• 17-18 min read

Life isn’t always predictable. Sometimes you realize: “I need to sell my house fast” — and with little warning. You may be navigating a job loss, going through a divorce, or helping a loved one relocate quickly for a medical reason.

A home’s condition can also be a big factor in why you need to sell a house quickly. Houses require constant maintenance and can become an enormous burden. Listing and selling a fixer-upper can prove difficult unless you have enough cash for repairs.

Others want much-needed convenience amid juggling work, parenting, and additional demands while selling a home. One study found 84% of Americans report feeling stressed weekly. Maybe when it comes down to it, you’re not interested in repeated showings or haggling with buyers who expect HGTV move-in-ready homes.

What’s your best options when you need to sell a house fast?

Sell my house fast option 1: Get a cash offer

If you find yourself saying: “I want to sell my house urgently,” one of the fastest ways to close the sale and move on is to request a cash offer.

You could contact multiple companies or the first We Buy Houses website you come across, but there’s a much better way to sell your house for cash — and that is through Independent Wholesale Advocates.

Simply answer a few questions about your home, and you can receive a no-obligation all-cash offer in as little as 7 days.

Key benefits:
• Speed
• No repairs
• All cash
• Simplicity
• No-obligation offer
• Typically the best way to sell your house

Sell your house fast with Independent Wholesale Advocates

Independent Wholesale Advocates connects you to the largest network of cash buyers in the U.S. Partner investors have a wide range of investment strategies, including fix-and-flip and buy-and-hold. This enables Independent Wholesale Advocates to provide cash offers for a wide array of properties, even those that need some or a lot of work.

With Independent Wholesale Advocates, you can get an all-cash offer in as little as a 7 days and sell your home as quickly as 10 days, skipping the months it can take to sell the traditional way.

While selling a home to a cash buyer will likely not bring in top dollar, it will give you top speed, convenience, and simplicity, which may be the solution set you need.

Sell my house fast option 2: Compare a cash offer with an agent’s opinion

This third option can give you the best of both solutions. While you don’t need an agent to request a cash offer, taking this step carries no risk and can provide greater peace of mind.

How fast?: While this option may add a few days or a week to your home sale timeline, by asking a top agent for their professional opinion about speed and proceeds, you can feel more confident before you make a selling commitment about your home.

Key benefits:
• You get a side-by-side comparison
• No cost or obligation to compare
• Can request a free comparative market analysis
• Confidence to make a more informed decision

Sell-fast options to avoid: Short sale, FSBO, and auction

Certain routes to selling your home may sound like a shortcut but aren’t what they seem. Some options to avoid include short sale, FSBO, and selling at auction.

• Short sale: The “short” in “short sale” refers to money, not time. Selling short means that your lender has agreed to allow you to sell your home for less than you owe on it. As a general rule, short sales take a lot longer to finalize than a regular home sale.
• FSBO: Selling FSBO (for sale by owner) is not a common option. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), only 10% of sellers take this route. Of those, 50% already knew the buyer. So unless you have a buyer already lined up, such as a friend or family member, don’t count on a fast FSBO home sale.
• Auctions: An auction can be a fast option if you have the right combination of market, seller, and property. But auctions are unpredictable and risky when it comes to speed and proceeds. You might sell your house in 21 days, or it might take 45 days or longer. You have limited control of the final sales price, and auction costs can exceed traditional agent commissions. And you’ll still need to pay the auction fees even if your home doesn’t sell.

Why you might need to sell a house fast

1. Debt: You’re facing a financial deadline or foreclosure
2. Divorce: You’d prefer to sell the house quickly, split assets, and move on
3. Medical issue: You’re helping someone make new living arrangements
4. Inherited home: You need to settle an out-of-area inheritance
5. Job loss: You’re moving or downsizing after a loss of employment
6. Relocation: You’re taking a job in a new place
7. Bad tenants: You’re a property owner who wants to sell now
8. Damage: Your home has costly foundation, fire, or water damage
9. Tax liens: You’re facing unpaid property taxes or income taxes
10. Bad location: You’re unhappy about imminent changes nearby

What are the benefits of selling for cash?

