How do I sell my house fast?
The fastest way to sell a house is usually to sell it as-is to a cash buyer, because there's no buyer's loan or appraisal to wait on and the closing can happen once the title work is done. If your house is in good shape and you can wait a few months, listing it with an agent at a realistic price often brings more money, so compare what you'd take home from each.
By Andy Rong
Published
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Laws change and every situation is different, so check yours with a professional.
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How long does it take to sell a house?
A listed house has two waits: finding a buyer, then closing on that buyer's loan. In September 2026, homes typically spent 33 days on the market, and contracts typically took another 30 days to close, according to the National Association of Realtors' existing-home sales report and its monthly survey of agents.
A cash sale skips the loan. With no lender, there's no appraisal to order, no loan approval to wait for, and no three-business-day review of the Closing Disclosure that a lender has to give a borrower before closing. A cash buyer can close as soon as the title company or closing attorney has checked the title, ordered your loan payoff and prepared the papers.
What are my options for selling fast?
Sell as-is to a cash buyer
Investors and home-buying companies buy houses in the condition they're in and set the closing date with you. You skip the repairs, and there's no buyer's loan to fall through, though the buyer will still want to see the house. The trade-off is price: a buyer who takes on the repairs and the resale prices them in, as what cash buyers pay explains. Before you sign with one, check that the buyer is legitimate.
List with an agent, priced to sell
Ask an agent for the recent sales of similar homes nearby and price close to them; a price above them is the usual reason a house sits. You'll still have showings, the buyer's inspection and appraisal, and the buyer's loan to wait on, and you'll pay your agent's commission at closing.
Sell to someone you know
A relative, a neighbor or a tenant who already wants the house can be the quickest buyer of all. Use a title company or a real estate attorney to write the contract and handle the closing, so the deed, the payoff and the money are done right.
What slows a home sale down?
- The buyer's loan. In the agents' survey NAR published in October 2026, 16% of contracts had a delayed closing and 7% had been terminated in the last three months.
- Repairs the buyer's inspector or lender asks for, and the back-and-forth over who pays.
- An appraisal below the price. A lender won't lend more than the appraised value, so the buyer has to bring the difference or ask you to lower the price.
- Title problems: a lien, a co-owner or heir who hasn't signed, a divorce that isn't final, or property taxes that are behind.
How do I get ready to sell quickly?
- Ask your loan servicer for a payoff statement, so you know what you owe today.
- Find your deed, and check whose names are on it. Everyone on the title has to sign.
- Gather your latest property tax bill, any HOA statements and any repair or permit records.
- Decide the latest date you can close and the least you'd take home, after costs.
- Get at least two written offers and compare them line by line: price, who pays which costs, the closing date, and what could change before closing.
Is a fast sale worth less?
Often, yes, on the headline price. But a listing has costs a cash sale may not: the agent's commission, repairs and cleaning before you list, the mortgage, taxes, insurance and utilities you keep paying while the house is on the market, and concessions after the buyer's inspection. Cash offer or list with a realtor walks through how to compare the two by what you'd take home.
Selling to Covent Homes
Covent Homes buys houses for cash, as-is, in Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, and North Carolina. If a firm date and no repairs matter more to you than the last dollar, here's what every Covent offer comes with.
No repairs or cleaning. You don't repair, paint or clean up for us. We buy the house in the condition it's in.
No showings before you sign. Nobody walks through your house before we have a signed contract, so there are no strangers in your home while you decide.
You pick the day. Choose a closing day 14 to 60 days out, and you get paid at closing.
Closing costs paid. Covent pays the closing costs, including title and escrow fees. You pay off your own mortgage or liens.
Stay 10 days free. After closing, you can stay in the house up to 10 days at no cost, so there's no rush to move.
Cash, no financing. We pay cash, with no lender and no financing contingency, so a buyer's loan can't fall through.
Questions homeowners ask
Can I sell my house in a week?
Sometimes. A cash buyer can close within days if the title is clear, but a title search, loan payoff letters and a signing still take time to arrange. If a buyer promises a date, make sure the date is written into the contract.
Do I need to fix my house before I sell it?
No. You can sell a house as-is. Repairs can raise the price on the open market, but they cost money and time, and a buyer with a loan may ask for more after the inspection. Most states still expect you to tell a buyer about problems you know of, as the Texas foundation guide explains for Texas.
Is it better to sell fast for less or wait for a higher price?
It depends on what waiting costs you. Add up a month of mortgage, taxes, insurance and utilities, plus any repairs a buyer would want, and compare that with the gap between the offers. If you're behind on payments or facing a deadline, time usually matters more.
How fast can I sell my house to Covent?
As soon as 14 days. You pick the closing day, 14 to 60 days after you and Covent sign the contract, and you get paid at closing. Need more time to move? You can stay in the house up to 10 days after closing, free.
Am I obligated to accept the offer?
No. Covent's offer is free, and your estimated and final offers are only offers. Nothing is binding until a written purchase contract is signed by you and Covent.
Read more about your situation
Sources
The public pages this guide's facts and figures come from.
- National Association of Realtors: Existing-Home Sales Increased 1.5% in September, According to NAR Report
- National Association of Realtors: REALTORS® Confidence Index Report
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: When do I get a Closing Disclosure?
About the author
Andy Rong leads Covent Homes, which buys houses for cash, as-is, from homeowners in Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, and North Carolina.
Andy writes these guides to answer the questions homeowners ask before they sell, in plain words, with a public source for every fact and number.
Andy isn't a lawyer, an accountant or a financial adviser. The guides give general information, and each one says when it's time to talk to one.