Is 'we buy houses' legit? How to check anyone who offers to buy your house
Most are real businesses, and some are lead sellers who pass your details to someone else. You can tell which in about ten minutes: look up the license, check the business registration, call the title company that will close the sale, and find out which company signs the purchase agreement as the buyer.
- Real Estate Investor Since 2003
- Licensed Real Estate Broker
- Much of Washington, from Skagit to Thurston County and beyond
It takes about a minute, there's no obligation, and your details are never sold.
or call Jason (425) 242-4673
Are companies that buy houses for cash legitimate?
Many are legitimate: they buy houses with their own money, close through a title company and put everything in writing. Others are marketing outfits that collect addresses and pass them on. The way to tell them apart is to check a license, a business registration and the title company before you sign anything.
A legitimate cash buyer can tell you three things straight away: who you'll deal with, which company signs as the buyer, and which title or escrow company will close the sale. Each can be checked. Washington's Department of Licensing lists every licensed real estate broker, and the Secretary of State lists every registered company, so a name and a registration take a minute to look up. A title company will confirm on the phone that it handles a buyer's closings. Be wary of a buyer who won't give a full name, asks for money up front, pushes you to sign the same day, or won't put the offer in writing before you commit. So is a contract that leaves the closing date or the earnest money blank. A real buyer never minds being checked out.
Ten checks: is a 'we buy houses' company legit?
Run these ten checks on anyone who offers to buy your house, including me. Most take a phone call or a few minutes online, and a buyer worth working with won't mind you asking. Any check that fails is a good reason to slow down and get a second offer before you sign.
Warning signs
- They don't tell you who you'll be dealing with.
- They won't name the title or escrow company that will close the sale, or the company they name has never heard of them.
- The offer isn't a written purchase agreement you can take home and show an attorney.
- The earnest money doesn't go to a title or escrow company, or the agreement leaves out the amount and the date.
- They ask you for an application fee, an inspection fee or any other money up front.
- They push you to sign the same day, or tell you the offer disappears tonight.
- They say they're licensed, but the Department of Licensing license lookup doesn't show it.
- The company isn't registered with the state, or you can't find it on the Secretary of State's corporation search.
- The reviews they point you to have no real names or dates, or the bad ones never get an answer.
- They won't say which company will sign the purchase agreement as the buyer, or the name doesn't match the paperwork.
Red flags in the paperwork itself
- The closing date or the earnest money amount is left blank, to be filled in later.
- The earnest money is payable to the buyer's own company instead of a title or escrow company.
- An inspection period with no end date, or one that lets the buyer cancel for any reason for weeks.
- You're asked to move out, hand over keys or stop paying the mortgage before closing.
- Pages you're asked to initial but not given a copy of, or a contract that exists only on the buyer's phone.
None of these proves bad intent, and a good buyer will fix any of them the moment you ask.
How Jason passes each check
Here is how I answer each of those checks, with the place you can verify it yourself.
| How Jason answers it | Where to check | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you'll deal with | Our team, led by Jason Bryant, from the first call on | Call (425) 242-4673 |
| A real estate license | I was licensed as a Washington real estate broker in 2008 | The Department of Licensing license lookup, with my license number |
| Years buying houses | I've been buying houses in Washington since 2003 | Ask me about recent purchases on the first call |
| Business registration | The company that buys is named on the purchase agreement, before you sign | The Secretary of State's corporation search |
| Title company | Named in the written offer | Call the title company yourself |
| License disclosure | Given to you in writing before you sign, as state law requires of a licensee who buys | RCW 18.85.361(21) |
| A written agreement | Every offer is in writing, and you can take it home | Your attorney, your family, anyone you trust |
| Earnest money | Held by the title or escrow company named in the agreement | The agreement, and a call to that company |
| Costs in writing | Every cost that comes out of the sale is listed on the written offer, line by line | Read the offer at home before you sign |
One thing I can't point you to yet is a long list of online reviews. I've been buying houses here since 2003 and spent those years doing deals rather than building a brand, so the checks above lean on things you can verify without taking my word for it: the license, the registration and the title company.
How do you check a cash buyer in ten minutes?
Get the buyer's full name and company name, then do three lookups: the Department of Licensing for a license, the Secretary of State for the company, and a call to the title company they named. Finish with a search of the company name plus the word reviews. That covers most of what separates real buyers from pretenders.
- License
- Open the Department of Licensing license lookup and search the person's last name. An active license shows its type and status; no result means no Washington license under that name.
- Company
- Search the company on the Secretary of State's corporation search. Look for an active status and the names of the people who run it. A company formed last week isn't a problem by itself, but it's worth a question.
- Title company
- Look up the title company's number yourself and call. It can't discuss your file yet, but it can tell you whether it closes sales for that buyer.
- Reputation
- Search the company name with the word reviews, and the owner's name with the city. Read the worst reviews first and see whether the business answered them.
