The offer letter says you start in six weeks. You own a house.
That’s not a planning problem — it’s a math problem. And the math is fairly simple once you run it.
Short answer: A traditional listing closes in 47–79 days at minimum. A cash offer closes in 7–14 days. If your start date is under 45 days out, the agent process won’t fit. If you have 90 days and the house is in good condition, list with an agent — you’ll net more. The section below tells you which situation you’re actually in.
The timeline doesn’t bend around your start date
A traditional listing in 2026, broken into its actual stages:
- Preparation — decluttering, repairs, professional photos: 2–4 weeks
- Days on market before a signed contract: 15–45 days (varies by market and condition)
- Closing after a signed contract: 30–45 days for a financed buyer
Total: 47 days on the fast end, 94 days if the market is slow or the first buyer walks.
With a cash offer: submit the address, receive an offer within 24 hours, close in 7 to 14 days on a date you choose.
The reason the two timelines diverge so sharply is process. A financed buyer brings an appraisal (1–2 weeks), an inspection contingency (negotiation time if issues surface), and a financing contingency — roughly 4–5% of signed contracts fall through when the loan doesn’t fund at the last minute, per NAR data. None of those exist with a cash buyer. The close happens on the date we agreed.
If you’re weighing your options without an agent, here’s what the for-sale-by-owner path actually looks like on timeline and net proceeds.
The dual-mortgage problem is worse than it looks
Most people assume an accepted offer and a relocation close will align neatly. They often don’t.
Say you accept an offer in week three. The buyer’s lender orders an appraisal — add two weeks. The appraisal comes in $12,000 below the agreed price. There’s a negotiation. Meanwhile, you’ve started the job, you’re renting in your new city, and the mortgage on the empty house behind you is still running. Add a repair request after inspection and you’ve added two more weeks.
Vacant homes carry an additional risk: most homeowner’s insurance policies restrict coverage after 30–60 days of vacancy. A break-in or storm damage to an unoccupied home may not be covered once you cross that threshold. Check your policy before you leave.
A cash sale removes the appraisal, the inspection contingency, and the financing contingency. The closing date is a date, not a moving target.
Military PCS: when the reporting date is the only deadline
Permanent Change of Station orders don’t ask what’s convenient.
At Fort Campbell, straddling the Tennessee-Kentucky line in Montgomery County, Army families typically receive PCS orders with a reporting date 30 to 45 days out. A VA loan takes 40–50 days to close on the buying side — which means a seller waiting for a financed buyer will likely miss that window.
The same pressure applies at Joint Base San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas, and Redstone Arsenal in Madison County, Alabama. Those installations see thousands of PCS moves per year. Sellers in those markets who need to close before a reporting date can’t afford to wait on a financed buyer’s process — the Huntsville/Redstone market specifically sees this pattern consistently.
One clarification: your VA loan entitlement doesn’t disappear when you sell. At closing, the existing VA loan is paid off and your entitlement is restored — available for a new VA-financed purchase at the next duty station. Most PCS sellers cycle through two VA loans this way.
What “as-is” means when you’ve already relocated
Once you’re 1,100 miles away, repainting the living room isn’t an option. Replacing the water heater before closing isn’t an option. Managing contractor bids from across the country is exactly as difficult as it sounds.
A traditional buyer will almost always submit a repair request after inspection. Your choices: credit them the cost, arrange contractors in a city you’ve just left, or let the deal fall. All three have real costs.
We buy houses as-is. The condition is factored into the offer, not into a post-inspection negotiation. The offer price doesn’t change based on what the inspector finds — no repair credits, no renegotiation at the last minute.
Tennessee and Texas: why fast states matter for relocating sellers
Tennessee uses non-judicial foreclosure, governed by TCA § 35-5-101 et seq. There’s no court involved — a missed payment triggers a notice period, then a published sale date in the local newspaper. In most counties, a seller who stops paying while managing a relocation can go from first missed payment to courthouse auction in 60–90 days. That’s faster than it feels when you’re settling into a new city. If payments fall behind before the sale closes, the options narrow quickly once that clock starts.
