We Buy Houses is a franchise cash-for-homes company with independent offices in most states. The company specializes in quick home sales — many franchises extend offers in 24-48 hours.
Selling through We Buy Houses differs from working with an agent because you don’t list on the MLS. Instead, the company offers a cash deal for your home with no showings, repairs, or commissions required.
Customers are happy with We Buy Houses overall, but there is a tradeoff when you work with a cash buyer. Offers are typically well below fair-market value, and many homeowners can make more money on-market.
If you’re considering selling your home for cash, it's wise to get at least a few competing offers to make sure you're not leaving any money on the table.
To save time, you can start with an offers marketplace like Clever Offers. This free service brings you competing cash offers from a variety of local and national buyers, so you can compare your options and choose the best deal — without any added fees or pressure to move forward. Simply fill in a few details about your home, review offers without obligation, and sell in as little as 7 days.
We Buy Houses summary
- ⭐️ We Buy Houses has an average rating of 4.7 based on 286 customer reviews across Google and the BBB.
- 🧰 The company specializes in buying homes as-is, helping sellers who need to sell fast, want to avoid repairs, or require a flexible move-out date.
- 📍Availability: Major markets nationwide.
- 💰 We Buy Houses charges no fees to sellers and offers a transparent offer process.
- 🚩 The company was founded in 1997 and is BBB accredited with an A+ rating.
What properties are a good fit for We Buy Houses?
We Buy Houses works best for properties that sellers need to offload quickly or that might have a hard time fetching a traditional buyer.
You might consider selling to We Buy Houses if:
- Your house needs work, and you don’t want to make repairs. HomeVestors buys homes in their current condition, which may include significant issues like water damage, major system concerns, or foundation or roof problems.
- You need a quick sale. If you need to sell your house fast due to a job relocation, divorce, or foreclosure, HomeVestors can close in as little as three weeks.
- You’ve inherited a property you don’t want or need. As a beneficiary, you may not have the time, money, or desire to try to sell the home through an agent.
- You no longer want to maintain a rental property. Whether the house is vacant or occupied, most cash buyers will purchase rental properties you want to offload.
- The home has liens or title issues. Because these challenges can make it hard for buyers to secure financing, these properties may be more difficult to sell through a traditional transaction.
How We Buy Houses works
We Buy Houses offers a streamlined selling process for customers who want to sell their homes for cash. While the process may vary slightly from franchise to franchise, it typically happens like this:
- Step 1: Contact your local We Buy Houses investor via an online form, email, call, or text.
- Step 2: Arrange an appointment for an in-person home inspection with your local representative.
- Step 3: Receive an as-is cash offer (typically within 24-48 hours) and either accept or choose to walk away obligation-free.
- Step 4: Close in as few as 7-14 days. (Closing window may vary by location.)
We Buy Houses franchisees purchase a wide variety of homes, including single-family homes, townhouses, condos, duplexes, and smaller multi-unit properties. They can also accommodate home sellers with complex circumstances, such as liens, code violations, probate sales, fire damage, deferred maintenance, and more.
What are the costs of selling to We Buy Houses?
We Buy Houses licensees don't charge any fees or commissions, and there’s no cost to seek an offer. Most investors will also factor your closing costs into their offer, so what you see in the offer reflects the net amount you take away from the hoem sale.
The average cost to sell a house is about about 8–10% of the sale price. That means that if you sell your home for $400,000, you’ll pay $32,000 to $40,000 in closing costs, agent commissions, and associated costs like cleaning, landscaping, staging, and professional photography.
Real estate commission fees can range from 5–6% of the sale price if you agree to cover the buyer’s agent fee. In the example above, that could account for about $24,000 in selling costs.
However, the trade-off is that We Buy Houses offers are typically below market value, allowing the investor to earn a profit when they resell the house at market value later on.
How much do companies like We Buy Houses pay?
We Buy Houses licenses aren't required to adhere to a specific formula when making offers. But many cash investors start their offers at about 70% of a home's estimated after-repair value and make adjustments for repairs
For example, a home with an after-repair value of $500,000 needing $50,000 in repairs might receive a $300,000 offer ($500,000 ARV x 0.70 - $50,000 anticipated repairs).
While customer reviews vary, many report receiving a fair price given their home’s condition, even if below market value.
If your home is in fairly good condition, you may want to consider an iBuyer like Opendoor. iBuyers may be able to hit a bit closer to market value, but they'll also charge service fees and deduct the full costs of repairs and maintenance needed before reselling.
Another option is listing on the MLS with a realtor, allowing you to market the home 'as is' while still benefiting from the broader market exposure. Working with a low-commission agent can help you keep even more money in your pocket.
The table below summarizes what you can reasonably expect to pocket from these selling methods.
Cash buyer vs. realtor: Estimated net proceeds on a $400,000 house needing $20,000 in repairs
| Selling method | Estimated proceeds* |
|---|---|
| Investor / House flipper (Sold as is, no fees or closing costs) | $260,000 |
| iBuyer (Sold as is, $30,000 condition adjustment, 5% service fee, 1% in closing costs) | $308,400 |
| Full-commission realtor (Sold as is, $20,000 repair concession, 6% toward agent fees, 1% in closing costs) | $353,400 |
| Low commission realtor (Sold as is, $20,000 repair concession, 4% toward agent fees, 1% in closing costs) | $361,000 |
Is We Buy Houses reputable?
We Buy Houses is a reputable company with a long track record of facilitating cash home sales. The company was founded in 1997 by entrepreneur Jeremy Brandt and is based in Bedford, Texas. It has been BBB-accredited since 2006 and currently has an A+ rating.
