Guides to selling your house for cash

Cash Offer vs. Listing With an Agent: Which Puts More Money in Your Pocket?

Listing with an agent usually nets more money when your house is in good shape and you have a few months. A cash offer usually wins when the house needs major repairs, you face a deadline like foreclosure, or the sale is complicated. Compare net proceeds after commissions, repairs, concessions and holding costs, not just the offer price.

9 min read

Documents You Need to Sell Your House for Cash (Complete Checklist)

To sell a house for cash you usually need a government photo ID for every owner, a copy of the deed, a mortgage payoff statement, recent property tax bills, HOA contact and payoff details if you have an HOA, and any required seller disclosures. Estates also need a death certificate and court papers such as letters testamentary. Divorces need the decree.

8 min read

How Cash Home Buyers Calculate Their Offers, Step by Step

Most cash home buyers start with the after-repair value (ARV), what the house should sell for once fixed up. They subtract repair costs, holding costs, buying and selling costs, and their profit. A common investor rule of thumb is to offer about 70% of ARV minus repairs, though real offers vary by market, buyer and house.

8 min read

How Fast Can You Close a Cash Sale on a House?

A cash home sale can close in as little as 7 to 14 days because there is no mortgage, appraisal or underwriting, compared with about 42 days for a typical financed purchase. Two to four weeks is common. Title problems, liens, probate, missing heirs, HOA paperwork or a slow mortgage payoff statement can push closing back by weeks or months.

8 min read

How to Sell Your House Without a Realtor: FSBO, Flat-Fee MLS or Cash Buyer

You can sell a house without a Realtor three main ways: for sale by owner (FSBO), a flat-fee MLS listing, or a sale to a cash buyer. FSBO and flat-fee MLS save the listing commission but you do the work. A cash buyer is fastest and simplest but pays less. Only 5% of 2025 home sales were FSBO, per NAR.

9 min read

How to Spot a Cash Home Buyer Scam Before It Costs You Your House

The biggest cash home buyer scam red flags are being asked to sign your deed directly to a buyer, pay any upfront fee, or let the buyer hold the earnest money. Protect yourself by asking for proof of funds, closing only through a title company or real estate attorney you can verify, checking reviews and state records, and confirming wire instructions by phone.

9 min read

Where to Sell Your House for Cash This Week (and How to Close in About 7 Days)

You can sell your house for cash in about a week if the title is clear, there is no probate, your loan payoff is known, and a title company can schedule closing. Get offers from several local cash buyers at once, pick one with proof of funds, and close at a title company or attorney's office. Two to four weeks is more common.

9 min read

What Is Real Estate Wholesaling? What Sellers Need to Know Before Signing

Real estate wholesaling is when someone signs a contract to buy your house, then sells that contract to another investor for a fee instead of buying the house themselves. It is legal in most states when disclosed, but several states, including Illinois, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas, now regulate it. Ask any buyer: are you buying this house yourself, or assigning the contract?

9 min read

How to Sell a Fire-Damaged House (and What to Do First)

You can sell a fire-damaged house as-is or repair it first. Start by filing your insurance claim and securing the property, since the claim money is often worth more than the price difference. Most retail buyers cannot get a mortgage on a badly damaged home, so cash buyers and investors are the usual buyers for a house that has not been repaired.

9 min read

How to Sell a Hoarder House, With or Without Cleaning It Out

You can sell a hoarder house without cleaning it out. Cash buyers and investors buy hoarder homes as-is and handle the cleanout themselves, but they subtract that cost and their risk from the offer. Clearing the house first, even partly, usually brings more buyers and a higher price. Save personal papers and valuables before any sale.

9 min read

How to Sell a House As-Is (and What "As-Is" Really Means)

Selling a house as-is means you will not make or pay for repairs, and the buyer takes the home in its current condition. It does not let you hide problems. Most states still require you to disclose known defects, and buyers usually still inspect. As-is homes sell to cash investors, iBuyers, and some retail buyers, typically at a lower price.

9 min read

How to Sell a House in Probate (and When the Court Has to Approve It)

You can sell a house during probate once the court appoints a personal representative (executor or administrator) and issues Letters giving that person authority. Depending on the state and the authority granted, the sale may need court confirmation, which can add weeks and open the deal to overbids. Heirs agreeing, a clear title, and a buyer who accepts the court timeline keep it moving.

9 min read

How to Sell a House With Foundation Problems

You can sell a house with foundation problems, but most states expect you to disclose what you know. Start with a structural engineer's report so you know the real problem and cost. Then choose: repair and list for full price, list as-is to buyers with cash or renovation loans, or sell to a cash buyer who prices the repair into the offer.

9 min read

Selling a House With Liens or Back Taxes: How Liens Get Paid at Closing

You can sell a house that has liens or unpaid property taxes. The title company finds every recorded lien, gets a payoff amount for each one, and pays them from the sale money at closing. You keep what is left. If the liens add up to more than the house is worth, you need the lienholders to accept less, or the sale cannot close.

9 min read

How to Sell an Inherited House: Who Can Sign, Taxes, and Timeline

To sell an inherited house, the person with legal authority must sign: an executor or administrator if the home goes through probate, or the new owner if it passed by transfer-on-death deed, trust, or joint tenancy. Heirs usually get a stepped-up tax basis equal to the home's value at the date of death, so capital gains tax is often small.

10 min read

How to Sell a House During a Divorce

To sell a house during a divorce, both spouses usually must agree and sign, and any court orders on property must be followed. The usual paths are selling and splitting the proceeds, or one spouse buying the other out with a refinance. Get the plan in writing in your settlement or a court order, and talk to a family law attorney before you sign a listing or purchase contract.

9 min read

Selling a House Facing Foreclosure: Your Options, Your Deadlines, and the Scams to Avoid

If you are facing foreclosure, you can usually still sell the house any time before the foreclosure sale, and if you have equity, selling can pay off the loan and leave money for you. Other options include reinstatement, forbearance, loan modification, a short sale, or a deed in lieu. Call a free HUD-approved housing counselor at 800-569-4287, and never sign your deed over to a rescue company.

10 min read

How to Sell a House With Tenants Living in It

You can sell a house with tenants in it, but in most states the lease stays in force after the sale, and the buyer becomes the new landlord. You can sell to an investor who wants the tenant, wait for the lease to end, or offer the tenant money to move early. Notice rules, entry rules and eviction limits depend on your state and city.

9 min read

Selling Your House After a Job Loss or Relocation: Your Options, Compared

After a job loss or work move, your main options are to sell (on the market or for cash), rent the house out, ask your servicer about forbearance or a loan modification, or use an employer relocation package. Call your servicer and a free HUD-approved housing counselor first. A fast cash sale makes sense when you cannot carry the payments and time matters more than top price.

9 min read