Cash Offers

Thinking About a Cash Offer? Get the Truth First.

Most cash offers run 50 to 80% of what a home is actually worth. Before you sign anything, see exactly where the rest of the money goes — and decide which path is really right for you.

Get the Free Report Talk It Through: 404-216-0472

Tim Maitski  ·  Realtor since 1999  ·  Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage

The One Rule of the Whole System

Every cash offer you get is just someone's answer to which two corners they chose — for themselves, not for you.

Why This Page Exists

One phone call saved my sister $50,000.

She was ready to sign. A cash offer for $160,000 sat on her kitchen table, and she just wanted the stress to be over. I asked her to do one thing first — talk to an agent she trusted. That one conversation changed everything. Her home sold on the open market for $220,000 a few days later. After commission, she still walked away with almost $50,000 more than the cash offer.

She's not foolish. She just didn't know what she didn't know. That's the gap this page closes.

None of what follows is a scam, exactly. It's just a business — several businesses, actually — and every one of them has to make a profit. The only question that matters is whose pocket that profit comes out of. It comes out of yours, by default, unless you understand exactly how much and where.

The Iron Law

If anyone but the end user buys your home, a profit margin is built in.

There are only two kinds of buyers. Knowing which one you're talking to explains every offer you'll ever get.

i.

The retail buyer.

The end user — the person who's going to live in the home. They're buying with their heart, not a spreadsheet. This is the only buyer who pays the top of the range.

ii.

The wholesale buyer.

The investor. Buying to flip or rent for profit. Every dollar of their eventual profit, and every cost along the way, gets subtracted from what they offer you today.

iii.

The wholesaler.

Usually doesn't have the cash and isn't the buyer at all. They tie up your home at a low price, then get paid $10,000–$30,000 to hand your contract to an investor.

The Centerpiece

Where your money really goes.

Picture a home with an After Repaired Value of $500,000, sold through a wholesaler to an investor who fixes it up and flips it with an agent. Here's every hand in the pocket, dollar by dollar.

$0 $500,000 (ARV)
StepAmountRunning total
After Repaired Value (final flip sale price)$500,000$500,000
− Repairs, cleaning & staging$50,000$450,000
− Holding costs (taxes, insurance, utilities, ~6 mo)$20,000$430,000
− Closing costs (investor's purchase + resale)$10,000$420,000
− Agent commission on the resale (6%)$30,000$390,000
− Investor's profit (general-contractor margin)$60,000$330,000
− Just-in-case-we-misjudged-the-value cushion$20,000$310,000
− Wholesaler's assignment fee$20,000$290,000
What the seller actually pockets$290,00058%

Illustrative figures on a $500,000 ARV home — every deal is different. Georgia wholesaler assignment fees often run closer to $22,000 on average.

Side by Side

Same house. Same $500,000 value. Two very different outcomes.

Repairs, commission, and closing costs show up in both paths — those are the honest cost of selling. The wholesale chain stacks four more cuts on top: holding costs, a second set of closing costs, the investor's profit, and the wholesaler's fee.

$290,000 · 58% What the seller nets through the full wholesale-to-investor chain.
$390,600 · 78% What the same as-is home nets listed directly on the open market — zero repairs, zero staging.
$100,600 difference And the seller never lifted a hammer. That gap is the cost of not shopping it around.
Before You Sign Anything

The one question that beats a wholesaler.

“Can you send me proof of funds — and are you the actual buyer, or will you be assigning this contract to someone else?”

  • Ask for it before any number gets discussed. A real buyer sends a bank statement or proof-of-funds letter without hesitation.
  • Look for the words “and/or assigns” next to the buyer's name in the contract — that's permission to hand your deal to someone else.
  • Never sign on the call. A fair deal survives you sleeping on it. One that can't wasn't a deal you wanted.

A real buyer with real money can prove it in five minutes without blinking. A wholesaler hoping to assign your contract to someone else usually can't — because the money isn't theirs.

The Honest Convenience Option

Most homes don't need a rescue — they need convenience.

If your home is already move-in ready and you just want to skip cleaning, staging, and showings, an iBuyer is usually the most honest cash option.

~20%

What it typically costs

Convenience fee, resale commission, cleanup, and closing costs, all stacked together — roughly $400,000 in your pocket on a $500,000 home.

75%

The best-of-both-worlds hybrid

A handful of companies advance you around 75% up front, still list your home on the open market, and let you keep any upside above their estimate.

5

Shop before you sign

iBuyer offers on the same home can swing $50,000 or more between companies. Getting several offers costs you nothing and often pays for itself many times over.

Our Answer

What if you didn't have to choose?

Investor competition gets you the best cash number. The open market reaches buyers who can pay even more. The Quick Sell System puts your home in front of both at once — priced to spark a short, real bidding window, with buyers inspecting up front so the winning offer closes clean and fast.

It's the closest thing to speed, certainty, and a market-driven price, all at the same time — without the lowball.

See How the Quick Sell System Works

In Short

  • Priced slightly below market to create real competition
  • A short “coming soon” period builds a crowd before showings start
  • One concentrated showing window — not weeks of scattered strangers
  • Buyers inspect up front, so offers come in clean, with no due-diligence contingency
  • Backup offer secured — closings often in under three weeks
Special Situations

Your situation is a reason to be more careful — not a reason to accept less.

Inherited a home

Heirs are prime targets because they often don't know local value and just want it handled. Get a real, local opinion of value before entertaining any cash offer — probate has rules, but it also gives you time.

Going through a divorce

The desire to be done can push both sides toward the fastest exit instead of the best one. A competitive, fast sale can deliver the clean ending you want without surrendering the price.

Behind on the mortgage

If you have equity, it's worth protecting fiercely — a panic sale can hand it to someone else. Foreclosure has a timeline, not an overnight deadline. Talk to a HUD-approved counselor or a real attorney first.

Selling from out of state

Distance doesn't require accepting a lowball. A good local agent can be your eyes, hands, and judgment on the ground — without the enormous convenience premium a distant cash buyer builds in.

Free Report

Inside the World of Cash Offers, what they don't want you to know.

Who all the players are, where the money really goes, and how to decide which path is right for you. A straight-talk report by Tim Maitski, delivered straight to your inbox — no strings.

We'll never spam you. Unsubscribe any time.

Want the deeper dive? Tim's book, Cash Offers Truth: Insider Secrets on How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off, is available on Amazon.

Free Report · PDF
Inside the World of Cash Offers, what they don't want you to know.
By Tim Maitski · Truth Real Estate Group
Find Out Your Real Number First

See both figures side by side before you decide.

What a legitimate cash buyer would realistically pay, and what your home would net on the open market. That's a free, no-pressure conversation — and once you see both, the right path usually makes itself obvious.

Call or Text: 404-216-0472 Email Tim Directly

“The only guarantee I make is this: I will always tell you the truth.”