Cash offer vs. listing: what you'd actually keep
A cash offer has a lower price. Listing has costs that come out of a higher price. Here's an example house run three ways, so you can see the trade.
| Example: 3-bed house needing work | Fix up, then list | List as-is | Cash sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sale price | $180,000 | $130,000 | $105,000 |
| Repairs before listing | −$35,000 | — | — |
| Agent commission (6%) | −$10,800 | −$7,800 | — |
| Seller closing costs (1.5%) | −$2,700 | −$1,950 | — |
| Buyer repair concessions | — | −$3,000 | — |
| Holding costs: taxes, insurance, utilities | −$7,200 | −$4,800 | — |
| Cleaning, staging, cleanout | −$2,000 | −$1,000 | — |
| You keep about | $122,300 | $111,450 | $105,000 |
| Typical time to cash | 4–8 months | 2–4 months | 1–4 weeks |
| Chance the deal falls through | Financing, inspection, appraisal | Higher: as-is buyers often need loans | Lower, but read the contract |
Illustrative numbers only, not a quote or appraisal. Commission, closing costs and holding time vary. Your own figures can be very different.
In this example, fixing up and listing nets about $17,300 more than the cash sale. It also takes months, upfront repair money and the risk that the work runs over. Selling as-is to a cash buyer makes sense when you can't fund repairs, need certainty, or need to be done quickly. If none of that is true, listing is often the better choice.
Run your own numbers
Change any figure. Everything stays on your device.
| Fix up, then list | List as-is | Cash sale | |
|---|---|---|---|
| You keep about |
Assumes 1.5% seller closing costs, 6 months holding when fixing up and 4 months as-is, $3,000 in buyer concessions on an as-is listing, and $2,000 / $1,000 in prep. A rough guide, not advice.