Cash offer, agent, or iBuyer — which fits your house?
The short version: list with an agent if your home shows well and you can wait — it usually nets the most. Take a cash offer when condition, time, or your situation is the real problem. Here's the honest side-by-side so you can tell which is you — or get a free cash offer to compare against.
- As-Is — No Repairs
- No Fees or Commissions
- Close On Your Timeline
Your three options at a glance
Every path is the right one for someone. The question is which trade-off fits your house and your timeline.
| Local cash buyer (us) | List with an agent | iBuyer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical timeline | 7–14 days, or your date | 60–90+ days | 2–4 weeks |
| Repairs / cleanup | None — we buy as-is | Often required to sell | Minor; bigger issues deducted |
| Showings | None | Ongoing | None |
| Fees & commissions | None; we cover closing costs | ~5–6% commission + costs | Service fee, often ~5% |
| Sale price | Below retail, in exchange for speed | Highest, if it sells | Near retail, minus fees/deductions |
| Certainty of closing | High — no financing contingency | Buyer financing can fall through | Can re-trade after inspection |
| Best when | Condition, time, or situation is the problem | Home shows well and you can wait | Newer home in a standard market |
Generalized comparison for Chicagoland; specifics vary by property and market. Commission and fee figures are typical ranges, not quotes.
Compare in detail
Cash offer vs. listing with a realtor
Speed and certainty versus top dollar — which actually nets you more, and when.
Read the comparison →Local cash buyer vs. an iBuyer
Opendoor and Offerpad versus a local buyer — fees, condition rules, and who actually shows up.
Read the comparison →Sell as-is vs. renovate first
Does fixing up before selling pay off, or just cost you time and money you won't get back?
Read the comparison →Common questions
Which way of selling actually nets me the most money?
For a home in good condition where you can wait out a normal sale, listing with an agent usually nets the most, even after commissions. A cash sale trades some price for speed and certainty, and tends to come out ahead when the house needs work, when time matters, or when a situation like probate or foreclosure complicates a traditional listing.
Is selling to a cash buyer a normal thing to do?
Yes. Roughly a third of U.S. home purchases were all-cash in 2024 (32.6%). (Redfin, 2024). All-cash and off-market sales are a routine, mainstream part of the market — especially for homes that need work or owners who need certainty.
Do I have to decide right now?
No. Getting a cash offer is free and carries no obligation, so you can use it simply as a data point — a floor to compare a potential listing against. Plenty of sellers get our number, talk to an agent too, and then choose.
Will you tell me if listing would be better for me?
Yes, and we do. If we look at your property and think the open market would net you meaningfully more, we'll say so. We'd rather give you a straight answer than talk you into the wrong sale.
Why trust us with this?
You should be skeptical of anyone offering to buy a house they have not seen. Most owners get the postcards — no company name on them, a mobile number, a promise of top dollar. Being skeptical of that is the correct instinct, and we would rather you applied it to us as well.
So here is what can be checked. We have bought a great many houses in the situations sellers actually find themselves in — inherited and probate homes, pre-foreclosures, divorces, tenant-occupied buildings, long-vacant properties, fire and water damage, and houses nobody had touched in forty years. Whatever yours is, it is very unlikely to be the first of its kind for us. We look at the property before committing to a number, we show you how we got there, and you are never under any obligation to accept it.
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Buying since 2021
A local Chicagoland company, not a national brand or a call center.
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100+ properties closed
$5,334,500 paid out for houses across the six counties we serve.
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Our own funds, our own name
We are the buyer on the closing documents, through a local title company.
Use a cash offer as your baseline
It's free and there's no obligation — a real number to measure any other option against. We'll even tell you when listing would serve you better.
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