Guide · November 8, 2026
How to check a cash home buyer before you sign
Run seven checks before you sign with any cash buyer: proof of funds, the title company, fees, your deed, the price, who will close, and the contract.
Key points
- Ask for proof of funds with the offer, such as a bank letter.
- The closing and the earnest deposit should go through a licensed title company.
- Never pay a fee up front to sell your house or to get help with your mortgage. The FTC warns about this.
- Never sign your deed over before closing at a title company.
- Get the price in writing, and ask whether the buyer can lower it after an inspection.
Why it pays to check
Selling to a cash buyer can be fast and simple. Speed also leaves less time to notice a problem. A few checks before you sign protect your house and your money.
These checks apply to any buyer, BIMINIO included. Ask us every one of them.
Check 1: proof of funds
A cash buyer should show that the money exists. Proof of funds is usually a bank letter or a recent account statement in the buyer's name.
At BIMINIO a bank letter comes with every offer. We are the buyer, and we do not resell your information to other buyers.
Check 2: a licensed title company
The closing should go through a licensed title company that holds the earnest deposit and pays you from the sale. You can call the title company yourself, using a phone number from its own website or listing, to confirm the file exists.
Be careful with any buyer who wants to close without a title company, or who asks you to sign papers at a kitchen table with no one else involved.
Check 3: no upfront fees
You should never pay a buyer to buy your house. If you are behind on payments, the Federal Trade Commission's guide to mortgage relief scams says: "Never pay a company upfront for promises to help you get relief on paying your mortgage."
With BIMINIO there are no fees or commissions, and we pay the closing costs.
Check 4: keep your deed until closing
The FTC also warns that scammers may try to convince an owner to transfer the deed to the house to them. Your deed should change hands only at closing, through the title company, in exchange for the price in the contract.
The FTC adds that a company cannot tell you to stop talking to your lender. If anyone does, stop and get advice. Housing counselors approved by HUD give independent advice on defaults, forbearance and foreclosure, often at little or no cost. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lists them and gives the phone number 1-855-411-2372.
Check 5: the price in writing, and when it can change
Ask for the offer in writing, and ask one direct question: can the price change after the inspection? Some buyers make a high offer to win the contract and then lower it during the inspection period, when the seller has already planned the move. This is often called a retrade.
At BIMINIO the price in the written offer is the price at closing. There is one walk-through of under 30 minutes after you accept.
Check 6: who will buy the house
Some buyers sign a contract and then sell that contract to someone else before closing. This is called assigning the contract. It can be legal, but you should know if it is the plan, because the person who closes may be someone you have never met.
Ask: "Are you the buyer who will close, or can this contract be assigned?" Then read the contract for the word "assign".
Check 7: read the contract
Read every page before you sign, or have a lawyer read it. Look for these items.
- The price, and whether anything can be taken off it.
- Who pays the closing costs.
- The closing date, and what happens if it moves.
- The inspection period, and whether the buyer can walk away during it.
- The earnest deposit: how much, and who holds it.
- Whether the contract can be assigned.
- What you can leave in the house.
Questions to ask any cash buyer
Ask these on the first call. A good buyer answers each one without trouble.
- Can you send proof of funds with the offer?
- Which title company will close, and who holds the earnest deposit?
- Are there any fees for me, of any kind?
- Can the price change after the inspection?
- Will you close, or can the contract be assigned?
- Can I see the comparable sales you used?
Warning signs
Any one of these is a reason to slow down and ask more questions. More than one is a reason to walk away.
- A fee before closing, for any reason.
- A request to sign your deed over before closing.
- No title company, or a title company you cannot find yourself.
- Pressure to sign today, or an offer that ends in an hour.
- A price that seems far above nearby sales, with a long inspection period.
- Advice to stop talking to your lender.
- No written offer, or a contract with blank spaces.
What a good first call sounds like
A good buyer asks about the house and listens. Expect questions about the condition, the people on the title, any loans or liens, tenants, and the date you want to close.
A good buyer also answers your questions plainly: who will close, which title company, who pays which costs, and whether the price can change. You should end the call knowing when the written offer will arrive.
At BIMINIO you get a text within a minute and a call within the hour after you fill out the form, 7 days a week, and the written offer within 24 hours.
How BIMINIO answers each check
Hold us to the same checks. Our answer to each one is below.
| Check | BIMINIO |
|---|---|
| Proof of funds | A bank letter comes with every offer. |
| Title company | A licensed title company handles the paperwork and holds your earnest deposit. |
| Fees | None. We pay the closing costs. |
| Your deed | Signed only at closing, through the title company. |
| The price | In writing within 24 hours. The written price is the price at closing. |
| Who buys | We are the buyer, and we never sell your information. |
| Comparable sales | Attached to the written offer. |
Want a number for your house? BIMINIO buys in Florida and Arizona, as is. A written offer comes within 24 hours.