Before you sign: seller guides
What every homeowner should know before selling to a cash buyer, with the sources we relied on.
- Is My Cash Home Buyer Legit? A Checklist Before You SignHow to check a "we buy houses" company before you sign: proof of funds, earnest money, contract clauses, and the red flags regulators warn about.
- Earnest Money When Selling to a Cash Buyer: What's Normal and What's a Red FlagWhat an earnest money deposit is, how much is typical, who should hold it, and why a cash buyer who puts down $10 or nothing is a warning sign.
- The "Reduction Call": When a Cash Buyer Cuts Your Price Right Before ClosingDays before closing, the buyer calls to lower the price. How the reduction call (retrade) works, and how to protect yourself before you sign.
- Lis Pendens: Can a Cash Buyer Tie Up Your House If You Try to Cancel?If you try to cancel an investor contract, the buyer may sue and record a lis pendens that can stall any other sale. What it is and how it gets removed.
- Assignment of Contract: How to Tell If Your "Cash Buyer" Is Really a WholesalerMany "we buy houses" buyers sell your contract to another investor for a fee. How assignment works, how to spot it, and your rights.
- Cash Buyer Contract Red Flags: 10 Things to Check Before You SignWhat to check in a cash buyer's contract: "and/or assigns," escape clauses, tiny deposits, one-sided default terms, recording clauses, and subject-to deals.
- Real Estate Wholesaling Laws by State (2026): All 50 StatesWhich states license or regulate real estate wholesalers, what they must disclose, and where sellers can cancel. All 50 states and DC, with sources.
- Double Closing Explained: What It Means When Your Buyer Resells the Same DayIn a double closing, an investor buys your house and resells it, often the same day. How it differs from assignment and what it means for you.
- Memorandum of Contract: How a Buyer Can Put a "Cloud" on Your TitleSome investors record a memorandum of contract against your home, which can stop you from selling to anyone else. What it is and how it gets removed.