Questions to Ask Any Cash Home Buyer Before You Sign Anything

The checklist

• Can you show proof of funds?
  A real cash buyer can provide a recent bank statement or letter of funds availability on request. If someone can't or won't, they may be planning to assign your contract to someone else rather than close on it themselves — which changes who you're actually dealing with.
• How exactly will my mortgage or liens be paid off at closing?
  The answer you want: paid directly from sale proceeds through the escrow company, before the seller receives anything. This is the industry's biggest failure point when it goes wrong; get it in writing.
• Can I see the offer in writing before I agree to anything?
  Yes should be the answer. A verbal number is not an offer. If the price is being described but not written, slow down.
• Who is handling title and escrow, and are they licensed and bonded?
  You should get a specific title company name you can independently look up and verify. You should also be able to request a different title company if you have a preference.
• What happens if I want to back out before closing?
  There should be a defined inspection or contingency period during which you can back out, spelled out in the contract. Every purchase agreement has this; make sure you understand yours.
• Are there any fees or commissions I'm not seeing?
  Most direct cash offers have no commissions. Ask about seller-paid closing costs, service fees, or anything else that could reduce your net at closing.
• How did you arrive at this offer number?
  A real answer references comparable recent sales, condition adjustments, and cost of any needed repairs. "It's what we can pay" isn't an answer.
• Can I have time to review this rather than sign today?
  24 to 48 hours to review is completely normal to ask for. A buyer who won't grant that is signaling something.

Red flags in how these questions get answered

The pattern to watch for isn't a single wrong answer — it's evasiveness across multiple questions. Vague answers, deflection, hurry, refusal to put things in writing, or dismissive responses ("you don't really need to know that") are all signals. A real operator's answers are boring and specific. If a buyer keeps steering you back toward signing rather than answering, that's the signal.

One more piece to read before you commit

The failure mode that hurts sellers the most is the mortgage-payoff piece, so it's worth understanding directly — what actually happens to your existing mortgage when you sell to a cash buyer walks through the mechanics. For the broader industry context, how to avoid "we buy houses" scams in Arizona is the fuller version of the red flags above.