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Selling faster
Both trade some money for speed or certainty. Here is how each works, from the provider's own pages.
HomeLight, read Oct 2, 2026. See source
| If you are asking | Start with | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Need to sell by a fixed date? | A cash offer lets you pick the close | Compare |
| Found the next home already? | Buy before you sell funds the down payment | Compare |
| Want the highest price? | A regular listing, with a negotiated commission | Listing agents |
Cash offer. A buyer, often an investor or a company, offers cash for the home as it is, and you choose the closing date. HomeLight's Simple Sale page advertises a no-obligation cash offer in 48 hours, shown beside an open-market estimate from a local agent, with a close in as few as 10 or as many as 60 days. The same page says plainly that most sellers net more on the open market, and that a cash offer is for cases where certainty and speed are worth more1.
Buy before you sell. Here you still sell on the open market, but you buy the next home first. HomeLight's program advances up to 90% of your equity, up to $2 million, at 0% interest with no monthly payments, places a backup offer on your current home, and collects the repayment and a program fee from the sale proceeds. Its worked example uses a 2.4% program fee2.
How to judge a cash offer. HomeLight's own nine-step guide to a cash sale starts with checking your home's value and comparing the offer with what an agent could get on the open market, before inspection, title and closing3.
| Question | Cash offer (Simple Sale) | Buy Before You Sell | Regular listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sale price1 | The cash buyer's offer | Open-market price | Open-market price |
| Timing2 | Close in 10 to 60 days, your choice | Buy first, list the old home after moving | Depends on buyers and their financing |
| Extra cost stated2 | No fee to see the offer | Program fee from the sale (2.4% in the example) | Agent commission, negotiable |
| Moves2 | One, on your date | One, into the new home first | One or two, depending on timing |
| Source | HomeLight Simple SaleRead Oct 2, 2026 | HomeLight Buy Before You SellRead Oct 2, 2026 | NAR settlement summaryRead Oct 2, 2026 |
Eligibility and fees are set by the provider.
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Good for seeing a cash offer beside an open-market estimate
Also on HomeLight's site
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