Best companies that buy houses for cash in 2026: compare offers, fees and how to qualify

Our picks at a glance

Both services on this page work the same basic way: you describe the home, a local cash buyer contacts you, and you decide. Neither charges the seller a fee, neither asks for repairs or showings, and neither obliges you to accept. The differences are in emphasis.

The figures are what each company states on its own site or in its own materials. We have not verified them independently, and your experience depends on the buyer you are matched with and on your local market. Read our partner standards for how companies get on this list and what removes them.

Liz Buys Houses review

What it is. Liz Buys Houses describes itself as a service that connects home sellers with cash buyers, with a network of local real estate investors across the country. It is not a single buyer; the offer comes from an investor active in your area. Details in this section come from the company's own website, lizbuyshouses.net.

How it works. The company lays out three steps: you submit a short form, you are connected with a local home buyer who makes a cash offer with no pressure to sign, and if you accept you choose a closing date that works for you and are paid at closing.

• Fees: none to the seller. The company says there are no realtor fees, agent commissions or closing costs, and that the local investor covers closing costs.
• Condition: any. The company says buyers handle repairs, trash removal and cleaning, so you do not prepare the home.
• Speed: closing in as little as 7 days, with the date set around your schedule.
• Obligation: none. You can decline the offer.

Best for: sellers who want a cash offer without a sales push, and who care about controlling the closing date, for example to line up a move or settle an estate.

What to watch. The service makes the introduction; the buyer sets the price. Treat the first number as a starting point, ask what the offer assumes about repairs, and compare it with what a local agent says the home would list for. If the gap is small, the speed may be worth it. If it is large, you have learned something useful for free.

Get a cash offer from Liz Buys Houses

Get Cash Offer Today review

What it is. Get Cash Offer Today is a free referral service that matches homeowners with cash buyers in their area. Its pitch, in the company's own words, is "no agent, no showings, no cleaning, just a cash offer in 24 hours."

How it works. You answer a few questions about the home and your timeline, a buyer active near you reviews them, and you receive a cash offer, typically within a day. You review it on your own time and decide whether to move forward.

• Fees: none to the seller.
• Condition: any. No cleaning, staging or repairs are requested before the offer.
• Speed: the company's stated target is a cash offer within 24 hours. The closing date is then agreed with the buyer.
• Obligation: none. Requesting an offer does not commit you to anything.

Best for: sellers who want a number quickly, whether to act on it or to use it as a benchmark while they weigh listing.

What to watch. A fast offer is still an offer from one buyer. Ask how it was calculated, confirm there is no fee or deduction at closing beyond what is in writing, and never sign a deed over before the closing company has the funds.

Get a cash offer from Get Cash Offer Today

How cash buyer services work

There are two kinds of company behind a "we buy houses" sign. A direct buyer purchases the home itself and resells or rents it. A referral or matching service, which is what both companies on this page are, takes your details and passes them to investors who buy in your area. The service is paid by the buyer, or by referral partners such as this site, which is why it costs the seller nothing.

After you submit a form, expect a call or text within a day or two from the buyer you were matched with. A serious buyer will ask about the home's condition, any mortgage balance, liens, tenants and how fast you need to close, and may want to walk through the property or send a local representative. The written offer should state the price, who pays closing costs, the proposed closing date and any inspection contingency. From there a title company or closing attorney handles the paperwork, which is the same process as any other sale.

If you want the full background, including how offers are calculated and when a cash sale makes sense at all, start with our main guide on how to sell your house for cash, or the step-by-step on how to sell a house fast.

How to qualify for a cash offer

Qualifying is easier than most sellers expect, because cash buyers are not banks. There is no credit check, no appraisal requirement and no minimum condition. What buyers do check:

• Ownership and title. You must be on the deed, or have authority to sell, such as an executor's letters for an inherited home. Liens, unpaid taxes and judgments do not disqualify you, but they are paid from the proceeds and can slow closing.
• Property type. Single-family homes, townhouses, condos, duplexes and many mobile homes on owned land qualify. Land, commercial buildings and homes with unresolved permit problems are case by case.
• Location. Both services say they cover the country, but each offer comes from a local buyer, so rural areas can see fewer or slower responses.
• Occupancy. Vacant, owner-occupied and tenant-occupied homes all qualify. A tenant with a lease changes the price and timeline, so say so up front.
• Mortgage status. A current mortgage is fine; it is paid off at closing. If you are behind, a cash sale can stop a foreclosure if it closes before the auction date, so share the dates early.

Things that help: a recent mortgage statement, a copy of the deed or the last closing documents, a list of known problems with the home, and a clear answer on your earliest and latest acceptable closing date. Things that slow a sale: a solar lease or power purchase agreement, an open probate, a second owner who has not agreed to sell, and HOA disputes.

Cash offer vs. listing with an agent

The practical test is to get both numbers. Request a cash offer, ask one or two local agents for a listing estimate net of commission and likely repairs, and compare. Sellers who need speed, privacy or certainty often take the cash number; sellers with time and a home in good shape often net more by listing.

Red flags with any cash buyer

• Any fee before closing. Legitimate buyers and services do not charge application, processing or "earnest" fees to the seller.
• Pressure to sign today. A real offer survives a few days of thought.
• A price that drops after you commit. Some buyers lower the offer late, counting on you being out of time. Keep your other option open until closing.
• Signing a deed before funds are confirmed. Ownership transfers at closing, through a title company or attorney, after the money is in escrow.
• No written offer. Verbal numbers are not offers.
• Vague answers about who is buying. You are entitled to know the name of the buying entity and to see proof of funds.

The Federal Trade Commission's guidance on mortgage relief and foreclosure rescue scams covers the most common tricks aimed at distressed sellers, and most apply to cash sales too.

How we're paid: HomeownerPedia publishes free guides for homeowners. If you use the next step on this page, you continue on the website of our partner, Get Cash Offer Today, a free referral service that connects homeowners with cash buyers in their area. It pays us for referrals, and what you enter there goes directly to it, not to us. You decide whether to move forward. Cash offers are often below what a home might sell for on the open market. Compare before you decide.

Questions sellers ask

How we picked these services

We don't take a fee to be listed, and placement is not for sale. Every service here was checked on the same five points, using what each company publishes and what readers tell us. Partners do pay us when you use their link, and that never changes the order.

• Speed: how fast a buyer can make an offer and close, based on what each company publishes.
• Fees: whether the buyer charges a service fee, and whether repair costs are deducted after an inspection.
• What they buy: condition, price range and property types each buyer accepts.
• Coverage: the states and metro areas each service operates in.
• Transparency: whether the offer is explained clearly before you commit to anything.

Every company here also passed our partner standards: registration and licensing, complaint history, fees, marketing promises and what you see before you sign. If a service stops meeting the bar, it comes off the list. Tell us at hello@homeownerpedia.com if your experience with any of them didn't match what you read here.