How to choose a cash home buyer you can trust

St. Louis has a lot of companies that say they buy houses. Most are honest. Some are not. When you're already under stress, it's hard to tell the difference, so here is the checklist we'd hand to our own family.

Green flags

• They're local, and you can meet them. A real person walks through your house and you know their name.
• Real reviews you can check. Look for reviews on Google with specific stories about real sales.
• A named title company. Your closing should happen at an established local title company that holds the money and handles the paperwork.
• They explain the offer. You should understand how they arrived at the price, and get time to think about it.
• No fees, ever. A legitimate buyer never asks you for money upfront.

Red flags

• Pressure to sign today. "This offer expires tonight" is a sales tactic, not a real deadline.
• A big number that shrinks. Some buyers promise a high price, tie up your house under contract, then cut the price after an inspection or right before closing.
• Long contracts with confusing clauses. Have an attorney or someone you trust read anything you don't understand.
• Asking you to deed the house over before closing, or any arrangement that doesn't go through a title company.

Questions to ask any cash buyer

1. How long have you been buying homes in St. Louis? Can I see houses you've bought?
2. Which title company do you close with?
3. Will the price change after your inspection? Under what conditions?
4. Who will be my contact from now until closing?
5. Can I talk to a few sellers you've worked with?

Our answer to all of the above

Ask us every one of these questions. You'll talk with one of us directly, get a written offer you can hold us to, and close through a title company. If anything about our offer or contract isn't clear, we'll walk through it line by line, as many times as you need.