Cash House Buyer Reviews
Selling your home is a huge decision and can be one of the most stressful things that you will do. We’ve put together a helpful guide on cash house buying companies, and reviewed the major players in the UK so that you can do your research before proceeding with a sale. Use the menu below to read more or navigate straight to the reviews.
- What is a Cash House Buyer?
- How do Cash House Buyers work?
- How much do Cash House Buyers pay?
- How quickly do Cash House Buyers buy property?
- What are the pros and cons of Cash House Buyers?
- Should I use a Cash House Buyer?
- Cash House Buyer reviews
What is a cash house buyer?
A cash house buyer can be either an individual or a company. They are buyers who are able to purchase a property outright using their own funds. In this article we’ll cover companies who purchase houses for cash and then sell them in the future for a profit.
Genuine cash buyers will be able to provide proof of funds to indicate their ability to purchase a property immediately. They won’t need to gain finance through other means, such as a mortgage. Because cash buyers have funds readily available to buy property immediately, the process is usually very quick.
Most cash house buyers purchase properties at below market value and seek to improve them by either renovating or extending them. They then either rent the property out or sell the house on for a profit.
There are a number of cash house buying companies operating in the UK. Most offer a ‘we buy any house‘ service. The service came about as a solution to an increasing frustration with estate agents who often have lengthy tie-in periods and move slowly in selling your house. With the average time of a house sale in the UK taking around 7 months, the idea of being able to sell your property for cash in 7 days is very appealing to some sellers.
Now that we’ve given an overview of what a cash buyer is, let’s take a look at how they work.
How do cash house buyers work?
Companies who buy your house for cash typically work in one of two ways:
- They find a 3rd party cash buyer.
- They purchase the property directly from you using their own funds.
Be wary of cash house buyers who advertise the second option but actually try to find a third party buyer for your property. They will typically try to extend timelines and will not offer the quick service that they advertise.
Cash house buyers that purchase your property using their own funds are typically able to move quickly and complete and exchange in as little as 7 days. Most cash buying companies follow a simple process to offer, value, and then purchase your property:
- Initial Valuation: you provide the cash buying company with some basic details about your property. They go away and research the local property market, comparable properties and formulate an initial cash offer for your property. If you’re happy with that initial guide price, you progress to legal checks and formal valuation.
- Legal checks & formal valuation: cash buying companies will require you to fill out a client care pack which allows solicitors to conduct checks on the property title to make sure it can be purchased from you. They will also run some legal processes such as anti-money laundering checks. Whilst you’re filling out the client care pack, most good cash buying companies will instruct a number of local estate agents to perform a formal valuation of your property.
- Formal offer: Based on the formal valuation that is made by a number of local agents, the cash buying company will come back to you with a final offer. If you are happy with this offer then you can progress to exchange contracts and complete the sale.
- Exchange & completion: Providing you accept the formal offer the next step is to exchange contracts and complete the sale of the property. Your solicitor will then transfer you the proceeds of the sale and you’re done!
Remember, legitimate cash buyers will not ask for upfront fees to make you a cash offer for your property. They should be able to offer you a free, no obligation cash offer for your property. The decision on whether to accept it sits with you.
How much do cash house buyers pay?
It’s important to remember that cash house buying companies are businesses. They need to make a profit and typically do this by purchasing properties for cash at a discount to market value. Legitimate cash buying companies will typically offer between 75-85% of your property’s full market value depending on the property price.
Be wary of cash house buyers who claim to be able to offer market value for your property (or anything over 85%). There are a number of costs that cash house buyers take on when purchasing a property: stamp duty, legal fees, financing costs, searches, to name just a few. If they were able to pay market value for properties then they simply wouldn’t make money!
How quickly do Cash House Buyers buy property?
One of the key benefits of selling your house to a cash buying company is the speed at which they are usually able to move. This will depend on the method of purchase.
If the company is purchasing your home using their own funds, and using solicitors that they are familiar with, they can complete the purchase in as little as 7 days. However, if they make an offer and then attempt to source a third party buyer and sell the property directly onto them then the process could take much longer.
What are the pros and cons of Cash House Buyers?
A cash property sale isn’t for everyone, but can be a great option for those who are looking to sell their house fast and don’t want the stress and hassle of a sale on the open market. We’ve listed some of the pros and cons of using a cash house buyer service here.
Pros
- Guaranteed Sale: Once a formal offer has been made your sale is guaranteed with a cash house buyer. This means that you don’t have to worry about mortgages falling through or buyers pulling out at the last minute. You’re able to make your onward plans with confidence.
- Typically fee-free: Most cash buyers won’t charge commissions or fees that you would usually pay to an estate agent. Some better companies will even cover legal fees. This simplicity is attractive to a lot of sellers, especially when the cost of selling can be so high.
- Properties in disrepair: Many cash house buying companies will offer a ‘we buy any house’ service. This means that sellers with hard-to-sell properties can still get cash for their property from a cash house buyer.
- Financial difficulties: The speed at which you can receive cash for your home from a cash house buyer makes it a good solution for those in financial difficulties. For example: mortgage arrears, repossession, etc.
Speed: If the cash buying company you’re working with is purchasing your house using their own funds then they should be able to complete the transaction very quickly. This is extremely useful for those who need to sell their house fast for cash.
Cons
- Gazundering: Some less reputable cash buying companies will operate a somewhat shady practice known as ‘Gazundering’. Gazundering occurs when the buyer reduces their offer (usually right at the last minute) and forces you to accept a lower sale price. This is often used to exploit vulnerable sellers or those who really need the cash for their house and unfortunately, the practise is completely legal.
- Price: It is a known practise for underhanded cash buying companies to try to undervalue properties in order to purchase them at a lower price. This can result in you getting less money for your home. Make sure to do your due diligence on the company that you’re working with.
- Fee Structures: These can sometimes be complex and a little bit confusing. So make sure that you understand the fee structure completely so you don’t end up paying more than you expected.
Should I use a Cash House Buyer?
We’ve laid out the pros and cons of selling to a cash house buyer or ‘we buy any home’ company. It is a service that appeals to a certain type of seller who either needs to sell their house fast for cash or doesn’t want the stress and hassle of the open market.
If you’ve decided to proceed with a cash offer and are selling your house for cash, we’ve listed a few points that you should question / be aware of.
- Check if the company is regulated: good cash house buyers will be regulated by the Property Ombudsman. This means that they abide by the strict code of practise that members subscribe to. It gives you some assurance that they’re a reputable company.
- Ask for proof of funds: some ‘we buy any home’ companies will claim to be able to buy your house for cash but actually try to source a third party buyer for your property. Ask to see proof of the company’s lending facility so that you can be sure they’re telling the truth.
- Ask for written confirmation of cash offers: this can help to avoid gazundering. It’s much more difficult for a company to drop the price at a later date if they have confirmed their offer in writing.
Cash House Buyers Reviews
Selling your house for cash is a big decision. We’ve reviewed other major cash house buying companies here so that you can compare them. It’s important that you do your due diligence on any company that you choose to proceed with. Click through to read the review for each company:
