Is selling your house for cash actually a good deal?
Sometimes yes. Often no. We buy houses for a living, so read this knowing that — but we would rather tell you the truth now than waste an afternoon of your time and ours.
The short version
A cash sale almost always produces a lower gross price than a well-prepared listing. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. What you get in exchange is speed, certainty, and not having to fund repairs or manage the process.
The right question isn't "which pays more." It's "which one can I actually do, given the house I have and the time I've got."
When a cash sale genuinely makes sense
- The house needs work you can't fund. This is the most common one by a distance. If a lender's appraiser would flag the roof, the foundation or dead mechanical systems, most buyers who need a mortgage are out — and your realistic buyer pool is cash either way.
- You need a certain closing date. A relocation, a probate deadline, a foreclosure sale date. Listings fall through; roughly one in six do, usually at financing.
- The property is occupied or hard to show. Tenants who won't cooperate, a house full of a lifetime of belongings, a property you'd have to fly in to manage.
- You're out of state. Coordinating repairs and showings from another time zone costs more than the discount, often much more.
- You want it over. That's a legitimate reason, and nobody should make you feel bad about it. Some houses come with situations attached, and the money isn't the only cost.
When you should not sell to us
If you're in any of these, call an agent instead. We'd rather you did.
- Your house is already market-ready. Clean, updated, nothing broken. You'll net more on the open market even after commission. It isn't close.
- You have two to three months and no deadline. Time is most of what you're selling us. If you don't need to sell it, don't.
- Maximum price is your main goal. Then list it. That's what listings are for.
- You can afford the repairs and don't mind managing them. The money you spend on a kitchen usually comes back at resale. The money we spend on it comes out of your offer.
- You have real equity and a livable house. You have options. Use them.
We're not being noble here. A seller who accepts an offer they resent tells everyone they know. A seller we sent to an agent sometimes sends us their neighbour whose house actually does need us.
Don't take our word for it
The calculator compares a cash sale, a renovate-then-sell partnership, taking over payments, and a traditional listing — side by side, with your mortgage and any liens subtracted. It'll tell you when an agent beats us.
Still think we might be the right fit?
Tell us about the house. If an agent would serve you better, we'll say so on the call.