A cash buyer, an iBuyer, and FSBO or a listing are three ways to sell one house. Home Pros (Balint Holdings, LLC) buys as-is and can close on your date. An iBuyer uses technology to make a quick offer, then resells. FSBO or a listing seeks a retail buyer who often needs a loan.
Not legal advice. This page is educational. It uses public pages read on October 14, 2026: the FTC consumer alert and final order on iBuyer advertising, NAR's November 11, 2025 report on the 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, NAR's seller page on settlement practice changes, and the CFPB TRID title-insurance factsheet. Talk with a real estate attorney or a licensed broker before you sign a contract.
What is the difference between a cash buyer, an iBuyer, and FSBO?
A cash buyer pays for the house without a new mortgage on that purchase. The buyer named in the contract is the purchaser. Home Pros is a local cash buyer. It buys the house as-is, pays closing costs, and closes on the seller's timeline. A written offer goes out within 24 hours. The fastest close is 7 days, and a typical close is 14 to 30 days. The offer starts from after-repair value, then subtracts repairs, margin, and holding costs. That formula is on how we calculate your offer.
An iBuyer is a different kind of buyer. The FTC consumer alert describes iBuyers as companies that use technology to make quick offers on homes. The alert's example buys from the owner and was advertised as an alternative to an open-market sale. You still need that company's service fee and repair list in writing. A fast online number is not the same document as a local cash contract.
FSBO means for sale by owner. You find the buyer, host the showings, and handle the contract talks. A listing aims at the same retail buyer, with an agent doing that work. NAR's November 11, 2025 report on the 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers says FSBO sales were 5 percent of home sales over the past few years, after 7 percent the prior year, while 91 percent of sellers sold with an agent. In 1985, NAR says, FSBO sales were as high as 21 percent. Start with the condition of the house and the date you need.
Which path fits the house you have?
Use the row that matches the house, then read the paper that row points to. A repaired, vacant, easy-to-show house can support more than one row. A house with a roof leak and a move-out date next week usually supports one.
| If this is your situation | Path to price first | What to verify in writing |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs, tenants, or no time for showings | Local cash buyer | Price, close date, and who pays closing costs |
| Livable house, and you want a fast online offer | iBuyer-style company | Service fee, repair charges, and any savings claim |
| Show-ready house, and you can wait and market it yourself | FSBO | Your price, your marketing plan, and any buyer-broker pay |
| Show-ready house, and you want a wide buyer pool | Listing with an agent | Negotiated compensation, in writing, before you agree |
The retail rows take showings and a buyer who may need a loan. The cash-buyer row skips the listing. The iBuyer row is a convenience offer from a company that plans to resell, so the fee and the repair scope decide whether it belongs next to the other two. If two rows fit, get both numbers. Do not pick from a headline.
When should you sell as-is to a local cash buyer?
Sell as-is to a local cash buyer when the house is not ready for strangers to walk through, or when your date is fixed. That includes a roof leak, a foundation crack, a rental with tenants, a house you inherited and do not live in, or a job start that will not wait. Home Pros buys in that condition. You do not paint, clean, or repair before you ask for the offer.
The tradeoff is the price. A cash offer is built from after-repair value minus repairs, margin, and holding costs. It is not a retail list price. If the house is updated and you can wait for a financed buyer, run both numbers in the cash offer versus listing calculator before you decide. Markets are on the sell my house fast hub, including the Texas page.
Home Pros was founded in 2025, is veteran-owned, and is based in San Antonio. It is BBB accredited. The Google listing shows a 4.9 rating from 98 reviews. Those facts tell you who is on the contract. They do not set your price. Send the address on the cash offer form, or call (830) 510-1597. The written offer window is 24 hours. You can close in as little as 7 days, and a typical close is 14 to 30 days. Steps after the offer are in what to expect when selling to a cash buyer.
When does an iBuyer-style offer fit?
An iBuyer-style offer fits a house that is already livable, when you want a number from a company that prices with software and then resells. You are comparing a convenience product. Read the service fee, the repair addendum, and the close date in that offer. Do not treat a chart that says you will net more than a listing as proof by itself.
The FTC alert says that in the case it described, offers were below market value, and the company asked sellers to pay repair costs higher than people typically spend in a market sale. The FTC said most of those sellers made thousands less than an open-market sale. On October 21, 2022, the FTC approved a final order requiring a $62 million payment for consumer redress. The order bars deceptive claims about how much a seller will receive or what the service will cost. It requires competent and reliable evidence for savings claims and for claims about the cost of a traditional sale. The Commission vote was 4-0.
