Your Options, Compared
Ways To Sell Your House
If you have never sold a house before, or never one like this, here is the part nobody explains. A cash offer is one way to sell. It is not the only way, and it is not always the one that leaves you with the most money.
There are three paths worth knowing about. Which ones are open to you depends on the house, your timing, and what you need out of it.
1. Sell to us for cash
What it is. We buy the house directly from you, exactly as it sits. You do not fix anything, clean anything, or show it to anyone. No agent, and no waiting to find out whether a buyer’s loan gets approved.
What it costs you. Some price. A cash offer comes in below what the house would sell for on the open market after it has been fixed up and marketed for a few months. That is the trade for speed and certainty, and we would rather say it plainly than pretend otherwise.
What you pay. Nothing. No fees, no commission, and we cover the closing costs.
How long. An offer within 24 hours. Closing in 10 to 30 days, or whatever date you pick.
Fits someone who needs to sell fast, needs the cash now, and wants a quick, simple, private sale.
2. List it with an agent
What it is. The way most houses are sold. An agent puts it on the market, buyers come look at it, and you accept the best offer that holds together.
If your house is in California, Justin is a licensed agent here and can list it for you at 1%. The listing side is typically 2.5% to 3%. On a $750,000 house that is roughly $15,000 that stays with you.
The buyer’s agent commission is separate and negotiable, usually 2.5% to 3%, and that is true whoever lists your house.
Anywhere outside California, if listing is the right call, we will help you find the best agent. We know what to ask, what to look for, and how to find an agent who understands your goals.
What it costs you. Time and effort. Three to five months is normal. You pay commission and closing costs, you cover repairs a buyer’s inspection turns up, and you keep making payments the whole time it sits.
Fits someone whose house shows well already, who has time, and who wants to see what the open market will pay.
3. A structured sale
In some situations we can structure a sale that gets you full market value and still closes fast. Not every house qualifies, and we will tell you honestly whether yours does.
If your mortgage rate is in the 2s, 3s or 4s, that is usually where this comes up. A low rate loan is an asset in today’s market, and in the right situation it can work in your favor instead of simply disappearing at closing.
Fits someone who wants the highest number and has some flexibility in how the money reaches them. Worth mentioning your rate on the first call.
The Only Number That Matters Is What You Keep
Here is the part nobody explains.
When an agent tells you your house is worth $750,000, that is not money you get. That is a starting number. Out of it comes commission, closing costs, whatever repairs the buyer asks for, and every mortgage payment you make while the house sits on the market waiting to sell.
When we make you a cash offer, that number is what you get. Nothing comes out of it.
So a lower offer can still leave you with more. That is the whole point of this page.
This is an example. Your numbers will be different.
| Sell to us | List it with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Asking price | $750,000 | |
| What it actually sells for | $580,000 | $720,000 |
| Repairs and buyer credits | $0 | $35,000 |
| Commission | $0 | $36,000 |
| Closing costs | $0 | $14,400 |
| Payments while it sits | $0 | $35,000 |
| You keep | $580,000 | $599,600 |
| Time to close | 10 to 30 days | 3 to 5 months |
The listing sold for $140,000 more than the cash offer and the gap in what you actually keep is about $20,000. That is why the price on the sign is not the number to compare.
In this example listing comes out about $20,000 ahead, and it takes four months of showings, repairs and payments to get there. Whether that trade is worth it is your call, not ours. Sometimes the gap is wider. Sometimes the cash offer wins outright. We run these numbers on your actual house before you decide anything.
Sometimes A Little Work Changes The Number A Lot
Not a renovation. Paint, fixtures, flooring, cleaning up the yard. The things a buyer notices in the first ten seconds.
We have seen ten thousand dollars of the right work add forty thousand to a sale price. We have also seen people spend fifty thousand on the wrong things and get very little of it back. Knowing the difference is most of the job.
If we look at your house and see that kind of upside, we will tell you, and show you the numbers so you can decide whether it is worth the extra months.
Which Paths Are Actually Open To You
Not every option works on every house.
What you owe on it, what it needs, how soon you need the money, and how much time you have all narrow the list. A structured sale does not fit every property. Listing makes no sense if you have to be out in three weeks.
One conversation is usually enough to figure out which paths are real for you. If one of them is not, we will say so up front instead of letting you find out later.
See What Your House Would Actually Net You
We will run the numbers on every path that fits your house, and show you where each figure came from.