Should we sell to a cash buyer?

What cash actually buys

The appeal is real. A buyer paying cash doesn't need a lender's approval or a lender's appraisal, so two of the common ways a deal falls apart are gone, and the closing date can often be set to suit you. For a couple who wants the house question settled so the rest of the divorce can move, that certainty has value.

The trade-off is usually price. Speed and certainty are what the buyer is asking you to pay for.

Run the same net math

Don't compare a cash offer to a list price. Compare what each of you would walk away with. For the cash offer, take the offer price, subtract the loan payoffs and whatever costs you'd still pay. For the open market, take a realistic price from a market analysis, subtract the same payoffs, the commission, and the repairs or carrying costs a longer sale would add. The equity split tool works for both.

Then look at the gap. Is it worth the time saved?

Be honest about carrying costs too, since every extra month on the market is another mortgage payment someone is making.

Decide it together

Letters and calls from cash buyers can show up at only one of your addresses, and that alone can feel like one side is steering the sale. Under ORS 696.805, a seller's agent owes all parties timely presentation of written offers, and I present every written offer to both of you at the same time, cash or financed.

If divorce papers have been served, ORS 107.093 restrains either of you from selling without the other's written consent or a court order, and everyone on title signs the deed. So it's a joint call. Make it with your attorneys.

Read the cash offer closely

Treat a cash offer like any other offer and look at the terms, not only the price. Ask for proof of funds, check whether there's an inspection period or another way for the buyer to back out, and read the closing date and any fees the buyer wants you to cover. Read the fine print. A cash offer with an easy exit for the buyer is less certain than it looks, and both of you should see every page before anyone signs.