While you will typically get less than market value, selling your home to a cash buyer may be an attractive option. Here are some of the top benefits of selling to a cash buyer:

• Fast closing: When you sell a house for cash, you can get money for your home much faster, usually in a week or two compared to several months with a non-cash buyer.
• No repairs: Save the time, cost, and headaches of making repairs or improvements when you sell to a cash buyer, many of whom are looking for “fixer-upper” houses.
• Simple and convenient: No prep. Fewer steps. Less paperwork. Selling to a cash buyer usually means selling your home as-is.
• No marketing, staging, or showings: You won’t need a public for-sale sign, flyers, or schedule time for shoppers to walk through your house. Homes sold with traditional methods commonly require 10-25 showings before being sold.
• Fewer fees: Not only will sellers be able to skip the agent’s commission, but many cash buyers also pay closing costs.
• No lender-ordered appraisal: Selling for cash eliminates the lender-ordered appraisal and the delays or deal-killing risks that come when a home appraisal comes in low.
• Less stress/less hassle: According to research by 1000Watt Inside, 70% of sellers consider the traditional sale process stressful. A cash sale is typically straightforward and fast.
• No negotiations: Cash buyers typically make a take-it-or-leave-it offer, so there’s no negotiating or uncomfortable
• Fewer financial, legal, or lender barriers: Because there is no lender involved, a cash sale doesn’t require financing approval or an appraisal. In a traditional home sale, buyer financing issues cause over a third of closing delays and can cause a deal to collapse.
• Smaller holding costs: So long as you own a house, you’re responsible for its holding costs (also known as carrying costs), which include utilities, taxes, insurance, maintenance, and other fees that add up each month.
• Fewer sales fall through (less risk): Many traditional buyers add contingencies to their offers, which increase the risk of a delayed or canceled settlement. Conversely, cash buyers rarely impose a financing, appraisal, or home sale contingency.
• Can be a solution to life challenges: If you’re facing a divorce, foreclosure, imminent job loss or transfer, or perhaps you inherited a home out of state, you may benefit from a quick sale. Whatever your situation, an all-cash sale offers speed and less work.
• Flexibility: Sellers who work with a house-buying company often select a move-out date that works best for them.
• Peace of mind: You can have the peace of mind and financial certainty that comes with a cash sale, especially for homeowners juggling life challenges.

How does selling for cash work?

When you sell your house for cash, you can expect the process to go something like this:

1. Make contact: You reach out to a house-buying company or investor who serves your area and provide them with information about your home.
2. Receive a preliminary offer: In as little as 24-48 hours, you will receive a preliminary offer that may be subject to change after a house assessment.
3. Have your home assessed: The company schedules a walkthrough or exterior inspection of your house to evaluate its condition, usually within a few days’ time.
4. Get a firm offer: The company makes a firm offer, which you can accept or decline. Most of these companies will not alter their price, so negotiations are off the table.
5. Closing begins: If you accept the offer, you and the company will each sign the contract, and closing will begin.
6. Title clearance: The buyer will wait to ensure your home is able to convey a clear title before paying. If liens are discovered, some companies will assist you through the next steps.
7. Payment is disbursed: You receive payment, typically within seven days to 14 days. In addition, many companies that buy houses for cash provide flexible move-out dates.

Who buys houses for cash?

Some cash buyers are individuals with sufficient funds to pay for a house with cash. But when you list your home, it’s hard to predict whether your offer will come from a cash buyer or a buyer prequalified for a home loan.

For the certainty of cash, sellers who need to sell a home fast often work with companies that buy houses for cash. Here’s a run-down of the five most common types of companies that buy homes for cash.

• Franchisors: These companies franchise their model under a brand name. They buy houses as-is, fix them, and either sell or rent them. Examples include We Buy Ugly Houses, HomeVestors, and We Buy Houses.
• House flippers: These investors buy homes in need of repair, renovate them, and then sell them as turnkey properties. They’re looking for a bargain to maximize profits. Examples include FortuneBuilders, The Property Flip, and FlippingJunkie.
• Buy-and-hold investors: These buyers convert houses into rental properties as part of a long-term investment strategy. Examples include Invitation Homes, Tricon Residential, American Homes 4 Rent, and Progress Residential.
• Trade-in or “buy before you sell”: These companies will offer to buy your current home and/or provide modern, convenient options that free up your equity to buy a new house. (No home sale contingency or paying two mortgages.) Examples include HomeLight Buy Before You Sell, Flyhomes, Orchard Move First, and Knock Home Swap.
• iBuyers: These companies use an automated valuation model (AVM) to generate an all-cash offer. Their offers are typically more competitive than franchisors or house-flipping groups, relying on volume for their profits. iBuyers typically charge a service fee of about 5%-6%. Examples include Opendoor, Offerpad, and ExpressOffers.

Bottom line: When you need to sell fast, you have options!

Selling a house has a reputation for being overwhelming, stressful, and time-consuming. But fast? Not so much.

That said, you don’t have to leave your selling fate to chance. Whether you decide to request a cash offer, work with a top agent who can meet your deadline, or collect information about your home value before picking a route, you now know your main ways to sell your home fast. All that’s left to do is pick a path!