We Buy Houses has national standards that its licensees must meet, and franchise owners must sign a Standard of Ethics pledging to act honestly with customers.
While customer ratings vary somewhat from location to location, the company maintains strong aggregates ratings overall, and most franchises have positive review activity within the past year.
That said, each franchise operates independently, and your experience will vary depending on who runs your local office. Before accepting an offer, it's worth researching your local licensee's reviews and asking for the addresses of the last few homes they have flipped, so you can verify their track record yourself.
🔍 How to vet a cash offer
- Request proof of funds. A reputable buyer should be able to provide a recent bank statement or a letter from their financial institution showing they have the cash available.
- Check the company's track record. If the buyer is with a company, look up that company’s online reviews, BBB ratings, and past transactions. Established buyers tend to have a visible history you can verify.
🚩 Red flags to watch out for
- No proof of funds. If they can’t or won’t document their ability to pay, they probably don’t have the money.
- High-pressure tactics. Scammers may push you to sign immediately, hoping you won’t have time to compare offers or seek advice.
- Low earnest money. A legitimate investor should be willing to put down at least a 1–2% earnest money deposit. The deposit should be due at signing and become non-refundable after a brief inspection period (less than 10 days). Insignificant deposits ($0–$500), deposits due after the inspection, or deposits that remain refundable up until closing are red flags.
- Vague or incomplete contracts. A legitimate buyer will provide clear, specific terms — including the length of the due diligence period, the amount of earnest money put down, the specific reasons that a contract may be cancelled, and what happens to the earnest money if a contract is cancelled outside of those reasons. Ambiguity often works in the other party’s favor, not yours.
- No reviews or sales history. If you can’t find any instance of the company online or they refuse to provide evidence of past deals, it’s a good idea to walk away.
We Buy Houses customer reviews
| Source | Average Rating | Review Count |
|---|---|---|
| BBB | 1 | 1 |
| 4.7 | 285 | |
| Weighted Average: | 4.7 | 286 |
We Buy Houses has overwhelmingly positive customer reviews, with a weighted average of 4.7 across BBB and Google reviews.
Happy reviewers praise We Buy Houses for franchisee professionalism and a seamless selling process, with most negative feedback coming from unverified customers who don’t approve of the company’s marketing techniques.
'They made everything extremely easy.'
Convenience is at the top of the list for most customers selling to We Buy Houses, and according to customer reviews, the cash buyer delivers on that front — making transactions quick and painless.
Peyton did an excellent job helping me through any hurdles. Closing was painless and absolutely quick as possible. Very reasonable offer especially considering how quickly we wanted to close. He also went above and beyond taking care of some challenges that had nothing to do with him. That made the transaction much easier. Was always quick to give me a call to assuage any concerns I had.
They made everything extremely easy and I didn't feel pressured to accept their offer. And I was able to get close to what I was hoping for the house.
'Offered a fair price'
We Buy Houses franchise owners also earn positive customer reviews for their fair offers and no-pressure approach.
My expectations were that I was going to be dealing with disreputable individuals who were looking to take advantage, but my experience with Igor was anything but that. Igor was knowledgeable, helpful and informative. He presented me with multiple options that were available. Igor provided me with much needed information and was willing to listen. He offered a fair price and was open to compromise so that everyone was happy.
I needed to move my Mother from her home to an assisted living facility. Steve met me at Mom's, made me a great offer, and purchased her house. No games, gimmicks, strong arming. He went beyond my expectations. I would definitely contact Steve if you want an easy, no pressure transaction. Thank you, Steve!
We Buy Houses pros & cons
Pros
- Quick and flexible closing process
- No repairs or agent fees required
- Most property types qualify
- Above average customer ratings
Cons
- Offers are typically lower than market value
Best cash offer alternatives to We Buy Houses
We Buy Houses makes solid cash offers on homes in any condition and has a good reputation with customers online. But the cash buyer isn’t the only one out there, and working with a competitor may better suit your needs.
Sellers who get competing offers tend to have better outcomes. Below are other highly rated cash home buying companies that can also help you close quickly and easily.
| Company | ⭐️ Avg. customer rating | ✔️ Best for | 📍 Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clever Offers | 4.9/5 (4,542 reviews) | Multiple offers, vetted buyers | Nationwide |
| Opendoor | 4.21/5 (4,460 reviews) | Fast cash for a home in good condition | Nationwide |
| HomeLight Simple Sale | 4.2/5 (1,276 reviews) | Compare a cash offer vs. an agent | Nationwide |
| MarketPro Homebuyers | 4.6/5 (821 reviews) | Fast cash for hard-to-sell homes | Select markets in DC, FL, GA, MD, NJ, PA, VA |
| We Buy Ugly Houses | 4.7/5 (3,001 reviews) | Fast cash for hard-to-sell homes | Nationwide |
The bottom line: Is We Buy Houses right for you?
You may want to consider We Buy Houses if you need to sell your home quickly, and if it needs significant repairs. Selling to the cash buyer is a smart choice if your home is/has:
- In a neighborhood with high crime or depreciating value
- Needing significant repairs on foundational or structural issues
- Facing foreclosure from missed mortgage payments
- Outdated systems like electrical, plumbing, or HVAC
If you have a home in good condition and can earn more on the open market, you may want to find a real estate agent or work with an iBuyer instead.
Remember that getting a cash offer doesn’t have to be an either-or decision. You can request quotes from cash home buying companies to establish a baseline, then ask a listing agent to match or beat that number within a set timeframe — factoring in commissions, repairs, and closing costs.
A free service like Clever Offers makes it easy to compare multiple options in one place, including cash offers and accelerated listings to help you maximize your sale price on a tight timeline.
