Definition of "What is a cash offer?"

Wondering what is the cash offer definition?

Well, the cash offer definition is pretty much what it says, an offer made in cash.

But aren’t all offers cash? No one buys a house giving cows in return for the property…

Actually, you’d be surprised how many people do exactly just that. Cattle is valuable. Plus, in the end, it’s also money. What the cash offer definition really means is that the home buyer will seek no financing (mortgage) in order to pay for the house. The money is coming straight out of his or her pocket and going to the home seller. Just like as if you were buying something in the supermarket; a simple cash for merchandise transaction.

So, a cash offer is something that is interesting for home sellers because it speeds up the closing process by a lot. When the home buyer does it through a mortgage process, it will take weeks from the home buyer saying “I do” to the money arriving in the home seller’s account. And it might happen that the home buyer doesn’t get approved so it’s back to square one. Cash offers can be done in 3 days.

With all of that, for the home buyer, a cash offer can be a necessary measure to beat the competition. And you know what? It’s also good to know that you won’t put your house as real estate collateral.

But the reality is that cash flow is always important, so the real reason why home buyers do cash offers is only one: to bargain a better price. It’s seducing for Home Sellers to receive at once all that money and finish the angst that is the home selling process. What if the next person that makes an offer on the house starts to bother with real estate contingencies related to a new and lengthy home inspection as a way to lower the price anyway? Worse: what if no one else makes an offer on the house? Better to close it for a little less, right? Cash offer is money in the pocket for the home seller and a chance for the home buyer with funds to make the investment even better.

Real Estate Advice:

Read our article that goes deep into the question of buying a house with cash vs. mortgage to figure out which is better suited for you. If still in doubt, contact one of our real estate agents to consult!

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Questions

Popular Real Estate Glossary Terms

Created by the US Congress in 1965, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the agency principally responsible for federal programs relating to housing and urban ...

Survey of the maintenance requirements for a commercial or industrial rental property for the purpose of preparing a management agreement. ...

The appellant definition references a concept related to legal proceedings. The appellant is the individual who is dissatisfied with the judgment in a lawsuit and asks for a superior court ...

Written agreement between two or more parties to extend the terms of a document. ...

A notary public's guaranteeing the authenticity of a signature. ...

When you hear someone mentioning aesthetic value in connection with real estate, that person is using aesthetic value as a way to point price appreciation added to the property because of ...

A right or portion of property reserved to the grantor in a conveyance by deed. Waiver of a requirement in a lease agreement such as the landlord allowing an old tenant to have a cat or a ...

Fixed interest rate loan in which the payments are made every two weeks, but the payment is one half the amount of a regular monthly fixed-rate mortgage with the same amortization schedule. ...

In a principal gent transaction or contract where a third party knows the name of the principal the agent represents. This is a typical setting in real estate situations. In this ...