Guide · November 8, 2026
How a cash offer for your house is worked out
A cash offer starts from what similar houses nearby sold for, then takes off the cost of the work the house needs and the costs of the sale. Your written offer should show the sales it used.
Key points
- A cash offer starts from recent sales of similar houses close to yours.
- The cost of the repairs your house needs comes off that value. At BIMINIO a trained architect leads the repair estimate.
- A cash buyer also carries the costs of the sale, the time it owns the house, and the resale, so the offer is below full market value.
- Your written offer from BIMINIO lists the comparable sales used and comes with proof of funds.
- Compare offers by what you keep at closing, the closing date, and how sure the money is.
Why a cash offer is below full market value
A cash offer is below what the house might sell for on the open market after repairs. BIMINIO says this on its home page, and any honest cash buyer should say it too.
A buyer who pays cash and buys the house as it is takes on the work and the cost that a seller would carry in a listing: repairs, cleaning, months of bills while the house is for sale, agent commissions when it sells again, and the risk that the repairs cost more than planned.
In return the seller gets a fixed price in writing, no repairs, no showings, no commissions, and a closing date of their choice. Whether that trade is worth it depends on your house and your plans. The net proceeds calculator on this site lets you put both paths side by side with your own numbers.
Step 1: recent sales of similar houses nearby
Every price on a house starts with comparable sales, often called comps. These are houses close to yours, of a similar size, age and type, that sold recently.
Lenders hold appraisers to the same idea. Fannie Mae's Selling Guide asks for at least three closed comparable sales in an appraisal, and says sales that closed within the last 12 months should be used.
A good comparable is close by, similar in bedrooms, bathrooms and living area, built around the same time, and sold in a normal sale between a willing buyer and seller. A house down the street that sold after a full renovation tells you what your house could be worth once it is fixed. A house that sold as is tells you what buyers pay in its current state.
- Distance: the same neighborhood first, then the closest similar area.
- Size: living area, bedrooms and bathrooms.
- Age and build: year built, construction, lot size.
- Condition: renovated, average, or in need of work.
- Date: closed sales, the more recent the better.
Step 2: the repairs your house needs
Next comes the condition of your house. Every repair that a future owner would need to make is a cost the cash buyer takes on.
The big items move the number the most: the roof, the air conditioning, plumbing, electrical work, the foundation, windows, and water or storm damage. Smaller items such as paint, flooring and fixtures add up too.
At BIMINIO the founder is a trained architect, and the repair budget behind the offer comes from a real scope of the work the house needs. That matters to you, because a buyer who guesses high on repairs offers less, and a buyer who guesses low may try to lower the price later.
Step 3: the costs of buying, holding and selling
A cash buyer also pays to close the purchase, to own the house during the repairs (taxes, insurance, utilities), and to sell it again later. In a sale to BIMINIO we pay the closing costs on your sale, so those do not come out of your number.
These costs are the same kinds of costs a seller pays in a listing, only moved to the buyer. So compare what you keep at the end, after every cost.
Step 4: a second check by a person
At BIMINIO our pricing system reads the photos, the permits and every nearby sale, and then a person reviews the number before you see it. The system catches sales a person might miss. The person catches things a system cannot see, such as a busy road, a view, or an addition that was never permitted.
What do you get in writing with a BIMINIO cash offer?
Within 24 hours you get a firm number in writing from BIMINIO, with the comparable sales we used attached. A bank letter comes with the offer as proof of funds. The offer names the closing window, from 7 to 35 days, and you pick the date.
The price in the written offer is the price at closing. After you accept there is one walk-through, a building inspection of under 30 minutes at a time you choose, and no new number on signing day.
| In the offer | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The price | What the buyer pays before your payoff and liens. |
| Comparable sales used | Lets you check the number yourself. |
| Proof of funds | Shows the money exists, with no loan to wait for. |
| Who pays closing costs | At BIMINIO we pay them. |
| Closing window | 7 to 35 days, your choice of date. |
| Inspection | One visit of under 30 minutes, after you accept. |
How to compare two cash offers
If you have more than one offer, line them up by what you keep, and by how sure the sale is.
- Who pays the closing costs? A higher price with your closing costs on top can leave you less.
- Is there a financing contingency? A cash buyer with proof of funds has none.
- Is there an inspection period that lets the buyer walk away or lower the price?
- Who holds the earnest deposit? It should be a licensed title company.
- Is the buyer the one who will close, or will the contract be passed to someone else?
- Are there any fees for you, of any kind? There should be none.
What can change a cash offer before you accept it?
The offer is built on what we know about the house. Before you accept, tell us about anything we cannot see in photos or records: a leak, a crack, an open permit, a lien, tenants. A number based on the full story is one that holds at closing.
Once you have the written offer, the price stays as written. That is the reason we ask questions on the first call.
Want a number for your house? BIMINIO buys in Florida and Arizona, as is. A written offer comes within 24 hours.