The cash offer versus realtor question gets argued with feelings on both sides. The selling side of the internet says agents always net you more. The buying side says commissions and repairs eat you alive. Both are sometimes right, so here is the actual arithmetic, line by line.
What a Listing Really Costs
Start with commission, typically 5 to 6 percent even after the 2024 NAR settlement changed how buyer agent fees get negotiated. On a $250,000 sale that is $12,500 to $15,000. Add seller concessions, which national data puts in play on a large share of deals, commonly 1 to 3 percent. Add make ready costs: paint, flooring, repairs flagged by inspection. Add holding costs while you wait, mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities run real money per month, and across the Detroit Warren Dearborn metro a typical sale takes roughly two months plus a 30 to 45 day close. A retail sale at $250,000 can net out in the $215,000 to $225,000 range, and it can take a quarter of a year.
What a Cash Sale Really Costs
A direct buyer pays below retail, that is the product. Using published 2026 data, iBuyer offers average 9 to 14 percent below resale value before fees, and any condition buyers range from 50 to 70 percent of value at franchises to meaningfully better at competitive local companies. No commission, no repairs, no concessions, no holding months, and the buyer usually covers closing costs. The same $250,000 house might bring a $210,000 to $220,000 direct offer if it is in decent shape, and far less if it needs a roof, a furnace, and a kitchen.
The Honest Decision Rule
If the house is in retail condition and you can carry it for three more months, list it. The math usually favors the agent route and a good agent earns the fee. If the house needs work, or the timeline is fixed, or you cannot fund repairs and carrying costs, the gap shrinks to almost nothing, and sometimes inverts. The mistake is deciding on instinct instead of running both numbers on your actual house. We run that comparison with sellers every week, both directions, and you can get your side of it through our offer form or see the full process on how we buy houses.
Three Questions That Settle It
What would the house bring as is on the open market, ask an agent for a real number, not a listing pitch. What does a direct buyer offer in writing, ask us or any company on our Michigan buyer rankings. And what does each month of waiting cost you in carrying costs and life on hold. Those three numbers make the decision for you.