Guide
When a cash offer is the right call, and what it costs you
A cash offer is fast and certain. You skip repairs and showings. You also net meaningfully less than a traditional sale.
Cash buyers (and iBuyers) pay for speed and certainty. Typical offers land in the 80–90% of market range, close in days or a few weeks, and take the house as-is.
That trade can be right when you need to be out quickly, the house needs work you will not do, you are an absentee owner, or a traditional listing is not realistic.
It is a last resort if you have time and the house will show well. The gap between 85% of market and a full listing, minus commissions and repairs, is often the entire decision.
If someone is steering you to a cash offer first, ask what you give up in dollars. Speed is a feature. It is not free.