Texas moves even faster. Under TX Property Code § 51.002, a 20-day cure notice plus a 21-day notice of sale means a property can reach a first-Tuesday courthouse auction in roughly 41 days from the first missed payment — with no right of redemption after the sale. JBSA-area sellers heading to a new assignment should close the property before departure, not manage it remotely while hoping the timeline holds.
Florida’s judicial foreclosure is slower — six months to two years — but vacant properties in hurricane country carry a different problem. Citizens Insurance in Florida routinely restricts or cancels coverage on homes vacant more than 30 days. A storm during that vacancy window may not be covered.
| Factor | Agent listing | Cash buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Time to close | 47–94 days | 7–14 days |
| Repair requests | Expected after inspection | None — purchased as-is |
| Appraisal required | Yes (financed buyer) | No |
| Deal fall-through risk | ~4–5% of signed contracts | Near zero |
| Manage remotely | Difficult — repairs, showings | Yes — coordinate closing only |
| Net proceeds | Higher — if timing works | Lower — priced for certainty |
When you should not sell to us
If your start date is 90 days out and the house is in reasonable condition, list with an agent. You’ll almost certainly net more money.
A cash offer on a relocation sale is typically 80–90% of what a financed buyer would pay in the same market. On a $300,000 home, that’s $30,000–$60,000 — worth 45 days of patience if you have those days and the house is ready.
List with an agent if:
- Your timeline is 90 days or more
- The house is in good condition with no deferred maintenance
- The local market has enough active buyers to create competition
- The equity gap is large enough that the wait is worth it
Come to us if:
- Your start date is inside 45 days
- You’ve already relocated and can’t manage repairs or showings
- The house needs work that doesn’t pencil out to fix before listing
- You’ve had a deal fall through and need certainty more than a higher price
We’d rather say that plainly than take a deal that isn’t right for the seller.
Here’s what happens after you submit the address
- We receive the address and pull market data — usually the same day.
- We call you with a cash offer within 24 hours. No in-person appointment required before the offer.
- If you accept, we open a title search and schedule a brief walk-through.
- We close in 7 to 14 days. You pick the date within that window.
- Funds wire to your account the day of closing.
No fees, no commissions, no closing costs on your side. We buy houses directly, and where we’re not the right buyer for a property or market, we’ll connect you with a cash buyer in our network who is. Either way, you have an offer within 24 hours.
Can I sell my house while still living in it during a relocation?
Yes. Most relocation sales close with the seller still in the house. We coordinate the closing date so you close first, then move — you’re not double-moving or storing furniture in two cities.
What if I’ve already relocated and the house is sitting vacant?
Vacant sales are common. The main risk: check your homeowner’s insurance for a vacancy clause. Many policies limit coverage after 30–60 days of vacancy. Call (615) 780-7349 and we’ll tell you immediately whether the timeline fits.
Do I need to make repairs before selling for a relocation?
No. We buy as-is. The condition is factored into the offer. You don’t manage contractors from 1,000 miles away.
What if I have a VA loan and I’m PCS-ing?
Your VA entitlement is restored when the existing loan pays off at closing. You can use a new VA loan at the next duty station. The housing office at the gaining installation can refer relocation resources for the buy side.
How does a cash offer compare to what an agent could get?
Honestly, a financed buyer will typically offer more. A cash offer reflects the as-is condition, the certainty of close, and the removed contingencies — that certainty has a price. On most relocation sales, a cash offer comes in 80–90% of what a financed buyer would pay. The right question isn’t which number is larger, but whether you have the timeline to wait for it.
What if the house needs major work?
We still make an offer. Properties needing significant repair are priced at after-repair value minus repair cost minus a margin for risk. If the numbers work for both sides, we close. See selling a house in bad condition for more on how that pricing works.
Call (615) 780-7349 or submit the address below. We’ll have a number back to you within 24 hours.