Straight answers for homeowners figuring out their next move
Foreclosure, inherited property, tenants in place, needed repairs, relocating — whatever situation brought you here, here's what to actually expect and how a cash sale compares to the alternatives.
What's going on with your property?
Every seller's circumstances are different. Here's how a cash sale tends to fit into the most common ones we see.
Behind on payments or facing foreclosure
A cash sale can sometimes close faster than a traditional listing — occasionally fast enough to beat a scheduled foreclosure sale date. That said, contacting a cash buyer does not stop, pause, or delay a foreclosure on its own; that's a legal process controlled by your lender. Speak with your loan servicer, a HUD-approved housing counselor, or an attorney as soon as possible alongside any other conversation.
Read the full details →You've inherited a property
Executors, personal representatives, and family members handling an inherited property can often move forward with a sale once legal authority is established — sometimes during probate, sometimes after. A probate attorney should confirm your specific authority to sell before anything is signed.
Read the full details →The property needs more repairs than you want to take on
Foundation issues, water or storm damage, deferred maintenance — a cash buyer purchases as-is, so there's no expectation of repairs, cleaning, or staging before closing, and no need to finance work on a home you're planning to leave.
Read the full details →There are tenants still in the property
Tenant-occupied properties get sold for cash regularly. Whether existing leases carry over or a sale is contingent on vacancy is spelled out directly in the purchase agreement, so there are no surprises for the seller or the tenants.
Read the full details →You're relocating and need to move on your own schedule
A cash sale lets you pick the closing date instead of waiting on a buyer's financing or an open-market timeline — and when it's useful, sellers can be connected with a housing relocator to help line up the next home and align move-out and move-in dates.
Read the full details →You don't want showings, open houses, or a long listing process
No staging, no repeat showings, no financing contingency that can fall through at the last minute — just a written offer and a direct conversation with the buyer's team from start to close.
Read the full details →An honest look at the trade-offs
Selling to a cash buyer and listing with an agent solve different problems. Neither is automatically "better" — it depends on what you're optimizing for.
| Cash Offer | Traditional Listing | |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs needed | None — sold as-is | Usually required to attract buyers or pass inspection |
| Showings | None | Ongoing, including open houses |
| Commission | None | Typically ~5–6% of sale price |
| Closing costs | Standard seller-side costs commonly covered | Seller-paid per local custom |
| Financing risk | None — cash, no lender contingency | Deal can fall through on buyer's financing |
| Timeline | Closing date you help choose, sometimes ~2 weeks | Weeks to months to find a buyer, then 30–45 days to close |
| Sale price | Below market, reflecting speed & certainty | Typically higher, if time and condition allow |
If your priority is speed, certainty, or avoiding the work of a traditional sale, a cash offer tends to make more sense. We set this entire process to be as smooth and easy as possible; let us handle the stress needed to satisfy your needs.
How to verify us before signing anything
Top questions from sellers
Single-family homes, condos, townhomes, small multi-family properties, and land, in any condition — including homes that need significant repair, homes with tenants in place, inherited properties, and properties that would be difficult to sell on the open market as-is.
No. Requesting a cash offer is free, and there's no obligation to accept it. You only move forward if the offer and timeline actually work for you.
Most closings take about one to three weeks from signed agreement to funds in your account, depending on the title company's timeline. If you need more time, a later closing date can typically be arranged instead.
Most delays come from things the title company uncovers during their search:
- Existing liens, judgments, or unpaid taxes on the property
- Unresolved probate or missing signatures from co-owners or heirs
- Municipal code violations or open permits
No. Submitting a request only starts a conversation. You're under no obligation until you sign a written purchase agreement, and that agreement includes your right to review terms before closing.
Longer reads on specific situations
New guides are added regularly as we research the questions sellers are actually searching for.
A cash offer means the buyer isn't relying on mortgage financing to complete the purchase — so there's no lender approval process, no appraisal contingency, and no risk of the deal collapsing because a bank says no. The buyer typically evaluates the property's condition, location, and comparable sales, then presents a written offer up front, before any inspection or walkthrough surprises change the number later.
From there, the process usually looks like: accept or negotiate the offer, sign a purchase agreement, a title company opens escrow and runs a title search, and funds are disbursed at closing — often in one to three weeks depending on what the title search turns up.
Before an inherited property can be sold, whoever is handling the estate generally needs legal authority to sell — often as the executor or personal representative appointed through probate. Depending on the state and whether the will grants specific sale powers, that can mean waiting on a court appointment, letters testamentary, or in some cases a court order approving the sale.
Because probate timelines vary significantly by state and by how contested or straightforward the estate is, the most reliable next step is a conversation with a probate attorney about where things stand — a cash buyer can often move forward as soon as that authority is confirmed, without waiting for the rest of probate to close out.
It depends what you're solving for. An agent-listed sale typically nets a higher sale price, but that number gets reduced by commission (commonly 5-6% combined), any repairs or staging needed to compete on the open market, seller-paid closing costs, and the carrying costs of however long the home sits on market before and during escrow.
A cash offer is lower up front, but there's no commission, no repair spend, often covered closing costs, and a compressed timeline — which matters when the cost of waiting (a second mortgage payment, an empty inherited house, a looming relocation) is real money too. Running both numbers side by side for your specific property is the only way to know which nets more for your situation.
In a traditional sale, closing costs are usually split by local custom, with sellers commonly covering title insurance, transfer taxes, and prorated property taxes, on top of agent commission. Many cash buyers structure their offer to cover the standard seller-side costs — title and escrow fees — as part of the deal, which is one reason a lower headline offer can still net a similar amount to a traditional sale once everything is accounted for.
The specific items covered should always be itemized in the purchase agreement before signing, since "closing costs covered" can mean different things between buyers.
Vacant homes carry their own risks the longer they sit — vandalism, weather damage, insurance complications, and the ongoing cost of taxes, utilities, and upkeep on a property nobody's living in. Because a cash sale skips showings and repairs, it's often handled almost entirely remotely: photos or a brief in-person walkthrough by the buyer's team, e-signed documents, and a mobile notary or remote online notarization at closing.
If you've moved out of state or inherited a property somewhere you don't live, ask directly whether the buyer can close without you needing to travel back for anything beyond the final signature.
Grab our one-page Offer Checklist — every document and detail worth gathering before you request your cash offer, so your call moves faster and nothing gets held up later: property basics, ownership and title documents, and situation-specific items if the property is inherited, in probate, tenant-occupied, or behind on payments.
Can't find or don't know some of these items? We can still work with you without initially obtaining those documents. Please do not hesitate to contact us or submit the cash offer form, so we can get your process started.
Have a situation that isn't covered here? Send it to us and we'll add it to the list.
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Our SEO team researches to find more of the questions sellers search for during this process. We encourage you to contact us should there be any questions left unanswered after reviewing our blog and FAQ page.
Ready to talk about your specific situation?
No pressure, no obligation — just a straightforward conversation about your options and a written cash offer if it's a fit.
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