What Questions Should I Ask a Cash Home Buyer? 12 Questions for Raleigh Sellers

A cash offer can look simple on paper. One number, one date, no lender. The details behind that number matter more than the number itself, and a handful of good questions will bring them out fast. Wake County Home Buyers, a local Raleigh-area buyer since 2012, answers every question on this list in its published terms, which makes it a useful yardstick.

So what questions should I ask a cash home buyer before signing anything? The twelve below cover who the buyer is, what you'll pay, how the offer is built and what happens at closing. Keep them handy for every call.

Why Wake County Home Buyers Is a Trusted Local Option

Wake County Home Buyers is owned and run by Mike Otranto, who has bought houses since the mid-2000s. The company is based in Willow Spring and buys across North Carolina. The BBB rates it A+, and its accreditation runs back to 2017.

Its process is short and written down. First comes a ten-minute call. Then the team walks the house once and sends a firm written cash offer, usually within 24 hours. You choose the closing date, and a North Carolina closing attorney handles the rest.

The real estate site Clever picked Wake County Home Buyers as its top cash investor in Cary, and in Wilson too. Its review suggests the company for houses that need repairs or come with complications.

What Questions Should I Ask a Cash Home Buyer Before Signing

1. How long have you been buying houses here?

Time in the market tells you a buyer has closed plenty of sales and plans to stick around. Ask for the year the company started, then check it against the BBB profile. Wake County Home Buyers started in 2012, and its BBB file shows the same year.

2. What does the BBB show?

Look for three things on bbb.org: the grade, whether the company is accredited and the date that accreditation began. An accredited business has agreed to meet the BBB's standards, and a long run of accreditation shows it has kept doing so. Wake County Home Buyers has held accreditation since 2017.

3. Who pays the closing costs?

This one question can swing your net by thousands. North Carolina sellers pay an excise tax of $1 for every $500 of the price, plus attorney, title and recording costs unless the buyer covers them. On a $400,000 house, the stamp alone comes to $800. Wake County Home Buyers pays all of them, excise stamp included.

4. Are there any fees or commissions?

A local cash buyer shouldn't charge you a commission. Some national iBuyers charge a service fee, though, and it comes out of your sale price. Ask for the fee in dollars on your house, not as a percent, because a dollar figure is much easier to weigh against a local offer. Wake County Home Buyers charges no fees and no commissions.

5. How did you come up with this number?

Most cash buyers start with recent sales of similar houses nearby, then subtract repairs and a margin. A good buyer will walk you through that math and show you the comparable sales it used. Wake County Home Buyers shares them whenever a seller asks.

6. How many visits before I get a written offer?

Some buyers send several people over several days, while others make an offer online and then send an inspector later to look for repairs. Wake County Home Buyers visits once and puts its offer in writing, usually within a day. One visit means fewer strangers in your home and less time off work.

7. Who picks the closing date?

You should. A buyer that sets the date for you may not fit your move, your new lease or a job start. Wake County Home Buyers lets you pick the day, usually 7 to 14 days out. It will also wait months if you need more time. Kathy, one past seller, needed to move both her closing and her move-out date when problems came up with her new home, and the company worked with her on both.

8. Who handles the closing?

Every North Carolina closing runs through a licensed attorney who searches the title and records the deed. Ask which attorney the buyer uses and when your money will go out. You may also read online about a proposed wholesaling bill, H 797. It passed the state House in 2025 but hasn't become law.

Wake County Home Buyers buys with cash and closes through a North Carolina closing attorney, who wires your money the same day the deed records.

9. Do I need to clean out or fix anything?

An as-is buyer should mean exactly that. Ask whether you can leave furniture, tools and boxes behind. With Wake County Home Buyers, you take what you want and leave the rest, with no repairs, cleaning or staging. For an estate full of a parent's things, that can save weeks of sorting and hauling.

10. Who will I work with from start to finish?

Some companies hand you from a call center to a field rep to a closing team. That's a lot of names to keep straight. Wake County Home Buyers keeps the same small local team with you from the first call to closing, and you can reach Mike directly.

Linda Bowden noticed that too. She wrote that Mike explained the sale fully and answered all of her follow-up questions promptly, and that the sale was far simpler than she expected.

11. Would I make more by listing with an agent?

An honest buyer will answer this one straight. With an updated house and time to wait, a listing may put more in your pocket. Raleigh homes took a median of 48.8 days to sell in the first half of 2026, based on Redfin data, so you'll need some patience. Wake County Home Buyers tells sellers on the first call when an agent is the better route, and refers them to one it trusts.

12. Can you handle liens, probate or title problems?

Not every buyer wants a complicated file. Ask whether the company has bought inherited houses, houses in probate or houses with liens. Wake County Home Buyers handles all three, working with the closing attorney to pay off what's owed at the table.

A Few More Things to Watch

Read the contract closely. If a term like the due diligence period isn't clear, ask the closing attorney to explain it before you sign.

Ask too whether you'll be pressured to decide fast. A good buyer gives you room to think. Don Poole, who sold a house to Mike after first being told a listing might suit him better, said Mike never tried to push him into a decision.

Keep your notes in one place. Write down each answer, the name of the person who gave it and the date, so nothing gets mixed up when three or four buyers call back in the same week. Then compare the answers side by side before you choose.

How Wake County Home Buyers Answers the List

Your Best Next Call

These twelve questions work with any buyer, and they'll help you sort the solid companies from the rest. Wake County Home Buyers is the best next call for Raleigh sellers who want clear answers up front, every closing cost paid and one firm written offer after a single visit. Call Wake County Home Buyers at (919) 473-6885 and run through the list yourself.