Need to sell your house fast in Houston?
Competitive cash offers: There’s no need to sort through dozens of We Buy Houses Houston websites. Our team of experts understands the local market, and we work with one of the largest cash buyer networks in the nation to ensure you get the best offer possible through HomeLight’s Simple Sale Houston platform.
No repairs or roadblocks: We specialize in helping Houston sellers move quickly, even if a house needs repairs or you’re going through a difficult situation such as divorce, death in the family, or financial troubles.
Simple and fast: Get the cash you need to move on to your next chapter without the stress of showings, negotiations, or waiting months to close.
Sell My House Fast in Houston
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Best Ways to Sell Your House Fast for Cash in Houston
- Published on
- 8 min read
- Allison Bethell, Contributing AuthorCloseAllison Bethell Contributing Author
Allison Bethell is a writer, real estate investor, broker, small business owner, and consultant and has a B.A. from Villanova University in Sociology and Business. She has over 15 years of real estate experience, including flipping properties, selling houses, property management, luxury condominium development, as well as marketing and recruiting for large real estate brokerages. She has been featured in articles by outlets such as Forbes, The New York Times, The Street, and Realtor Magazine.
- Kelsey Morrison, Former HomeLight EditorCloseKelsey Morrison Former HomeLight Editor
Kelsey Morrison worked as an editor for HomeLight's Resource Centers. She has seven years of editorial experience in the real estate and lifestyle spaces. She previously worked as a commerce editor for World of Good Brands (eHow.com and Cuteness.com) and as an associate editor for Livabl.com. Kelsey holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, and lives in a small mountain town in Southern California.
Homebuyers are flocking to Houston for its lower cost of living, diverse culinary scene, and nearby beaches. This surge in popularity, underscored by Houston ranking fifth in a PODS survey of cities with the highest number of move-ins, works in your favor if you’re aiming to sell your house fast in Houston.
Whether you’ve inherited a house, want to put a divorce behind you, cash out your home’s equity, or relocate for work, your two best strategies if you need to sell your house fast are:
1) pursuing a cash offer, or
2) working with a top real estate agent.
In this guide, we’ll review each option to help you decide which one makes the most sense for your home sale.
Get a cash offer with HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform for a fast sale
HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform connects you to the largest network of real estate investors in the U.S. We use the information you provide about your home plus local neighborhood data to get you a great cash offer, allowing you to close in as little as 10 days. Simple Sale saves time in other ways since clients can skip repairs, home prep, and showings while still receiving a strong offer from our network.
Here are the three easy steps in the Simple Sale process:
Who else will buy your house for cash?
Other types of cash buyers typically include:
- Investors: Purchase the house, fix it up, and rent it
- Flippers: Purchase the house, fix it, and flip it for a profit
- iBuyers: Companies that buy houses in any condition directly from the owner. Typically they use algorithms to figure out their offers.
- Cash buyers: Some buyers choose to buy a house with cash instead of getting a mortgage, allowing them to avoid paying interest.
Who else makes cash offers in Houston?
Some of the cash-buying companies in Houston include:
Express Homebuyers
This company provides same-day cash offers on houses in any condition. They buy houses in Houston, throughout Texas, and nationally. Founded in 2003, the company has purchased more than 4,000 houses. You can choose your closing dates, don’t need to make any repairs, and the company pays closing costs. The company has been BBB accredited since 2004 and has an A- rating.
House Ca$hin
This Houston-based company is set up as a platform for off-market properties. The platform connects sellers who need to sell quickly with buyers who want to buy homes in any condition throughout Texas and the rest of the country. The company pays all closing costs and usually closes within 3 to 30 days. They’re not BBB accredited but do have mostly positive reviews. Customers agree that the company is easy to work with, its staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and closings are timely.
We Buy Houses
This well-known company buys houses in any condition throughout Houston and nationally. The company was started in 1996 and each office is independently owned and operated. The company has helped more than 1 million homebuyers. Offers are made in as little as 24 to 48 hours. We Buy Houses has been BBB accredited since 2017 and has an A rating. Clients have good things to say overall about the company including its timely offers and professionalism.
HomeVestors®/We Buy Ugly Houses®
Another well-known, nationwide company, We Buy Ugly Houses is a subsidiary of HomeVestors®, which was founded in 1996. The company has purchased over 140,000 houses since its inception. We Buy Ugly Houses pays all closing costs and transactions can be completed in as little as three weeks. The company isn’t BBB accredited but has a 4.8-star rating on Google. Customers praise the employees’ professionalism, fair pricing, and streamlined process.
PPS House Buyers
This company buys houses in Houston and its suburbs. It pays all of the closing costs and has been in business since 2017. It has an in-house title coordinator and specializes in providing individualized customer service and being able to take care of any title issues in-house. The company has been BBB accredited since 2020 and has an A+ rating. Customers give the company positive reviews based on their timely closings and outstanding customer service.
