Every Way to Sell a House, Compared Honestly
Every way to sell a house gets compared here, including the costs, delays, and headaches the other routes don't put in their ads. Two of these paths are ours. The difference is what they ask of you.
You'll work directly with Eric and Carson, the owners, not a call center.
The Five Paths
| Agent listing | FSBO | iBuyer | Direct cash sale (us) | Retail Buyer Program (us) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The price story | Biggest number on paper, then commissions, repairs, and concessions come out | Often overpriced, then discounted; FSBO homes average lower sale prices | Quote shrinks after fees and post-inspection deductions | Below retail, and the number you see is the number | More than a typical cash offer, agreed in writing |
| Fees | ~5–6% commission + seller closing costs | Buyer-agent fee often still expected | ~5%+ service fee, plus deductions | None | None |
| Repairs & prep | On you, usually before you can even list | On you, entirely | Repair credits taken after you're under contract | None, as-is | Handled by our team |
| Showings | Weeks of strangers, on their schedule | You host every one yourself | Minimal | One walkthrough | Coordinated for you |
| Time to close | 60–90+ days typical, if the first buyer holds | Similar or longer | 2–4 weeks for the homes they accept | 2–3 weeks, your date | Longer than cash, window set upfront |
| Certainty | Financing can fail at the finish line | Lowest of any path | Offers revised late; most houses declined upfront | Highest | Proceeds agreed in writing first |
| Your workload | Managing an agent, prep, and negotiations for months | Everything, including the legal paperwork | Navigating their process and revised numbers | One conversation | One conversation |
What Each Path Really Involves
List with an agent
The traditional route, and the most demanding one. Before the sign goes in the yard: repairs, cleaning, staging, photos. Then weeks of showings and open houses on other people's schedules, offers that arrive with contingencies attached, an inspection that reopens the negotiation, and a closing that depends on someone else's lender saying yes, typically 60 to 90+ days after you started, minus a 5 to 6 percent commission and seller closing costs. For sellers who want that project, plenty of good agents run it. It is a project.
FSBO
Every burden of a listing, with no one to hand any of it to. You price it, market it, host every showing, field every negotiation, and carry the legal paperwork risk yourself, and buyers' agents often still expect their fee. The data is unkind: FSBO homes average lower sale prices than agented ones, so the commission saved is frequently given back at the negotiating table, with months of your time on top.
iBuyer
The quote in the app looks clean. The path to closing is where it gets murky: a ~5 percent-plus service fee, then an inspection after you're committed that converts into repair deductions you didn't see coming, so the number you accepted is rarely the number you net. And that's for the minority of houses they'll take at all: algorithm-driven buyers decline most homes with real repairs, tenants, age, or title complexity. Sellers routinely describe the process as confusing precisely because the real net only becomes visible at the end.
Direct cash sale
One conversation, one walkthrough, one written offer with the math shown, and a closing date you pick, often two to three weeks out. It's the clean answer when condition, timeline, or life logistics dominate: repairs you don't want to fund, probate and heirs, tenants, foreclosure clocks, vacant houses from out of state, or simply a strong preference for privacy and certainty. (Browse every situation we work with for the full map.)
Retail Buyer Program
More than a cash offer, without taking on a listing's workload. When a bigger number matters more than closing in two weeks, our Retail Buyer Program keeps the sale as easy as a cash sale, our team handles preparation, marketing, buyer vetting, and negotiation, with your proceeds agreed in writing before anything begins and no commissions or fees taken out of them. It exists so that "I want more than a cash offer" never has to mean "so I guess I'm managing a listing for three months."
The Only Comparison That Matters: Net, After Everything
Gross price is a vanity number. The real question is what lands in your account, when, and with what probability. A $250,000 listing with $15,000 commission, $12,000 repairs and credits, $6,000 in seller costs, and four months of carrying isn't $250,000, and that's if the first buyer's financing holds. Our cash offer calculator runs this math with your numbers.
That's also why one conversation with us covers both of our paths: the written cash offer for speed and certainty, and the Retail Buyer Program when you want more than the cash number without the commissions, the showings, or the months of managing it yourself. Two real numbers, in writing, with nothing hidden in the fine print. Decide with facts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Isn't the biggest price always the listing price?
On paper, usually. In your bank account, often not. A listing's gross price gets reduced by commission, seller closing costs, repairs and buyer credits, and months of mortgage, taxes, and insurance while you wait, and it all depends on the buyer's financing surviving to closing day. Compare nets, not gross numbers: our calculator does exactly that, and our Retail Buyer Program exists so you can target retail price without those deductions.
Can I try to list first and come back to you if it doesn't sell?
You can, and people do. Just know what the detour costs: months of carrying costs while listed, showings the whole way, and a stale listing (buyers see days-on-market and assume something's wrong) that weakens your position later. Getting both of our numbers first costs nothing and takes one conversation, which is why we suggest doing it before you commit to anything.
Are 'we buy houses' offers negotiable?
Ours are built from explicit numbers, ARV, repair costs, margin, so the negotiation is about the inputs, not haggling. If you have contractor quotes showing our repair estimate is high, or comps we missed, show us and the offer moves. That's a better process than a number pulled from the air with 'wiggle room' built in for theater.
The EZ Time Standard
Six promises we make on every transaction, in every market. Not marketing lines, operating policy.
Every offer in writing, math included
The after-repair value, repair estimate, and our margin, line by line. If a number moves, you see why.
Both options in one conversation
The fast cash offer and the Retail Buyer Program number, side by side, so the trade-off is concrete before you decide anything.
No fees or commissions, either path
Your number is your number. Typical seller closing costs are on us, and nothing is deducted later.
Licensed title company closings, always
Funds and documents go through a neutral title company or closing attorney on every transaction. No exceptions.
No pressure, by policy
Our offers don't expire in 24 hours, and "let me think about it" is a perfectly good answer. Take the offer to your attorney.
Straight answers about our role
If a vetted local partner will be the closing buyer on your property rather than us directly, you'll know before you sign anything.
These promises have names attached. Meet Eric and Carson, the people who answer when you call.
Related Guides
Ready to see both of your numbers?
Tell us about your property once and get a written cash offer, plus what our Retail Buyer Program could net you instead. No repairs, no fees, no pressure to accept.