That order is about one company's advertising. It is not a current fee sheet, and it is not a finding about every company that buys for cash. Use it as a checklist. If an iBuyer says you will net more, ask for the evidence the order describes. Put that written offer next to a local cash offer. If the house shows well, put a listing net beside both. This page is the three-path choice. A company-by-company walkthrough of that iBuyer sits on the Opendoor alternative page.
How should you compare a cash buyer with Opendoor?
Compare a local cash buyer with Opendoor on the contract, not on the ad. Opendoor is the iBuyer named in the FTC's 2022 order. Home Pros is a local cash buyer. The useful differences are the condition the buyer will accept, who sets the date, and which fees you can read before you sign.
Home Pros buys as-is and pays closing costs. The close can be 7 days at the fast end, or 14 to 30 days as a typical range, on a date you pick inside that window. An iBuyer-style file often assumes a house the company can resell to a retail buyer. The FTC said repair charges were part of why sellers netted less in the 2022 case. If your house needs work, start with the local cash offer. If the house is clean and you want a second number, ask for the fee and the repair list in writing, then compare nets.
Do not use a blog post as the offer. The Opendoor alternative page is where sellers who already hold an iBuyer number can see how Home Pros handles that comparison. A direct sale still needs a title company, a deed, and your disclosures. Texas sellers should read the Texas as-is disclosure guide before they sign. This is not legal advice, and it is not a claim that one company always nets more.
When should you list or sell FSBO instead of selling as-is?
List the house, or sell it FSBO, when it shows well, you can leave for showings, and you can wait on a buyer's loan and inspection. That is the retail path. NAR's seller page says compensation for your agent remains fully negotiable, and that the settlement practice changes went into effect August 17. You can still choose to offer pay to a buyer broker, but that offer cannot go on the MLS. Any payment a listing broker will make to a buyer broker has to be disclosed to you in writing, with the amount or rate, before you agree.
FSBO skips the listing agent. It does not skip price, prep, or time. NAR's 2025 profile article says FSBO sellers most often struggled with pricing the home, preparing it for sale, and selling inside the timeframe they wanted. Forty percent did not actively market the home. The same article reports a median FSBO price of $360,000 and a median agent-assisted price of $425,000, an 18 percent gap. NAR says that gap may reflect FSBO homes that are more often lower-cost mobile homes or homes in rural areas. Do not read the gap as a promise that hiring an agent raises your price by 18 percent.
Common reasons owners try FSBO, NAR says, are a sale to a friend or relative, or a wish to avoid an agent commission. Avoiding a commission is a reason to compare nets, including repairs you still pay and the months you still carry the house. The calculator above is built for that comparison. Whether a cash sale needs an agent at all is covered in do you need a realtor to sell to a cash buyer.
Who pays title and escrow on a cash sale?
On a sale to Home Pros, Home Pros pays closing costs. That is a company term, not a statute that binds every buyer in every state. Who pays the owner's title policy on other sales is a line in the purchase contract. The CFPB TRID title-insurance factsheet describes a contract in which the seller pays the full owner's title policy premium, and it explains how that seller credit is shown when the buyer is using a mortgage and both policies come from the same company.
A cash purchase has no buyer mortgage. The settlement statement from the title company or the closing attorney is the page that lists the charges. Read the seller column before you sign. Ask which lines are title, escrow or attorney, recording, and unpaid taxes. In attorney-closing states, the closing attorney's fee is one of those lines. Do not assume the other side pays a line unless the contract says so.
Home Pros paying closing costs means those seller-side charges are in our number, not a separate bill you bring to the table. Confirm that sentence in the written offer. A listing can also shift costs, as a seller credit or as a repair the buyer asks for after inspection. Net proceeds, not the headline price, is the figure to compare. A longer look at cash versus a traditional sale is in the advantages of selling to a cash buyer.
What should you line up before you choose?
Get three documents before you pick. First, a written cash offer from a local buyer, with the price, the close date, and who pays closing costs. Home Pros sends that offer within 24 hours after you submit the address on the form. Second, if you are considering an iBuyer, that company's fee and repair list. Third, if the house shows well, a listing net from an agent or your own FSBO budget, including the months of taxes, insurance, and utilities you would still pay.
