Manufactured urgency
"This offer's only good today."
"Sign today and I'll bump it up."
A real buyer's number is the same next week.
What to do: Sleep on it. Anyone who won't wait 48 hours wasn't going to close.
Need to sell, any reason
A job in another state, a growing family, a house you're tired of carrying. No court, no deadline, just a decision.
Florida statutes and Duval County procedures verified September 2026.
Timeline
The clock
Yours.
Write down the date you must be out and the date you must have the money. Work backward: a listing needs 60 to 120 days plus repairs; a direct sale needs 2 to 3 weeks, and you can stay after closing while you figure out the next step.
Options
Your options, ranked
If you do nothing
Two payments, an empty house to look after from far away, and a listing that starts after you've already left.
Red flags
Lines you'll hear
"This offer's only good today."
The easy yes
"Sure, we can do that number."
A buyer who agrees to your price without comps, a walkthrough or a repair number isn't buying. He's locking you up to renegotiate later or to shop the contract. Real offers come with the math (Know what it's worth).
What to do: "What's that number based on?" If the answer is "you," it isn't an offer.
The planned re-trade
"The inspection came back and a few things came up we didn't expect."
First, the honest part: every serious buyer keeps the right to adjust after inspection. Sellers don't always disclose, and walls hide things. A real adjustment names the defect, comes with the inspection report or a contractor's estimate, and prices the fix. The tactic is the other version: it follows the easy yes, cites "the market" or "my buyers" instead of a defect, and lands the week before closing when you have no time to start over.
What to do: "Send me the report and the estimate." If they exist, negotiate. If they don't, the price stands or you're free.
Bait
"I'll pay you more than you'd get on the market."
Nobody pays retail for a house they can't inspect and resell. The price comes down later or the buyer disappears.
What to do: Treat the highest offer as the least likely to close.
Our end of the deal
What we carry, so you don't
The house full of stuff.
Old path
Three weekends, a dumpster rental, and an argument about the couch.
Fresh path
Take the photo albums and whatever matters. Leave the rest: furniture, garage, attic, shed. Gone by the time we close, on our dime.
The closing bill.
Old path
5 To 6% commission, title fees, doc stamps, "seller concessions," subtracted from your check at the last minute.
Fresh path
The price we agree is the check you get. We pay the closing costs; there's no commission because there's no agent.
The number.
Old path
"Fair cash offer," and no idea how they got there.
Fresh path
A written offer within 24 hours with the math on it: the sold comps we used, our price, what gets paid off, what you walk away with. Take it to anyone you trust.
The pressure.
Old path
"Only good today."
Fresh path
Our number stands while you think, ask a lawyer, and call your kids.
On every sale, whatever the reason you're selling: if you need the money before you can move, you close first, get paid, and stay in your house while you figure out the next step, under a written post-closing agreement.
Traps
Traps set for people in your spot
Spoofed email, the number one closing fraud
"Updated wire instructions for your closing."
What to do: Confirm wire details by phone to a number you looked up yourself, never one in the email.
Cash-for-keys with no paper
"Move out by Friday and I'll have $2,000 for you."
You leave; the cash doesn't come.
What to do: One signed page: amount, date, condition, paid at the walk-through.
Common myths
Myth vs. reality
Myth"Cash buyers are all lowballers."
Reality: The good ones show their math. The gap between their number and the renovated comps is a price for speed, certainty and carried work. Measure it (Know what it's worth) and decide.
Myth"Listing always nets more."
Reality: After commission, repairs, carrying costs and a fall-through, not always. Run both numbers.
Myth"'As is' means the buyer can't renegotiate."
Reality: As is means no repair obligation, not no inspection. A real defect can still adjust the price; a made-up one can't.
This guide explains Florida procedure in plain language. It isn't legal advice. For your situation, talk to a lawyer; free options are in our Free help guide.
Your cash offer
Tell us about the house.
We'll tell you what it's worth to us, with the math. A written offer within 24 hours: the sold comps we used, our price, what gets paid off, what you walk away with. Take it to anyone you trust. No obligation, no expiring offers.
Rather talk? Call or text (904) 822-7050.
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