The whole thing, in five steps
Most we buy houses companies describe their process in three vague bullets and a phone number. That is not a process, it is a lead form with a story attached. Here is what actually happens when you sell a Baltimore house to us, in order, with who does what at each point.
| Step | What happens | Who does it | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Valuation | A real number on your house, free, no phone call needed | You, through REBA | Minutes |
| 2. Walkthrough | We look at the house, in person or by video | Someone from our team | Usually under an hour |
| 3. Written offer | Price, terms, and closing date in writing | Us | Same day or next |
| 4. Title work | Liens, ground rent, judgments, and chain of title checked | Maryland title company | The variable step |
| 5. Closing | You sign, funds disburse, the deed records | Title company | The date you picked |
The only step with real variability is the title work, and it has nothing to do with us. More on that below, because it is where honest timelines get made or broken.
Step 1: you get the number first
Every other buyer in this city makes you earn the number. You fill in a form, you take a call, you answer questions about your situation, and somewhere after all of that a figure arrives. That sequence is not an accident. Information is leverage, and by the time you learn what your house is worth, they already know how much pressure you are under.
We run it backwards. REBA is our valuation tool and it returns a real number in minutes, free, with no obligation and no phone call required. You do not have to explain your divorce, your job, or your mother’s estate to find out what your house is worth. If the number does not work for you, close the tab. You learned something useful and you owe us nothing.
REBA prices the property against Baltimore, not against a national average. That distinction matters more here than almost anywhere, and how we actually value a Baltimore house explains why block level pricing beats a citywide estimate every time.
A machine produces the first number. A person in Baltimore stands behind the final one. That is the part we would not automate even if we could.
Step 2: the walkthrough
Somebody from our team looks at the house. If you are local, we come to you. If you inherited a rowhome in Highlandtown and you live in Phoenix, we do it by video with whoever has a key, or we arrange access ourselves. Out of state sellers do not have to fly in for this.
What we are doing is scoping, not judging. We are looking at the roof, the systems, the foundation and the rear addition, and any water damage, because those are the items that move a number. We are not looking at your housekeeping, the boxes in the second bedroom, or what is in the basement.
You do not need to clean, repair, stage, or empty anything before we come. Nothing needs to be fixed first, and nothing you leave behind reduces the offer. That is what selling as is actually means in Maryland, and it does not mean selling blind, because your Maryland disclosure obligations still exist.
The walkthrough is also when you should ask us questions. What after repair value are we using. What is in our repair scope. What would change the number. If a buyer will not answer those, that tells you something.
Step 3: the written offer
You get the offer in writing. It states the price, the terms, and the closing date. It is not a range, it is not a verbal indication, and it is not conditional on a lender agreeing with us later, because there is no lender.
There is no expiry countdown on it either. Nothing on this site expires and nobody is going to call you Friday to say the number drops Monday. If your situation has a deadline, that deadline is yours and it is real. We are not going to manufacture a second one on top of it.
If you already have a written offer from another cash buyer, send it over. We will beat it or we will tell you to take it. If somebody has already priced your house higher than we would, take their money. That is a better outcome for you than us winning the deal, and we would rather say so than talk you out of it. Whether any cash buyer can approach full market value is worked through honestly on do cash buyers pay market value.
You are also free to take the written offer to an agent and ask what they think they could list it for. We would rather you make the comparison than wonder about it. The tradeoffs are laid out on cash offer versus listing with an agent.
Step 4: the title work, which is the step that sets your date
Once the contract is signed, a Maryland title company goes to work. They confirm you can convey clean title. That means checking that the mortgage is releasable, that there are no judgments recorded against you or a previous owner, that property taxes and water are current or can be settled at closing, and that the chain of ownership has no gaps.
Baltimore adds a few local items. Ground rent shows up on a lot of older city properties and has to be identified and dealt with at settlement. Unpaid water charges can attach to the property. If the house came through an estate, the title company needs the estate paperwork to be in order before anyone can sign a deed.
On a clean rowhome this is quick and a 7 day close is realistic. On a house that has been in a family since the seventies and never had a title issue looked at, it takes longer. We will tell you which one you have as early as we can, rather than let it surface in week three. That is the honest version of the speed question, and the rest of it is on how fast you can actually sell a Baltimore house.
None of these findings are disqualifying by themselves. Liens, back taxes and probate paperwork get resolved at settlement all the time. They affect the calendar, not whether the sale can happen.
Step 5: closing, on the date you chose
You pick the closing date. Not us. If you need seven days because a foreclosure sale is scheduled, we work toward seven. If you need forty five because your next place is not ready and you would rather move once, take forty five. There is no penalty for taking longer and no discount for going faster.
At settlement you sign the deed and the settlement statement, funds are disbursed, and the deed records. If you cannot be in Baltimore that day, remote and mail away closings are normal and the title company will arrange it.
