Cash Home Buyers Who Actually Close
Search "cash home buyers" and you will find hundreds of websites that look identical. Most of them are not buyers at all. They are lead brokers and wholesalers. Here is how to tell the difference before you sign anything.
Three Types of "Cash Buyer"
The phrase covers three very different businesses, and the difference matters enormously when you are the seller.
1. Direct buyers
A direct buyer purchases with their own capital, takes title in their own name or an entity they control, and closes. Terra Nova Equity is a direct buyer. When we sign a purchase agreement, we are the buyer on it.
2. Wholesalers
A wholesaler signs a purchase agreement with you, then markets that contract to investors for an assignment fee. If they find a buyer, the investor closes. If they do not, the contract is cancelled and you have lost weeks. Wholesaling is legal in most states, but it is not the same as selling to a buyer, and it should be disclosed.
3. Lead brokers
A lead broker runs an attractive website, collects your information, and sells it to local investors. You may get several calls from different companies. None of them is the website you submitted to.
Questions That Separate Them in One Call
You do not need to be an expert to protect yourself. Ask these directly and listen for evasive answers:
- "Are you buying this with your own funds, or assigning the contract?" A direct buyer answers immediately. A wholesaler usually pivots to "we work with a network of investors."
- "Can you send proof of funds?" A real buyer can produce a bank or lender letter. This is a normal request, not an insult.
- "Whose name will be on the purchase agreement?" If it is an LLC, ask whether that entity is the one closing.
- "What is your cancellation or assignment clause?" If the contract lets them walk for any reason and assign to anyone, you are talking to a wholesaler.
- "How did you calculate the offer?" A serious buyer can explain after-repair value, repair scope, and costs.
Red Flags Worth Walking Away From
- Any upfront fee, application fee, or "marketing" fee charged to you
- Pressure to sign the same day, before you have seen the contract
- A contract with no earnest money, or earnest money of a few hundred dollars
- No physical address or licensed entity behind the website
- Refusal to put the offer in writing
- A request for you to deed the property before closing
Why We Publish Our Process
Most cash buyer sites are deliberately vague. We are not, because vague is how sellers get taken advantage of. Our offer is written, our math is explainable, our contract names us as the buyer, and we close through a licensed title company or attorney in your state.
We also tell sellers when a listing is the better option. If your house is in good condition, you have six months, and you are not under pressure, an agent will usually net you more. A cash sale is a tool for a specific set of situations, not a universal answer.
What We Buy
Any Condition
Fire damage, mold, foundation issues, missing roof, hoarder conditions, and open code violations.
Any Situation
Foreclosure, probate, divorce, relocation, tired landlord, or a house that has sat empty for years.
Any Market
We evaluate properties in all 50 states, from major metros to rural counties.
Land and Lots
Vacant residential lots, rural acreage, and parcels that conventional lenders will not finance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ask three questions: Are you buying with your own funds or assigning my contract to someone else? Can you show proof of funds? And who is named as the buyer on the purchase agreement? A direct buyer will answer all three plainly. A wholesaler will usually avoid the first one.
A cash buyer closes with their own money and takes title. A wholesaler puts your property under contract and then sells that contract to an investor for a fee. If the investor does not appear, the wholesaler may cancel, and you have lost weeks.
A legitimate direct buyer does not charge you a commission or a fee. The profit is built into the offer price. Be cautious of anyone asking for an upfront fee, an application fee, or a percentage of the sale to "market" your property.
Some will. The defense is to get more than one offer and to ask for the math behind each one. A serious buyer can explain the after-repair value, the repair estimate, and the costs they are accounting for.
We evaluate properties in all 50 states. Submit the address and we will tell you whether it fits our buy box. If it does not, we will say so rather than waste your time.
Talk to a Direct Buyer
No lead forms sold to third parties. Submit your property and we will review it ourselves.
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