Cash Offer or List It? See Both Numbers Before You Decide
If you have a cash offer on your Kansas City house, you are holding one number. Before you sign, you should see the other one: what the house would likely net on the open market. Send me the address and I will give you both within 24 hours, side by side, and tell you straight which one makes more sense for your situation.
How cash buyers set their offer
Most cash buyers work backward from what the house will be worth after repairs. Those buyers usually aren't actually paying cash; they're getting a 75% loan-to-value hard money loan, instantly reducing the amount they are able to pay you. Then they subtract repair costs, holding costs, their own selling costs and their profit. What is left is the offer. That is not a scam; it is how investing works. But it means a cash offer is built to leave room for someone else's margin, and that margin comes out of your net.
A real Lee's Summit example
A 3 bed, 3 bath house in Lee's Summit. A nice house, but it needed touch-ups: flooring, decking and paint. The seller had cash offers between $260,000 and $270,000.
| Best cash offer | Listed on the market | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $260,000 to $270,000 | Listed at $320,000, sold for $317,000 |
| Repairs before sale | None | None, sold as-is |
| Time on market | None | About 30 days |
| Agent and closing costs | Varies by buyer | About $7,000 combined |
| Seller's net | Up to $270,000, before closing costs | About $310,000 |
Listing put roughly $40,000 more in the seller's pocket, in about a month, without fixing anything.
When a cash offer is the better call
- You need to close in days, not weeks: a foreclosure date, a job move, an estate deadline.
- The house has problems that keep lenders away, like foundation, roof or major systems.
- There are tenants or occupants who will not cooperate with showings.
- Certainty and zero showings matter more to you than the extra money.
If that is you, I will bring you cash offers from my investor network and help you pick the strongest one.
Why I can show you both
Most cash buyers will never show you a listed number, and most agents will not bring you a cash offer. Before I was licensed, I worked on the investor side buying distressed and pre-foreclosure properties, so I know how those offers are built. Now, as a licensed agent with Real Broker, LLC and a Certified Distressed Property Expert, I put both options in front of you and let you decide.
Common questions
Does talking to you obligate me to anything?
Nope! You get both numbers and decide on your own time.
Do I have to make repairs to list?
Not always, but sometimes it helps net you more. We'll look at prices for an as-is sale and evaluate if doing repairs would have a return to make it worth it.
What if my house needs serious work?
Then cash may be the right answer, and I will tell you that.
Get both numbers
Send the address and a few details. Within 24 hours you will get a cash range and a listed-price estimate, compared against recent sales near you.
Lucas Corbin, Real Broker, LLC | 417.321.7732 | Brokerage: 314.744.9054