The settlement statement is the document to actually read. It is the line by line accounting of what came off the price and what is left for you: mortgage payoff, transfer and recordation charges, unpaid taxes or water, ground rent redemption if it applies. We would rather walk you through a draft in advance than hand it to you at the table. The itemized version of those costs is on Baltimore seller closing costs.
About the last minute price cut
This is the single most common complaint about cash buyers, and the fear is completely reasonable. The move works like this. A buyer sends a high number to get your signature. You mentally sell the house. You tell your family, you put a deposit on the next place, you stop taking other calls. Then, somewhere close to closing, the price drops, and the buyer knows you are too far in to start over.
It is called a retrade and it is a strategy, not an accident. The high initial number exists to remove your other options, and the reduction is priced in from the start.
Three things protect you from it, and they work with any buyer, not just us.
- Make the offer come after the walkthrough, not before. A number given sight unseen has to be revised. That is the trapdoor. Ours follows the inspection of the house.
- Read the contingency language before you sign. Ask which specific conditions let the buyer reduce or cancel. If the answer is broad or vague, that is the answer.
- Ask what happens if their repair estimate is wrong. A buyer who has scoped the house properly can tell you. A buyer who is guessing will change the subject.
Our position is simple. If something material turns up that nobody could reasonably have known about, you hear it from us the day we find out, not at the settlement table. If we were wrong about something we should have caught in the walkthrough, that is our mistake to absorb, not yours. The wider version of this argument, including which criticisms of this industry are fair, is on are we buy houses companies a scam.
What we need from you, and what we do not
We need access to the house, whatever paperwork exists on the estate or the mortgage, and a decision. That is close to all of it.
We do not need repairs, cleaning, a cleanout, staging, photos, an open house, or a lockbox. We do not need you to be current on your mortgage, your taxes, or your water bill. We do not need the house to be empty, and we do not need the tenants gone. We do not need probate to be finished, though it does affect timing.
On cost: no commission and no fees from us, before or at closing. Maryland and Baltimore City transfer and recordation charges still apply to the transaction itself, as they would in any sale, and who pays what is set in the contract.
If the house needs more work than a cash offer rewards
There is a version of this where selling to us as is not your best move, and we would rather you knew about it. If the house needs real work, a straight cash sale prices in that condition and the discount comes out of your side.
The alternative is that we fund the repairs, our contractors do the work, and the house sells at a price agreed in writing before anyone starts. That agreed number is set above what the house is worth today. You pay nothing up front and nothing at closing. It takes longer than seven days because construction actually has to happen, and it pays you for the value the repairs create instead of docking you for the repairs being undone. See how the renovation partnership works.
Start with the number
You do not have to commit to anything to find out where you stand. Get a valuation, look at the figure, and decide from there. If it works, we move. If it does not, nothing happens and there is no follow up campaign.
When you are ready, get your cash offer or call (855) 554-8114. We are open 24 hours, which matters because most people find this page at 2am. If you want the wider picture first, start with the full guide to selling a Baltimore house fast.
Before you act on this
This page is general information about how these processes work in Maryland. It is not
legal, tax, or financial advice, and your situation may turn on details this page cannot
know. Talk to a Maryland attorney or a licensed tax professional before you make a decision
you cannot reverse. If you are facing foreclosure, you can also speak with a HUD approved
housing counselor at no cost.
Questions people ask
Do I have to talk to anyone to get an offer?
No. REBA returns a real valuation in minutes with no phone call and no obligation. A conversation only happens if you want one. We think making sellers trade a phone call for their own number is the worst habit in this industry, so we removed it.
Does the offer change after you walk through the house?
Our written offer follows the walkthrough, not the other way around, which is what stops most last minute price cuts before they can start. If something material turns up that nobody could have known about, you hear it the day we find it, not at the settlement table.
Who picks the closing date?
You do. We can close in as little as 7 days when title is clean, but there is no discount for hurrying and no penalty for taking longer. If you need six weeks so you only have to move once, take six weeks and we will hold the date.
What if my house has liens or unpaid taxes?
That is normal and it is not disqualifying. Liens, back taxes, unpaid water charges and ground rent all get identified in the title search and resolved at settlement. They affect the calendar rather than whether the sale can happen at all.
Do I need to clean out the house first?
No. Take what you want and leave the rest. We do not need it cleaned, repaired, staged or emptied, and nothing you leave behind reduces the offer. For a lot of people selling an inherited house, that is the single biggest relief in the whole process.
Do you charge any fees or commission?
No commission and no fees from us, before or at closing. Maryland and Baltimore City transfer and recordation charges still apply to the transaction, the same as in any sale, and who pays what is set in the contract rather than assumed.