If you've never sold a house outside the usual listing process, the idea of a "cash offer" can feel vague — is it legitimate, is it fast, is it fair? Here's a straightforward walkthrough of how it actually works with a team like ours in Alberta.
It Starts With a Conversation, Not a Contract
The process begins with you telling us about the property — its address, general condition, and what's driving the sale. There's no contract or commitment at this stage. It's simply information our team needs to understand what we're looking at.
We Review the Property and Call You Back
From there, our team looks at the property details, recent comparable sales in the area, and the condition you've described. Within 24 hours, someone calls you back with a specific cash offer, along with the reasoning behind the number. A legitimate offer should be explainable — if a buyer can't tell you how they arrived at a figure, that's worth questioning.
Why the Offer Isn't the Same as Full Market Value
A cash offer typically comes in below what a property might eventually sell for through a fully prepared, well-marketed traditional listing. That's the honest trade-off: we take on the cost, time, and risk of fixing up and reselling the property ourselves, and in exchange, you get speed, certainty, and a sale with none of the usual costs — no commissions, no repair bills, no months of uncertainty.
If You Decide to Move Forward
Accepting an offer leads to a simple purchase agreement, usually signed digitally. After that, there's a short conditional period — a normal part of most real estate transactions — during which a small number of pre-vetted investors from our network may view the property, scheduled around you. Once that period clears, we work out a closing date together, a real estate lawyer handles the paperwork, and your proceeds land in your account on closing day.
What Makes an Offer Legitimate
A few things to look for with any cash buyer, not just us: a clear explanation of how the offer was calculated, honesty about the conditional period and who else might be involved in the deal, no pressure tactics or artificial deadlines, and a willingness to let you walk away with no obligation. If a buyer can't offer those things plainly, that's worth paying attention to.