Express Homebuyers Reviews: Can This Cash Home Buyer Be Trusted?

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  Written by Brendan Rigney

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  Edited by Josiah Wilmoth

What is Express Homebuyers? | Reviews | How it works | Pros and cons | Alternatives | FAQs

Express Homebuyers is a national network of real estate companies that buys houses for cash. Operating in 27 states, the group is an experienced home buyer with generally positive customer reviews and a lightning-quick sales process. 

Express Homebuyers works best for home sellers who favor speed and ease of sale over netting the highest offer price. The company makes an offer within minutes and allows sellers to close in as fast as a week. 

However, this speed and ease of sale comes with a hefty trade-off: a discounted home sale price. In exchange for a streamlined sale process, Express typically makes offers well below fair market value — sometimes as low as 50% of what a home is worth.

We recommend comparing offers from multiple buyers to find a price and terms that work best for you. Our friends at Clever Real Estate can match you to a local realtor who will field offers from top cash home buyers in your area. You’ll also get a free home valuation to help you determine if the cash offers are fair or not. Get cash offers from top local buyers now!

What is Express Homebuyers and is it legit?

Express Homebuyers set up shop in 2003 and has bought over 4,000 homes across the U.S. Its franchise-owned businesses operate independently, allowing each to serve their specific real estate markets.

Like most other cash buyers, the company makes a profit by flipping homes. After buying a property, it completes repairs and improvements that boost the home’s value. Then, the company resells the home for more than what it invested. 

Who does Express Homebuyers work best for?

Since Express Homebuyers makes most of its money from flipping homes, the company focuses primarily on homes it can buy at a discount — like distressed properties or homes that need serious repairs.

This doesn’t mean Express Homebuyers or other cash buyers don’t buy homes in fine or great condition. But they’ll likely pay less than fair market value to secure a profit. 

You might consider selling to Express Homebuyers if you’re in one of the following situations:

• You inherited a property and don’t want to keep it.
• Your home needs repairs and you want to sell it without spending thousands fixing it up. 
• You need to sell quickly due to a life change, like moving for a job relocation.
• Your home faces foreclosure and you want to sell before that happens.
• You’re facing some other financial hardship and need cash ASAP. 

Express Homebuyers reviews

Express Homebuyers has generally positive ratings from customers, with an average rating of 4.1 out of 5 across 184 reviews.

Most comments related to the group’s sale process and staff. However, some customers did note gaps in customer care and drawbacks to selling to the company.

Fast, straightforward process

One of the most common compliments given to Express Homebuyers involves its process. Customers say that selling to this company is straightforward and avoids most of the steps you’d take in selling your home traditionally.

For example: Faced with a short-notice move, one customer noted they couldn’t “take the time to do all the things” required of selling their home. After hearing about Express Homebuyers, they not only closed quickly but did so on a flexible schedule that simplified their out-of-state move.

Other former clients described Express Homebuyers’ staff as “helpful,” “friendly,” and “honest.” Some shared that staff was upfront about the steps to selling to Express Homebuyers, including that the sale price would be below fair market value.

Express Homebuyers complaints

Some customers have described several issues with Express Homebuyers’ services. These roughly fall into three categories:

They renege on offers. Several customers explained Express Homebuyers made an initial offer, only to rescind that offer a few days or weeks later. From here, the company was hard to reach for an explanation.

Offers are very low. Multiple sellers shared they were surprised by how little Express Homebuyers was willing to pay for their properties. Occasionally, a representative would give an estimated value of the home, only to provide an offer that fell thousands of dollars below that amount.

Aggressive sales tactics. Numerous customers have written that the company would not take “no” for an answer when it offered to buy their homes.

How Express Homebuyers works

Selling to Express Homebuyers is straightforward and involves fewer steps than a traditional home sale:

1. Fill out an online questionnaire about your property on the Express Homebuyers site, or call the company and provide this information over the phone.
2. Within minutes, they will make an initial cash offer on your home. If you find this agreeable, you can schedule a visit with an Express Homebuyers representative.
3. This representative will conduct a home walk-through at your property to verify the information you provided, as well as note any additional features or conditions.
4. After the walk-through, this representative will make an updated offer.
5. You can take up to 30 days to accept the offer. If you do, you can close on a date of your choosing.

