Most cash home buyers in Las Vegas are legitimate businesses. But some make a high offer to get your signature, then cut the price, stall, or never close. The good news is that the warning signs are predictable, and you can check any buyer in about 10 minutes before you sign.
The 6 tricks Las Vegas sellers run into most
- The bait-and-switch price. A buyer offers a strong number over the phone, ties up your house under contract, then sends an inspector. A week later the price drops $20,000–$40,000 “because of repairs.” By then you’ve told your family, stopped other conversations, and feel stuck.
- The contract they never planned to close. Some “buyers” are wholesalers. They sign your house up, then try to sell the contract to a real investor for a fee. If they can’t find one, they cancel using an inspection or approval clause. Wholesaling itself isn’t illegal, but you deserve to know who will actually buy your house.
- Tiny earnest money. A $10 or $100 deposit means the buyer has nothing to lose by walking away. A serious buyer puts down meaningful earnest money with a title company.
- Upfront fees. No legitimate buyer charges you an application, appraisal or “processing” fee. If anyone asks you for money before closing, stop.
- Foreclosure rescue and equity theft. Someone promises to save your home if you sign the deed over and pay them rent, with a promise to sell it back later. Homeowners lose the house and all their equity this way. Never sign over a deed outside a title company closing.
- Pressure to sign today. “This offer expires at 5 p.m.” is a sales tactic. A real offer will still be there tomorrow while you get a second opinion.
7 questions to ask any cash buyer
Ask these before you sign. A legitimate buyer will answer every one without hesitating.
- Will you be the one buying my house, or could you assign the contract to someone else?
- Can you show me proof of funds? Ask for a recent bank statement or a letter from their lender, in the buyer’s name.
- Which title company will close, and can I choose my own? In Nevada, closings happen through a licensed title or escrow company. Insist on a well-known local one.
- How much earnest money will you deposit, and when?
- What could make the price change after I sign? Get the answer in writing.
- Who pays closing costs?
- Can I talk to two sellers you bought from in the last year?
How to check a buyer in 10 minutes
- Search the company name plus “reviews” on Google and the Better Business Bureau. Look for reviews that describe a closed sale, not just a nice phone call.
- Look up their business on the Nevada Secretary of State’s business search (SilverFlume). See how long they’ve been registered and who the officers are.
- Check for a real estate license on the Nevada Real Estate Division’s license lookup. Not every buyer needs one, but licensed buyers answer to the state.
- Ask for a recent closed address, then check that it sold on the Clark County Assessor’s website.
- Read the contract for words like “assign,” “or assignee,” and inspection periods longer than 10 days.
What a legitimate cash offer looks like
| Legit buyer | Red flag |
|---|---|
| Written offer with the price and closing date | Verbal number only |
| Proof of funds in the buyer’s name | “Our investors have the money” |
| Earnest money deposited with title | $10 or no deposit |
| Short inspection period (7–10 days) | 30-day inspection or vague “approval” clause |
| You choose or approve the title company | They insist on their own unknown escrow |
| No fees to you | Application or processing fee |
| Time to think and compare | “Sign today or the offer’s gone” |
Should you get more than one offer?
Yes. It’s the simplest protection there is. Compare at least two cash offers and one estimate from a listing agent, and look at your net after costs, not just the headline number. See how cash offers compare to listing.
How we do it at Fast Ready Offer
We’re Taylor Prince and Joe Herrera, both Las Vegas natives, and we buy houses ourselves. Here’s what we put in writing:
- We are the buyer. We disclose upfront if we partner with another buyer.
- We show proof of funds with every offer.
- We close with a licensed local title company, or one you choose.
- We explain our number. See exactly how we calculate an offer.
- No fees, no pressure. Take our offer to anyone you trust.
We had a condo owner in Vegas reach out to us after their deal fell apart. The investor they had contracted with told them on closing day that they needed a $30,000 price drop if they wanted to move forward. The price cut would have taken all their equity and left them in a bad spot. We were able to finish the deal at the price they had hoped to get from the beginning.
If you want a second opinion on an offer you already have, send it to us. We’ll tell you honestly whether it looks fair, even if we’re not the buyer.
Keep reading: How we calculate a cash offer · Selling as-is in Las Vegas · Behind on your mortgage?