Introduction

If you’re wondering about selling your house in today’s rocky market, you’re clearly not alone. But you don’t necessarily have to go through the trouble of discovering a buyer or an investor on the open market. Instead, you can opt to sell straight to a company that will pay in total upfront — an all-cash sale.

As a company, cash buyers or house-buying companies are people or commodities that directly buy your house and, usually in as-is condition, without the necessity for lender financing.

Generally, selling your house to a cash buyer allows you to overlook the home prep, showings, and staging nuisances and arrange a more relaxed closing timeline to conform with the purchase of your next tenancy.

However, not all cash buyers have the same business model. It’s a fair idea to know whom you’re contacting to bid on a cash offer for your home. To keep it accessible, we’ve grouped these buyers into a few broader sorts you’re likely to experience.

Here’s everything you need to know about companies that buy houses for cash.

Investors buying houses.

Investors buy houses for the purpose of stacking wealth and profits. Some of these investors flip houses for capital, while others choose to drive rental income from the property. They typically pay cash for the houses they purchase. You will encounter two types of investors:

·        Buy-and-hold cash buyers.

Buy-and-hold investors buy houses for cash and then usually convert them into rental properties for their profit. They may sell a property if they get a reasonable appraisal, but mostly, they hold on to it indefinitely. This category of cash-buyers includes investors who buy and rent out the property for passive income. You have more flexible closing dates along with a good chance of getting a better price when you sell to a buy-and-hold investor. They prove to be a better option than those who are house flippers.

·        House flippers

Whether a small mom-and-pop operation or a more significant business, flippers buy homes. They often buy them in poorer conditions and at a lower price with the intent of renovating them and reselling them for more. Home flippers remain on top in the cash house-buying marketplace. Data from 2022 reports that 407-417 single-family houses and condos were flipped, or in other words, 8.4% of all home sales.

Large-scale house buyers

·        HomeVestors

You have probably gone through ads for companies signifying “We Buy House for Cash”. However, these companies fall into the house flippers category listed above. Still, they are worthy of their category because of their growing prominence and reliability in the open market. You will find many house-buying franchises across America like Investors Buying Houses and We Buy Ugly Houses. 

iBuyers

An iBuyer, also called an instant buyer, is a distinct type of house-buying company that first appeared in the mid-2010s. iBuyers operate automated valuation models (AVMs) to make competitive proposals on homes that are typically in more acceptable condition. Examples include Open-door and Offer pad.

While iBuyers usually pay more for homes than flippers or buy-and-hold investors, they charge an assistance fee of around 5%. Since they overlook making less profit per flip, iBuyers rely more on turning over a lofty volume of houses using technology to streamline procedures.

·        Opendoor

Opendoor was launched in 2014 and is deemed the nation’s pioneering iBuying forum. It buys houses directly from sellers who can quickly receive a no-obligation offer in minutes by presenting information online.

According to the company’s FAQ page, Opendoor generally purchases houses in the range of $100,000 – $600,000. Still, in some matters, it will go up to $1.4 million, depending on the market.

Opendoor buys houses in diverse conditions, but standards like a short sale, unpermitted acquisitions, primary foundation problems, surge or fire damage, or dated materials may affect the company’s decision to purchase a house.

·        Offerpad

Offerpad was launched in 2015 and is one of the most considerable iBuyers by transaction volume, along with Opendoor. Sellers spend three minutes filling out a questionnaire, providing details about their property, according to the company website.

The option to upload pictures or take Offerpad on a 15-minute virtual walkthrough of the house potentially results in a more competitive proposal. Sellers commonly obtain a no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours. If you’re moving locally, Offerpad will even pay a professional moving company to lug your furniture and belongings to your new home.

Are cash-for-home companies legit?

The answer to this is Yes! There are many legitimate companies out there that buy houses for cash, will leave you with a beautiful experience, and are good on their word. However, we always suggest that you do your due diligence on any buyer before you provide personal information or sign a contract.

Examine properties that the firm bought and sold in your neighbourhood and review public records to check its dealing history. Additionally, request references of other home sellers who have sold their property to the investor or house-buying company before you and give them a call to ask about their experiences.

The bottom line

We can undoubtedly be sure about one thing: cash-house companies are not going anywhere. And they are becoming more prominent and favored with a mixture of sellers, not just those in distress.

iBuyers and other cash-buying companies will continue to become more mainstream and much highlighted in the industry. Technology is making it simpler and easier to sell a house virtually, so you may get a better price than your expectations if your home is in perfect condition and a desirable area.