What will you actually keep when you sell?
Every seller starts by asking what their house is worth. The more useful question is what you put in your pocket after everyone takes their cut — and that answer is different depending on how you sell. Compare all three ways below, with the arithmetic shown.
The question that actually matters
How much will you actually put in your pocket?
Not what your house is worth — what you keep after everyone takes their cut, under each way you could sell it. Move the two controls and compare all three side by side.
Not today's value — what a finished, updated version of your house would list for.
$600,000
Sell to us
Cash, as-is, close in 7–14 days
You keep, roughly
$432,576 – $468,624
- · Nothing out of pocket
- · No showings, no financing to fall through
- · You choose the closing date
List it as-is
On the market, no repairs first · ~3–4 months
You keep, roughly
$442,656 – $479,544
A buyer pays less than the repaired value because they take on the work — but you fund no repairs and pay no contractor.
Renovate, then sell
Fix it up, sell at full value · ~6–8 months
You keep, roughly
$457,344 – $495,456
Usually the highest number — if you have the $75,000 to spend up front, the time, and the appetite for the work.
Renovating nets the most on paper here — but only if you can fund the repairs, wait the months, and carry the risk that the market moves.
The honest test is whether the ordinary market is genuinely open to you. If your house would qualify for a mortgage, can be insured at a price a buyer can carry, and sits where comparable sales support an appraisal, one of the listing paths will usually put more in your pocket. Our offer earns its place on certainty, speed, and having nothing come out of your pocket — not on price.
These are illustrations from two inputs, not a quote. A firm offer depends on things that can't be confirmed from a slider — the condition of major systems, permits, and any deferred maintenance — so a short walkthrough is what turns this into a real number. No obligation, and we'll still tell you if listing would net you more.
How the three paths differ
Selling to us for cash is the fastest and the simplest: a written offer, no repairs, no commission, no showings, and a closing date you choose — typically seven to fourteen days. You pay nothing out of pocket and carry no risk that a buyer's loan falls through. In exchange, the number is lower than an open-market sale, because we take on the repairs, the holding time, and the resale risk and price them in.
Listing as-is puts the house on the open market in its current condition. An end-user buyer pays more than an investor would, but less than the fully repaired value, because they inherit the work and discount for it — more steeply the worse the condition, since fewer buyers can take on or finance a major renovation. You fund no repairs, but you pay a commission and carry the property for a couple of months.
Renovating, then selling usually produces the highest number on paper, because you sell at the full repaired value. But you fund the repairs up front, wait several months, pay commission on the higher price, and carry the risk that the market shifts while you work. It is the right move when you have the capital, the time, and the appetite — and the wrong one when you do not.
The calculator is deliberately honest about all of this. On a move-in-ready house it will tell you that listing nets more than selling to us. On a house needing major work it will show that a cash sale and an as-is listing land close on money, so the cash sale's speed is the real advantage. We would rather you see that clearly than be sold a single number.
Common questions
- Is this the same as a cash offer?
- No. It is an illustration built from two inputs you provide — what the house would sell for fully renovated, and its current condition. A firm offer depends on things a slider cannot capture, such as the condition of major systems, permits, and deferred maintenance, so a short no-obligation walkthrough is what turns this into a real number.
- Why does listing usually net more than selling to a cash buyer?
- Because a cash buyer takes on the repairs, the holding time, and the resale risk, and prices those in. On a sound or lightly dated house, an open-market sale — as-is or after a renovation — will usually put more in your pocket, and we say so plainly. A cash sale earns its place on speed, certainty, and having nothing come out of your pocket, not on price.
- When does selling for cash actually make sense?
- When the ordinary market is not genuinely open to you, or when speed and certainty matter more than the last few percent. That includes a house needing major work that most retail buyers cannot finance, a property that has failed a sale on the appraisal or on insurance, an inherited home held between people who need a firm date, or a seller who cannot fund repairs or wait several months.
- Should I renovate before selling?
- It depends on the condition. On a move-in-ready or lightly dated house, renovating often adds cost without adding much to the sale price, and listing as-is nets about the same or more. On a house needing significant work, renovating can net the most — but only if you have the cash to spend up front, the time to wait, and the appetite for the risk that the market moves while you work.
- Do you need my email to show the numbers?
- No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser and shows every figure without asking for anything. If you want a firm offer on your specific house, you can contact us — but the comparison is yours to use freely.
Want the real number for your house?
A short walkthrough turns these illustrations into a firm, no-obligation cash offer — and we'll still tell you if listing would net you more.
Get a firm cash offer