Pros and cons of Express Homebuyers

Selling to Express Homebuyers carries several perks, most notably the speed of sale. But handing over your house keys to this company also comes with drawbacks. Here’s a look at both its pros and cons.

Pros

⏩ Fast offer, easy closing

Express Homebuyers’ speed of sale is as advertised: You’ll receive an offer within seven minutes of providing information on your home. And if you need to finalize the sale quickly, you can close in just seven days — a fraction of the time it would take to sell your home with a real estate agent.

🛠 Avoid pre-listing repairs and prep

Selling your home as-is to Express Homebuyers allows you to forgo most of the steps associated with a traditional home sale. 

Any issues with your home that would make selling on the market harder — broken appliances, busted floors, peeling paint — can be left alone. That means less time (and money) spent worrying about selling your home.

🗓 Flexible time to accept an offer and close

You have up to 30 days to accept their cash offer — plenty of time to compare offers from other buyers.

And if you do accept their offer, you can negotiate with Express Homebuyers on when the sale is finalized. You choose if you want to move right away or take several weeks to make that happen.

Cons

💸 Low offers

Like other cash buyers and investors, Express Homebuyers rarely makes cash offers that reflect a home’s fair market value. If your goal is to make the most profit, look elsewhere.

⬇️ Offers may decrease

As several customers noted through online reviews, Express Homebuyers may sometimes lower what they’re willing to pay for your home

This might happen after the home walk-through: A representative can alter the initial offer to better reflect your home’s condition and repairs needed to sell it. 

However, many former sellers have also said that Express Homebuyers has decreased its offer multiple times, often without explanation.

📞 Aggressive sales tactics

Express Homebuyers has been known to call and text customers with overwhelming frequency, even after a homeowner has said they aren’t interested in selling. 

If you initially tell Express Homebuyers you’re interested in selling, but then change your mind, you might still get hit with a bunch of phone calls.

Alternatives

Not sold on Express Homebuyers? There are other options at your disposal.

Cash home buyers

Express Homebuyers isn’t the only cash buyer in town. National cash buyers, like We Buy Ugly Houses, operate in most states. But most focus instead on a smaller area, typically a city or metropolitan area.

Some cash buyers also focus on specific types of properties — like distressed properties or homes facing foreclosure.

It’s important to compare offers from multiple buyers if you’re worried about getting your money’s worth or dealing with a reputable company. 

» READ: 7 companies that buy houses for cash revealed

iBuyers

If you need to sell fast but would prefer an offer closer to fair market value, consider working with an iBuyer. 

These companies will quickly make offers on a home, just like your average cash buyer, but they usually pay just slightly below fair market value. That’s a big difference from other cash buyers, who often pay between 50% and 70% of a home’s fair value.

iBuyers focus on homes in good or great condition. They usually don’t buy distressed properties or homes in need of repairs. Plus, iBuyers only buy homes in select markets.

» LEARN: What’s an iBuyer? 

Low-commission realtors

If you’d like the guidance and support of a real estate agent but don’t want to pay thousands in realtor commissions, consider working with a low-commission realtor. 

A low-commission agent charges less than the standard 3% listing fee, potentially saving you thousands on your home sale. 

In addition to saving money, you’ll still get all of the perks of working with a realtor, including help with marketing and staging, finding buyers, negotiating the sale, and dealing with paperwork. 

» MORE: 10 great low-commission real estate companies

FAQs

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‘We Buy Ugly Houses’ — the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: You’ve seen their signs on telephone poles, or next to freeway off-ramps— are they legitimate, or are they a scam? Our in-depth review of ‘We Buy Ugly Houses’ settles that question once and for all, and takes a detailed look at exactly how they operate.

How to Sell Your House Fast: a Complete Guide: Selling your house fast doesn’t necessarily mean losing money on the sale. Read our comprehensive guide to a fast sale to find out how you can close in days or weeks, and still pocket a tidy profit!