HomeGo
Founded in 2018 with an office in Houston, this company buys houses nationwide. In fact, it has purchased more than 30,000 houses. HomeGo makes offers on houses in varying conditions including ones that need extensive repairs. Offers factor in the repair costs and sellers don’t have to pay any closing costs. The company has been BBB accredited since 2018 and has an A+ rating. Sellers find the staff comforting, knowledgeable, and easy to work with.
Pros and cons of selling to cash buyers in Houston
Some of the pros of selling your house fast in Houston to a cash buyer include:
- No repairs necessary
- No real estate agent fees
- You don’t need to worry about showings or open houses
Some of the cons of selling your Houston cash to a cash buyer include:
- You need to make sure the company is reputable
- The offer will be lower because the company needs to make a profit
- The transaction may feel emotionless which can be difficult when it comes to something you may be emotionally attached to like a house
Working with a top agent to sell your house fast in Houston
This option is for sellers who would like to sell faster than average, but who have a little more time to devote to a traditional sale vs. an instant cash offer. HomeLight data shows that not only do top agents sell their clients’ homes more quickly than average agents, but the top 5% of agents sell homes for 4.8% more than average agents.
If you still want to sell quickly but have some flexibility in your timeline, this can be a great strategy to both sell quickly and maximize your home sale.
How fast are homes selling in Houston?
Market conditions play an important role in determining how quickly or slowly a home will sell in a given area. Your real estate agent should be up-to-date on local market trends and conditions, including the best time to sell, and how long homes typically take to go from ‘for sale’ to ‘pending.’
In the Houston metropolitan area, the median single-family home price as of Q4 2023 was $330,000, and homes sat on the market for a median of 56 days. During the same period a year prior, Houston-area homes took a median of 36 days to go under contract. It took, on average, another 45 days for a buyer to close on a conventional mortgage as of December 2023, according to data from Ice Mortgage Technology.
Overall, the Houston metropolitan area is still growing. In December 2023, Metro Houston created 3,600 jobs, and its realtors closed on 102,389 homes across all housing types. This was the slowest pace of home sales since 2018, but the decline can largely be attributed to higher interest rates pricing some buyers out of the market.
Days on market (average time from list to contract) | 56 days* |
Days to close conventional home loan | 45 days |
Median home sale price | $330,000 |
Supply of inventory | 3.3 months |
Number of closed home sales year-over-year | -14% |
*Does not include time for buyer to close the loan
Data sources: Greater Houston Partnership, ICE Mortgage Technology
Strategies to sell home fast in Houston
“Consumers who are buying in Houston want houses with outdoor spaces and swimming pools,” says Cindy Boutwell, a top real agent in Houston who sells 72% more single-family homes than the average agent in her market. “They also want to be in master-planned communities that have amenities and highly rated school districts.”
Other features Houston homebuyers look for include:
- Ground floor primary suite
- Media room
- Home office
- Spacious and open layouts
- Multi-car garages
- Nearby amenities such as grocery stores and coffee shops
Highlighting any of these sought-after features can help sell your house fast in Houston.
Listing your home in Houston means facing competition not only from neighboring properties but also from new construction developments. To ensure a quick sale, it’s crucial to keep your home updated and in line with current market trends.
“Houses sell faster when they’re clean, organized, decluttered, and have some curb appeal,” notes Boutwell. You may not be able to afford to tackle every repair the home needs but you can add planters to the front porch, paint the door an eye-catching color, and make sure the house is clean and full of light. Houses that look good and are priced right tend to sell the fastest.
Houses in highly rated school districts and desirable neighborhoods also tend to sell quickly. Some buyers value city life and being able to walk or bike to boutiques and restaurants, while others prefer a suburban life with a bit more space.
A top agent like Boutwell can bring value to the sale of your Houston home because they understand the local market and buyer preferences, and ensure that your house is priced correctly from the start.
Top-performing agents negotiate on your behalf, have access to marketing materials, are experienced with social media, and can connect you with a professional photographer or videographer who will showcase your home’s best features.
Houses in warm climates like Houston sometimes benefit from having a pool; either a private pool in the backyard or access to a community pool. They also tend to have indoor/outdoor living spaces for enjoying the warm weather year-round. Home features like outdoor kitchens, pizza ovens, and shaded lounge areas are also popular.
So, whether you’re collaborating with a top agent or opting for a cash offer, you have solid options to sell your house fast in Houston. These methods cater to different needs but share the common goal of facilitating a swift and efficient home sale.
Header Source: (lunamarina / Unsplash)
- "Where Are People Moving to in 2023? An Inside Look at This Year’s Moving Trends from PODS," PODS, Alex Keight (August 2023)
- "Monthly Update: Home Sales," Greater Houston Partnership (January 2024)
- "Monthly Housing Update," Houston Association of Realtors (January 2024)
- "Monthly Update: Houston Metro Employment," Houston Association of Realtors (January 2024)