Jot down what you find, with the date. If you end up comparing two or three buyers, that page of notes is worth more than any of their brochures, and it gives you specific questions to ask each one before anyone walks through your house.
What does a real estate scam look like?
Most scams around selling a house follow a few patterns: a fee you pay before anything happens, a deed or power of attorney signed outside a title company, a price that drops sharply once you're committed, or an email that changes where your money gets wired. Each one has a simple defense you can use.
- Money up front
- An application fee, a processing fee or a charge to hold the offer. Real buyers don't charge sellers to buy their house.
- Papers signed outside escrow
- Someone asks you to sign a quitclaim deed, a power of attorney or an option before there's a title company involved. Sign ownership papers only with an escrow officer or a notary the title company sends.
- A price that falls after you commit
- A high offer to get your signature, then a long list of reasons to cut it. Read the inspection and cancellation terms before you sign, and know you can walk away within them.
- Changed wire instructions
- An email, supposedly from escrow, with new instructions for sending your proceeds. Before any money moves, call the title company at a number you looked up yourself, never one from the email.
What's a lead seller, and why does it matter?
A lead seller is a website, mailer or call center that collects your address and phone number and sells them to buyers or agents, sometimes several at once. It matters because you can end up with calls from people you never contacted, and no clear idea of who has your details or who you're dealing with.
You can usually spot one by what it won't say. The site has no named person, no license, no office or service area you can check, and the form promises offers from a network. None of that is illegal, but it means the first call is often a sales call from a stranger. Before you type your number into any form, look for a name you can verify and a privacy policy that says who sees what you send.
A real buyer, agent or broker is easy to reach again. They give you a name, a phone number that gets answered, and a company you can look up, and they don't need your details before they'll tell you any of that.
Why am I getting cash offers for my house?
Because owning a house puts your name in public records. County property records show who owns what, and marketers build mailing and texting lists from them, often aiming at long-time owners and older houses. The signs on telephone poles and the calls with a number already in mind come from the same lists and reach thousands of homes at once.
- A letter or text with a price in it isn't an offer. Nobody has seen the house yet.
- You don't owe anyone a reply. Delete, recycle or reply STOP to texts you didn't ask for.
- If one catches your interest, run the ten checks above before you give out details.
- Keep the envelope or a screenshot, so you can spot the same outfit writing under different names.
- After a fire or a burst pipe, expect more of them. The guide to selling a house with fire or water damage explains how an open insurance claim fits a sale, so you know what to ask before you answer any.
- If you think a buyer misled you, you can file a complaint with the Washington Attorney General's office.
Who actually buys your house here?
When a cash sale fits, I can buy your house through a company I'm part of, acting as a principal for its own account. When a listing fits better, I can list it for you through my brokerage instead. Whichever it is, the agreement you sign names the company or brokerage on the other side. Jason Bryant is a licensed broker with Windermere Real Estate (license 101377).
The brokerage I list through is named, with its logo, at the foot of every page, and my license number sits beside the license line there, so you can look both up.
More about me, how long I've been doing this and why I started Ideal Home Sale is on the about page.
Questions sellers ask
Is it safe to give my address?
Your address is already public in county records, so sharing it isn't the risk. The risk is giving your phone number to a site that sells it. Read the privacy policy first, and look for a named person you can check.
How do I know what I'd pay?
It's all on the written offer: every cost that comes out of your sale is listed line by line, and nothing is final until you sign. Ask anyone else who wants to buy your house for the same.
Can I talk to someone who sold to you?
The website doesn't offer seller references. You can read the reviews on the Google profile as they come in, and the checks you can run without taking my word for anything are the license lookup, the company registration and a call to the title company.
Are you a real estate agent?
I'm a licensed Washington real estate broker. When I list a house I work as the seller's broker, and when a company I'm part of buys one, I'm a principal, and I tell you in writing which it is. Jason Bryant is a licensed broker with Windermere Real Estate (license 101377).
What's the difference between a cash buyer and an iBuyer?
An iBuyer is a company that makes an automated offer online, inspects the house, and charges a service fee. A local cash buyer walks the house in person and writes an offer that already accounts for the repairs.
How do I check a Washington real estate license?
Use the Department of Licensing's license lookup and search the person's name. It shows whether the license is active and what type it is.
What should be in a purchase agreement?
The price, the names of the buyer and every seller, the closing date, the earnest money and who holds it, any contingencies with their deadlines, the possession date, and who pays each closing cost.
What if a buyer pressures me to sign?
Say you need time, and take the paperwork with you. A real offer will still be on the table after you've slept on it or shown it to someone you trust.
Check me out, then send the address
Look up the license, call the title company, ask me anything. When you're ready, send the address and we'll schedule a walkthrough.
It takes about a minute, there's no obligation, and your details are never sold.
or call Jason (425) 242-4673