The "we buy houses" world has a reputation problem, and some of it is earned. I've been inside this industry since 2015, so let me tell you how it actually works: who the buyers behind those signs and postcards really are, how their offers get made, where sellers get burned, and the specific questions that sort the professionals from the rest. By the end you should be able to evaluate any cash buyer, including me.
The four kinds of buyers behind the signs
1. Local flippers and rental buyers
Companies or individuals who buy houses with their own money, renovate them with their own crews, and either resell or keep them as rentals. They see your house before offering, close in their own name, and live with their local reputation. This is what Rubix is.
2. Wholesalers
Wholesalers don't buy your house; they get it under contract and then sell that contract to an actual buyer for a fee. When it works, you may never notice. When it doesn't (they can't find a buyer at their number) they cancel or renegotiate late, and your "sale" evaporates weeks in. Oregon has taken notice: HB 4058 now regulates residential wholesaling, including registration and disclosure requirements. A legitimate wholesaler will disclose what they are; an evasive answer to "are you buying this yourself?" tells you plenty.
3. National iBuyers and franchise operations
Larger companies with algorithms, call centers, and standardized processes. Often legitimate, sometimes competitive on price for houses in decent shape, but you're dealing with a system rather than a person, and fees or "service charges" can be deducted from what looked like a strong headline number. Read their contracts closely and compare net proceeds, not headline offers.
4. The predators
A small group that gives everyone else the reputation. Their playbook: a strong verbal offer to win your signature, then a renegotiation days before closing when your alternatives are gone; pressure to sign same-day; contracts with long option periods that tie your house up for nothing; or "helpful" arrangements involving deeds and promises that a court would need to untangle. They target people in foreclosure and estates especially.
How a real cash offer gets made
Every professional buyer uses some version of the same math: what the renovated house will sell for, minus renovation costs, minus carrying and transaction costs, minus the profit that makes the business worth running. That lands below retail, always; the discount is what buys your speed, certainty, and freedom from repairs and showings. A buyer who claims otherwise is either not doing this math (worrying) or not sharing it honestly (worse). I walk sellers through my numbers when they ask; some of our best reviews came from sellers who appreciated seeing the math even while wishing the number were bigger.
Five questions that sort the buyers
- "Are you buying the house yourself, and will the closing be in your company's name?" A direct buyer says yes without blinking. Hedging means wholesaler.
- "Will you see the house before making the offer, and will the offer be in writing?" Sight-unseen verbal numbers exist to be reduced later.
- "What's your local track record?" Years buying here, houses you can drive past, reviews under real names. Verify independently; don't accept a brochure as proof.
- "Will the closing run through a licensed title company?" Non-negotiable. The title company holds the money, clears the title, and protects both sides. Anyone proposing to skip it is proposing to skip your protection.
- "What happens between signing and closing?" The right answer is: the title company works, and the price doesn't change. Ask directly whether they've ever reduced a price after signing.
Red flags, compressed
- Pressure to sign today, or a "this offer expires tonight" clock.
- Any request for money from you, ever.
- Reluctance to put the offer, or themselves, in writing.
- A price that drops as closing approaches, for reasons discovered conveniently late.
- Papers involving your deed presented as anything other than a straightforward sale; if you're in foreclosure and someone proposes a creative arrangement, have an attorney read it first.
What it's like when it goes right
Uneventful, honestly. You call, describe the house, and get a visit at your convenience. The offer arrives in writing, you take whatever time you need to decide (including years, in one of our cases), and if you accept, a title company opens escrow, you sign once, and the agreed number lands in your account on the date you chose. You leave the junk, skip the repairs, and never host a showing. That's the entire product. The way to get that version is to choose the buyer with the verifiable track record and to walk away, without apology, from anyone who trips the flags above.
If you want to evaluate us by our own standards: here's exactly how we buy, who I am, and what sellers say publicly. My license is on Oregon's public lookup, and the offer is free either way.