How to Tell if a 'We Buy Houses' Company Is Legit

If you own a home in Dallas-Fort Worth, you have probably gotten the postcard. “We buy houses, any condition, cash, close fast.” Some of the companies behind those postcards are real, local, and genuinely helpful. Some are not. The hard part is that both send the same postcard.

Here is the honest version, from people who are on the buying side of this every week.

The short version

A legitimate cash buyer shows proof of funds without being asked twice, puts a clear offer in writing, never asks you for money up front, and gives you room to think. A scam leans on pressure, dodges questions about where the money is, and often dangles a number that looks too good to be true. Learn to read those signals and you can usually tell the difference in about ten minutes.

Can you actually trust a “we buy houses” company?

Yes, plenty of them are legitimate, but you should verify before you sign, not after. A real cash buyer expects you to do your homework and welcomes it. The category itself is not a scam. Your job is not to decide whether “we buy houses” companies are good or bad in general. It is to check the specific company sitting across your kitchen table.

The green flags: what a legitimate cash buyer does

They show proof of funds without flinching

Real money leaves a trail. A legitimate buyer will hand you a recent bank or account statement, or a proof of funds letter, showing they actually have the cash to close. Ask for it early. If the answer is a vague “our investors will cover it” with nothing to back it up, slow down.

They put the offer in writing, with no fees to you

A real offer is a written contract you can read, share with an attorney or title company, and sit with overnight. You should never pay a we buy houses company anything up front, and no legitimate buyer will ask you to wire them money. In a normal cash sale your earnest money and closing funds run through a title company or attorney, never the buyer’s personal account.

They have a real, local track record

Look them up. A legitimate buyer has a business address, verifiable contact information, reviews you can actually find, and usually a name in the community. Consistency matters too. If you call twice and get two different stories from two different people, treat that as a signal.

The red flags: when to walk away

• Pressure to sign today, or a deadline that only benefits them.
• An offer far above what the house is worth that quietly shrinks after an inspection.
• Any request to wire funds, pay a fee, or send money for “processing.”
• No physical address, no business registration, no references.
• Refusal to show proof of funds when you ask directly.
• A contract that can be handed off (assigned) to a stranger, with no plain explanation of what that means for you.

That last one is worth a sentence. Assigning a contract is legal and common, but a straight buyer will tell you up front if they might do it and what it changes. If the paperwork is built to be flipped to someone you never meet and nobody mentions it, ask why in writing.

How to verify a cash buyer in about ten minutes

1. Ask for proof of funds and actually read it.
2. Search the company name along with the word reviews, and see what real people say.
3. Confirm a physical address and that the business is registered.
4. Read the contract. Note who holds the earnest money and whether the deal can be assigned.
5. Have a title company or a real estate attorney look at anything you do not understand. This is general guidance, not legal advice, so lean on a professional for your specific situation.

Where we stand

We are on the buying side of this too, so we will hold ourselves to the same list. When Mac Does REI makes a cash offer, it comes through our principal buying arm, NTX Realty Trust. We show proof of funds. We put every offer in writing with no fees to you. We have closed more than $6M in real estate since 2019 across Texas and Oklahoma, and we would honestly rather you check us out than take our word for it. If a cash sale is not the right fit, we will say so, and we wrote a separate piece on how to weigh a listing versus a cash offer in DFW.

Frequently asked questions

Is a we buy houses company a scam?

Not usually, but some are. The category is legitimate. Verify the specific company in front of you using proof of funds, reviews, and a written contract before you sign anything.

Should a cash buyer ever ask me for money up front?

No. You should never pay a cash buyer a fee, and you should never wire them money. In a normal sale the earnest money is held by a title company or attorney, not by the buyer.

What if the offer seems too high?

Be careful. A common tactic is to win your agreement with a big number, then chip it down after an inspection. Get the offer in writing and ask plainly what, if anything, could change it before closing.

The bottom line

Selling to a cash buyer can be a genuinely good move when speed and certainty matter more than squeezing out the last dollar. Just make the buyer earn your trust first. If you want a straight, no pressure cash offer from a local team that expects you to check its work, we are glad to be one of the names you vet.