The honest comparison
Cash buyer vs listing with an agent.
Most "we buy houses" sites pretend agents don't exist. Most agents pretend cash buyers are all sharks. Both are selling you something. Here's the actual decision framework.
The only fair comparison is net-to-net
A listing produces a higher price; it also subtracts commission (~5–6%), seller closing help, the repairs the buyer's inspector demands, and every month of mortgage, taxes, and insurance while you wait. A cash sale subtracts a margin instead — the buyer's repair risk and profit. Which subtraction is smaller depends on the house, not on ideology. Run both numbers in the net sheet calculator — it uses the same assumptions we just described.
Listing wins when…
The house is listable without shame, you have 2–4 months, and carrying it doesn't hurt. In strong DMV submarkets this nets more, often by a lot. If a cash buyer tells you otherwise about a clean house in Fairfax or Bethesda, walk away.
Cash wins when…
Repairs would scare a lender, the title needs patience (estates, liens), the timeline is unmovable (foreclosure date, PCS orders), or showings are impossible (tenants, hoarding, family conflict). Certainty is worth real money in those situations — and only in those situations.
The test of an honest operator
Ask them: "Would listing net me more?" An honest one sometimes says yes and loses the deal. That answer is our policy — every review includes it. That's also why sellers refer people to us after listing with an agent instead.