Cash buyers · San Diego & South Bay
Cash home buyers in San Diego: how it works, and how to tell a real buyer from a bad one.
“We buy houses” postcards and texts are everywhere in the South Bay. Some come from legitimate local buyers; some from lead resellers or wholesalers who never intend to close. Here's how to tell the difference — and how we operate.
The basics
What a cash home buyer actually does
A cash buyer purchases your property directly, without a mortgage lender, and takes on any repairs after closing. Because there's no loan, there's no appraisal contingency and the closing date is flexible. The sale still runs through a licensed California escrow company and a title insurer — the same protections as any other sale.
The trade: you skip repairs, commissions, showings, and uncertainty, and in exchange the price is generally below what a fully renovated, agent-listed home would fetch. Whether that trade is worth it depends on the condition of the house and your situation.
The offer
How a fair cash offer is built
After-repair value
What similar homes in your neighborhood sell for once they're renovated. This is the starting point, based on real recent sales — not a website estimate.
Repair cost
What it would cost to bring the house to that condition — roof, plumbing, electrical, unpermitted work, cosmetics. We estimate this on the walkthrough and can show you the line items.
Buying, holding, and resale costs
Escrow and title on both ends, property taxes and insurance while we own it, and the cost of eventually reselling. Real costs, not padding.
Our margin
We're a business and need a reasonable return for the risk and work. We're transparent about this rather than hiding it inside the other numbers.
Questions to ask
What to ask any cash buyer before you sign
- Are you buying this property yourself, or assigning the contract to someone else?
- Which escrow and title company will close, and can I choose my own?
- Is there an inspection contingency, and what happens if you cancel during it?
- Will you deposit earnest money into escrow, and how much?
- How did you arrive at the offer price? Can you show me the comparable sales?
- Are there any fees I'll be charged at closing?
Red flags
Signs of a buyer who may not close
Pressure to sign today
A real offer will still be there tomorrow. Urgency tactics usually mean the buyer is worried you'll compare.
A price that drops right before closing
Some buyers make a high offer to win the contract, then “discover” problems and renegotiate when you have no time left. Ask how repairs are handled up front.
No earnest money or a token amount
Earnest money in escrow is the buyer's skin in the game. Little or none means they can walk with nothing at stake.
Unusual documents
Be cautious with option agreements, memorandums recorded against your title, or anything you don't fully understand. Have a California attorney review it. California also requires anyone acting as a broker to be licensed; a wholesaler marketing your contract without a license is a warning sign.
How we work
Our commitments to South Bay sellers
- You talk to the same person from the first call through closing — we're a family-run local buyer, not a call center.
- We show you the comparable sales and repair estimate behind our number.
- We use licensed California escrow and title companies, and you're welcome to choose your own.
- We tell you in writing if we intend to assign the contract to a partner buyer rather than close ourselves.
- No fees, no commissions, and we don't renegotiate unless we find something we couldn't have seen — and we'll tell you what it was.
- No obligation at any point, including after you've received the offer.
How it works
How selling to us works
- 1
Tell us about the house
Enter the address and answer a few quick questions — or just talk to us. You don't need to know anything about the market.
- 2
We look and we talk
We review comparable sales, do one walkthrough, and may ask a few questions. No pressure, no obligation.
- 3
Get a written offer and pick your date
If the house fits what we buy, you get a clear cash offer with the math behind it. Accept it or not — and if you do, close on your timeline.
FAQ
Questions San Diego homeowners ask
Are cash buyers legitimate?
Many are; some aren't. Legitimate buyers close through escrow, deposit earnest money, show you how they priced the house, and don't pressure you. Use the questions on this page with any buyer, including us.
Will a cash buyer pay full market value?
Generally no — a cash offer reflects the home's current condition, the cost of repairs, and the buyer's costs and return. For a house that needs work or a seller who needs certainty, the net can still compare well to listing after repairs, commissions, and holding costs.
What is a wholesaler, and are you one?
A wholesaler contracts to buy a house and then assigns that contract to another buyer for a fee. In California, marketing a property you don't own can require a real estate license. We may purchase directly or work with a partner buyer depending on the property, and we tell you which in writing before anything is signed.
Can I get a cash offer and still list with an agent?
Yes. Getting our number costs nothing, and comparing it to an agent's net-proceeds estimate is a smart way to decide.
Free tools
Run your own numbers
- Cash offer vs. listing calculator
Side-by-side net proceeds: a cash offer today versus listing with an agent after costs and time.
- As-is offer estimator
Work backward from after-repair value to see what an as-is offer range looks like and why.
- Cost to sell a house
Every common selling cost itemized — commission, escrow and title, transfer tax, reports, prep, concessions, holding — and your resulting net.
Go deeper
Guides for this situation
Related
Other situations we help with
- Sell my house fast
What actually makes a sale slow, and how a direct cash purchase removes those steps.
- Sell house as-is
What “as-is” means in California, what you still have to disclose, and what condition really does to the price.
- House that needs repairs
Fix-and-list versus sell-as-is: which repairs pay back, which don't, and how to compare the two honestly.
- Vacant house
What an empty house costs and risks, what the city expects of vacant-property owners, and how to sell it without going back to fix it.
See what we could pay for your San Diego house.
Enter the address. It takes two minutes and there's no obligation.