A legit cash home buyer closes through a title company, puts the price and every cost in a written purchase agreement, never asks you for money, and is a real person you can meet at the house. If a buyer fails any one of those, slow down before you sign.
Most cash buyers are honest. The ones that are not tend to show it in the same few ways, and you can spot every one of them before closing.
Does the money go through a title company?
In a real sale, the buyer's money goes to a title or settlement company. That company pays off your mortgage, records the deed and sends you your proceeds. You never hand money to the buyer, and you never sign the deed anywhere except at closing.
Ask the buyer which title company they use, then call that company at a number you looked up yourself, not one from an email. Real estate wire fraud usually starts with a fake email that changes the payment instructions at the last minute. A phone call to a number you found on your own stops it.
Is every cost written into the agreement?
Sellers ask us about closing costs and realtor fees on the first call, and again right before they sign. That is the right instinct. A spoken promise is not worth much on closing day, so check that the purchase agreement says who pays the closing costs, that there is no commission, and what price you receive.
Read it for the closing date and anything you are allowed to leave in the house, too. A legit buyer is fine with you showing the agreement to family or an attorney first. If someone says the offer disappears unless you sign today, treat that as your answer.
Are they asking you to pay anything?
A cash buyer should not charge you an application fee, an appraisal fee or anything up front to make an offer. Any cost at closing belongs in the agreement in plain numbers, and it comes out of the sale at the title company. If anyone asks you to send money before closing, stop there.
What if the buyer keeps asking for more time?
A real cash buyer can close on the date in the contract. Some of the sellers who call us were stuck with a buyer who kept asking for one extension after another, and it usually meant their financing was falling apart behind the scenes. One extension can happen for a good reason. A string of them means the money may not be there.
Others came to us after an Opendoor sale dragged on and changed along the way. Before you sign with anyone, ask what has to happen before they can close, and whether they have closed on that schedule before.
Can you meet them, and do they listen?
A lot of sellers do not want to sell their house to a voice in another state. That is reasonable. A local buyer can come to the house, walk it with you and answer questions face to face. If a buyer will not show up in person before you sign, ask why.
Pay attention to how they treat you, too. Sellers have told us they passed on other local buyers because they were rude or did not want to hear what the family was going through. The person buying your house should understand your situation before they talk numbers.
How a sale works with Memorable Home Buyers
Malachi Cooper runs Memorable Home Buyers. He lives in Baltimore County, comes to the house for the walkthrough, and stays your contact through closing. We buy houses for cash in Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County, Prince George's County and Harford County. Cash. As is. No closing costs or realtor fees. The offer is free, and we can close in as little as 14 days from the day you sign.
The sale closes through a title company, which handles the money and the deed. You get the purchase agreement in writing, and you can show it to anyone you trust before you sign.
Call or text 443-363-0949 for a free cash offer. There is no pressure and no commitment to sell.