Then match the house to the table. Repairs or a hard date point to the local cash buyer. A livable house and a wish to compare an online offer point to an iBuyer, with the FTC checklist in hand. A show-ready house and time point to FSBO or a listing, with compensation negotiated in writing. You can hold a cash offer while you test a list price. Read the expiration date. If it passes, ask for a new offer.
The company overview is on we buy houses. If you want the offer first, use the form or call (830) 510-1597. This is not legal advice, and it is not a promise that one path nets more in your county. Bring the contract to a real estate attorney or a licensed broker if a fee, a repair credit, or a disclosure line is unclear.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a cash buyer and an iBuyer?
A cash buyer purchases the house without a new mortgage on that sale. Home Pros is a local cash buyer that buys as-is and pays closing costs. An iBuyer, in the FTC's words, is a company that uses technology to make a quick offer, then resells. Read the service fee and repair charges in that offer. This is not legal advice.
Is FSBO better than a cash offer?
FSBO fits a show-ready house when you can market it and wait. NAR's 2025 Profile, reported November 11, 2025, says FSBO sales were 5 percent of home sales over the past few years, and that FSBO sellers most often struggled with price, prep, and timing. A cash offer fits repairs, tenants, or a fixed date. Compare the written nets. Neither path is better for every house. This is not legal advice.
When should I list my house instead of selling as-is?
List when the house shows well, you can leave for showings, and you can wait on a buyer's inspection and loan. NAR says agent compensation stays fully negotiable, and any offer of pay to a buyer broker has to be in writing before you agree. Sell as-is to a cash buyer when repairs or your move date matter more than a retail list price. Run both nets before you choose. This is not legal advice.
How is a local cash buyer different from Opendoor?
Opendoor is the iBuyer named in the FTC's 2022 order. That order required a $62 million payment and evidence for savings claims. Home Pros is a local cash buyer. It buys as-is, pays closing costs, sends a written offer within 24 hours, and can close in 7 days, with a typical close of 14 to 30 days. Compare the two written offers. Do not compare slogans. This is not legal advice.
Does Home Pros charge a listing commission?
A direct sale to Home Pros is a purchase, not a listing agreement. Home Pros pays closing costs and buys the house as-is. The written offer is where you read the price, the close date, and the costs. Ask about any charge you do not understand before you sign. Listing compensation, if you later hire an agent, is negotiable under NAR's seller guidance. This is not legal advice.
Who pays title and escrow when I sell to a cash buyer?
On a Home Pros purchase, Home Pros pays closing costs. On other sales, the CFPB title-insurance factsheet says the purchase contract can state that the seller pays the full owner's title policy premium. A cash sale has no buyer mortgage. Read the seller column on the title company or closing-attorney statement before you sign. Confirm the same sentence in the written offer. This is not legal advice.
Can I request a cash offer and still try FSBO?
Yes. Ask for the written cash offer, note the expiration date, and decide whether to test a list price. Home Pros sends the offer within 24 hours of the address. If you list or sell FSBO, you still handle showings and a buyer who may need a loan. If the cash offer expires, request a new one. Holding both numbers is how you compare nets. This is not legal advice.
Sources
These are the pages cited above. They are not a legal opinion on your contract.
- FTC consumer alert (August 1, 2022): iBuyers are companies that use technology to make quick offers on homes. The alert says the cited company's offers were below market value and that repair costs were higher than a typical market sale.
- FTC final order (October 21, 2022): $62 million for consumer redress, a ban on deceptive savings and cost claims, and a requirement of competent and reliable evidence. The Commission vote was 4-0.
- NAR, November 11, 2025, citing the 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers: FSBO share 5 percent over the past few years, 7 percent the prior year, 91 percent of sellers used an agent, 1985 share up to 21 percent, median prices $360,000 and $425,000 with NAR's mobile-home and rural caveat, and the prep, price, and timing struggles, including 40 percent who did not actively market.
- NAR, home sellers and the settlement: compensation remains fully negotiable; practice changes went into effect August 17; buyer-broker offers stay off the MLS and need written seller approval of the amount or rate.
- CFPB TRID title-insurance factsheet: a purchase contract can state that the seller pays the full owner's title policy premium, and the factsheet explains how that credit is disclosed when the buyer uses a mortgage.
Not legal advice. Company facts about Home Pros come from our proof file: founded in 2025, veteran-owned, San Antonio, BBB accredited, Google rating 4.9 from 98 reviews, offer within 24 hours, fastest close 7 days, typical close 14 to 30 days, buys as-is, and pays closing costs. Fee schedules change. Read the offer in front of you.