in the arithmetic rather than whatever we think we can get away with, and it does not change based on how desperate you sound on the phone.
Which is why we will not always be your best option
If your house is in good condition, in a market that is moving, and you are not against a deadline, listing it will usually put more money in your pocket even after commissions. We would rather tell you that than buy a house from someone who later feels they were taken advantage of.
Selling to us compared with listing
Including the row that does not favor us.
| Selling to us | Listing with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Commissions and fees | None. We are the buyer. | Typically 5 to 6 percent of the sale price |
| Repairs before selling | None. We buy as-is. | Usually required, plus whatever the inspection turns up |
| Cleaning and showings | None. One walkthrough. | Ongoing, on a stranger's schedule |
| Who pays closing costs | We cover the standard costs | Commonly split, varies by state |
| Time to close | About 1 to 3 weeks, or a date you pick | Roughly 30 to 60 days after a buyer's offer is accepted |
| Risk of the sale falling through | Low. No lender involved. | Real. Financing and appraisal can both end it. |
| Likely sale price | Below full retail | Full market value if the house shows well |
The last row is the trade-off and we are not going to hide it. Selling to a cash buyer buys speed, certainty, and the ability to skip repairs entirely. If your house is in good condition and you can wait, listing it will usually net you more money.
What we will never do
- Charge you a fee. Not to look at the house, not to close, and not if you walk away.
- Give you a number that expires tonight. Real arithmetic does not evaporate at midnight, and that tactic exists to stop you thinking.
- Cut the price at the last minute over something we could already see. If we quoted it, we close on it.
- Sell your information to a list of other investors. Your details stay with us.
- Keep calling after you have told us to stop.
Common questions
- Do you make an offer on my house?
- No, and that is deliberate. Almost everyone who calls us already knows what they need to get for the house, whether that is clearing the mortgage, covering a probate split, or funding the next move. So we ask for that number instead of opening with one of our own. Then we do the arithmetic out loud: what comparable houses nearby have actually sold for, what it will cost us to bring yours to that condition, the costs of holding and reselling it, and our margin. If your number fits inside that, we say yes. If it does not, we tell you exactly where the gap is rather than talking you down.
- Is there any cost or obligation to talk to you?
- No, on both counts. There is no fee to tell us your number, no fee if we agree on it, and no fee if you walk away. We are the buyer, so there is no commission. We also pay the standard closing costs.
- Will you pay full market value?
- Usually not, and anyone who promises that is not being straight with you. We buy below full retail because we take on the repairs, the carrying costs, and the risk of reselling. What you get in exchange is speed, certainty, no repairs, no showings, and no commissions. For some houses and some situations that is clearly the better deal, and for others it is not.
- How fast can you close?
- When title is clean, roughly one to three weeks. The limit is usually the title search and payoff statements rather than the money. If you need longer, say for a move or for probate to clear, we can set the closing date further out instead.
- Do I need to clean or repair anything?
- No. Not the roof, not the plumbing, not the carpet. You can leave furniture and belongings behind if you want to. We buy houses in genuinely any condition.
- Do you actually buy the house, or do you sell the contract to someone else?
- We buy with our own funds. You are dealing with the buyer directly, which is why we can commit to a closing date and hold to it.
Talk to us before you decide anything
You do not need a number ready, or photos, or a plan. If you want to know what your options actually are, including the ones that do not involve us, call and ask.
Sabrina usually picks up. (615) 576-8827