The sequence
1. First contact
Address, rough condition, your timeline, and whether anything is owed against the property. Ten minutes. A buyer who gives you a firm number here without seeing the house is guessing, and that number will move later.
2. The walkthrough
Someone looks at the property. No cleaning, no staging, no leaving the house. This is where a real repair estimate gets built, so an honest walkthrough serves you — problems found now don't become renegotiations later.
3. The written offer
Should state the price, what's included, who pays closing costs, the proposed date, and any conditions. Get it in writing and read the conditions. That's where the difference between buyers actually shows.
4. Contract and title
Signing opens title work. The title company searches for liens, judgments, unpaid taxes, UCC filings and ownership problems. This is the step that finds things nobody remembered — a contractor's lien from 2019, a solar filing, an heir who never signed.
5. Closing
At the title company or remotely. Everything secured against the house is paid off, and the balance goes to you by wire or cheque. Usually a week to three weeks from accepting.
Why it's faster than a normal sale
No mortgage application, no lender underwriting, no appraisal condition, and no chain of buyers. Roughly one in six conventional deals collapses, most often at financing. Removing the lender removes most of that risk.
What to check before you sign anything
- Proof of funds. Ask for it. A real cash buyer produces it without fuss.
- Whether they intend to assign the contract. In Texas, an investor who signs a contract and then assigns it to someone else must disclose that to you in writing. If a buyer is vague about this, that is your answer about them.
- Who pays closing costs. Should be them. Get it in writing.
- The earnest money and what happens to it.
- Whether the price can change after inspection. Ask directly.
The offer number matters less than whether it survives to closing.