A high offer can get your attention. Before you sign, find out who is making it, where the money will come from, and what the agreement lets each side do.
An investor offer is not always a direct cash purchase. Different structures can be legitimate. The seller should know which one is being proposed.
Use the questions below with any buyer, including House For Cash. Think proof before promises: look for a clear plan, written terms and a real history—not just a confident pitch.
1. Ask what kind of transaction is being offered
Start with five direct questions:
- Do you or your company intend to purchase the property directly?
- Can the purchase agreement be assigned to someone else?
- Do you expect another buyer to become involved?
- Will the property be marketed to another buyer before closing?
- Does this purchase depend on finding another buyer?
An assignment, wholesale transaction or marketed-resale arrangement is not automatically improper. But the explanation should match the written agreement. Ask who expects to take title—legal ownership—at closing.
2. Ask how the buyer expects to fund the purchase
A credible buyer does not have to keep the entire purchase price in one bank account. Funding may come from available cash, legitimate financing or a combination of both.
Evidence may include:
- Recent bank or brokerage records with sensitive details redacted.
- A proof-of-funds letter.
- Private or hard-money funding—a loan from a private lender.
- Institutional funding or a committed credit facility.
The better question is: Is there a credible, reasonably verifiable source of enough money to close, and what conditions apply?
Ask whether the evidence is current, applies to the proposed buyer and covers this purchase. A lender letter may still require approval of the property or other conditions. Ask how the funding can be checked without exposing private account details.
A funding source intended to fund closing is different from a transaction that depends on locating another buyer. Sellers should understand which situation applies to their agreement. Neither a funding letter nor a confident promise guarantees that closing will happen.
3. Read the agreement—not just the price
A short contract is not automatically better than a long one. State forms and required disclosures can add pages to a legitimate agreement. What matters is whether an ordinary seller can find and understand the key business terms.
Before signing, locate:
- The exact purchase price.
- The earnest-money or good-faith deposit and its delivery deadline.
- The closing date.
- Inspection and due-diligence periods.
- Cancellation and extension rights.
- Any price-renegotiation provisions.
- Assignment provisions.
- Financing conditions, if any.
- The seller’s and buyer’s obligations.
- Who pays which closing costs.
- What happens if the buyer does not close.
Ask for an explanation of anything unclear. If a spoken promise matters to your decision, ask where it appears in the agreement. Consider an independent real estate attorney for questions about your rights or the meaning of a term.
4. Understand the deposit
Ask how much is due, when it must be delivered and who will hold it. Then ask when it is refundable, when it might become nonrefundable and what happens if the buyer does not close.
A larger deposit does not automatically make a buyer more credible. The point is to understand whether a real deposit exists and what the written agreement says about it. Ask the named deposit holder how receipt will be confirmed.
Do not assume a missed closing automatically gives you the deposit. The agreement, remaining conditions and applicable law matter.
5. Understand inspection and due-diligence rights
Reasonable inspections are a normal part of many purchases. The details still affect your plans. Ask:
- How long is the inspection period?
- Can the buyer cancel for any reason during it?
- Can the buyer ask to change the price afterward, and what can I do if I disagree?
- Can the buyer extend a deadline without my approval?
- When does the buyer become obligated to proceed, if at all?
A request to lower the price is not the same as a right to change it without your agreement. Understand what the documents actually allow.
6. Ask whether the agreement can be assigned
Assignment generally involves transferring contractual rights to another buyer. An assignable agreement is not automatically a problem. Ask whether the current buyer plans to assign, who may ultimately close and whether the original buyer remains responsible.
If another buyer may ultimately close, the seller should understand whether the original buyer remains obligated under the agreement and what happens if no replacement buyer is found.
Wholesaling and assignment rules vary by state. Some jurisdictions impose disclosure, licensing, registration, marketing, cancellation-right or other requirements. Do not assume a form used elsewhere meets the requirements for your property. For one state-specific example, see the Oregon Real Estate Agency’s wholesaling overview.
7. Verify a real track record
Look beyond broad claims. Useful evidence may include:
- Completed transactions with recognizable property addresses.
- Original property photos and clearly labeled before/after photos.
- Walkthrough videos and transaction-specific seller testimonials.
- Identifiable business information and a verifiable history of activity.
Ask what role the business played in the examples it presents. A company may have been the purchaser, the contract holder, the transaction organizer, or another participant. Those are different roles, and credible examples should not blur the distinction. Photos alone do not establish that a company bought a property or completed a sale.
You can apply the same test to us: explore selected House For Cash case studies. They document different properties and seller situations rather than promise the same result for everyone.
8. Read reviews and listen to seller stories
Reviews are useful when they describe what actually happened. Look for details about communication, the written terms, changes along the way and closing. Consider patterns across multiple reviews and sources, rather than relying on one rating.
Read House For Cash Google reviews and seller testimonials as part of your own comparison. No review proves a future outcome, but a real history is more informative than promises alone.
9. Verify who will handle closing
Settlement practices vary by state. Ask:
- Which title company, closing attorney or settlement provider will handle the sale?
- Can I contact that office independently?
- When will it receive the signed agreement?
- When should I expect to receive or review the settlement statement and other closing documents?
Use independently verified contact details to confirm the office and its role. If money-transfer instructions arrive, confirm them through a trusted contact method before acting. The CFPB’s closing-fraud guidance explains why this extra check matters.
10. Understand what happens if the buyer does not close
Ask which cancellation rights and conditions remain, whether the buyer can extend closing, and what happens to the deposit. Find out how long the property could remain under agreement and what remedies the seller may have.
Is the closing date firm after contingencies expire, or can the buyer extend it under the agreement?
The key question is whether the buyer has a firm obligation to close or still has material conditions that allow an exit. Have an independent attorney explain unclear terms before you rely on them. This guide is general education, not legal advice.
How House For Cash looks at a purchase
We generally prefer a straightforward purchase when it fits because it is usually the simplest transaction for both sides.
When we buy directly, the numbers still have to account for the property condition, repairs, financing or carrying costs, resale risk and a reasonable profit.
But every house, mortgage and seller situation is different. Limited equity, a high mortgage balance, repairs, liens, a specific cash need or timing can affect what is practical.
In some situations, another purchase structure may be worth discussing if it better fits the seller’s goals and the property’s numbers. It should be explained and documented, including its limits and risks. We evaluate options case by case; we do not offer every structure in every state or transaction.
For example, selling subject to an existing mortgage involves different questions from a purchase that pays off the loan at closing. Transferring title does not itself release the original borrower, cure delinquency or stop foreclosure.
If the purchase options do not fit your goals, listing with a Realtor may make more sense. Our Cash Offer vs. Realtor guide helps explain that choice.
A good operator should be willing to explain the proposed transaction and why it might—or might not—fit. That includes us.
Ask for clarity before you commit
You deserve to understand the buyer, funding, terms and closing plan before deciding. Proof before promises is a useful standard for every offer.
Call House For Cash at (407) 214-0772 or request a no-obligation property review. We can discuss your property, obligations, timing and goals, then explain what purchase options, if any, we may offer. Contacting us does not commit you to a sale or a particular structure.