How it works
Four steps, no surprises in the middle. Below the process, we've shown the actual arithmetic behind an offer, including why it comes in under what a listing might fetch.
You send the address
That's genuinely all we need to begin. We start with the Polk County assessor record, the last sale, the tax history and what comparable houses on nearby blocks have closed at recently.
We do this before contacting you so the first conversation is about your situation, not a questionnaire we could have answered ourselves.
We come back with a range
A preliminary number based on public record and whatever you told us about condition. It's a range at this stage, not a promise. Anyone quoting you an exact figure sight-unseen is going to revise it later.
If we think you'd do better listing with an agent, this is where we say so.
One walkthrough
Usually 20–30 minutes. We're confirming the things public record can't tell us: the roof, the foundation, the mechanicals, water in the basement. You don't need to clean, and you don't need to move anything.
We are not looking for reasons to reduce the number. A buyer who renegotiates at the last minute is the single most common complaint about this industry, and it's a bad way to run one.
A written offer, and a date you choose
The offer is in writing with no expiry games attached. Take it to a lawyer or an agent, and we'd encourage it. If you accept, closing happens at a local title company, and you choose the date: seven days if you need out, or two months if you're waiting on something.
There's no commission and no fee charged to you for an offer. Who pays which closing costs is set out in the purchase agreement, so that is the document to read rather than this page.
How we get to a number
Most cash-buyer sites won't show you this, which is exactly why it's worth showing. Every offer is a version of the same subtraction: what the house is worth once it's fixed, minus what fixing it costs, minus the margin that makes it a business rather than a hobby.
A worked example: a 1950s ranch in Beaverdale needing a fair bit
Illustrative figures to show the shape of the calculation, not a quote. A house needing less work keeps far more of its value. The renovation line is what moves an offer most, which is why condition matters more to the number than square footage does.
Why the margin exists
We're buying without an inspection contingency, without a financing contingency, and without knowing what's behind the walls. Some houses surprise us and that cost is ours, not yours. That certainty is the thing you're actually buying when you sell this way.
What this costs you
There's no fee for an offer and no commission on a sale. Who pays which closing costs is agreed in the purchase agreement, so read that rather than relying on a figure from a website. Anything already owed against the house comes out of the proceeds either way: the mortgage payoff, outstanding property taxes, or a lien if there is one. The title company handles those, and you'll see every line before you sign.