12 questions to ask any house-buying company

Any company can name a price. These questions are about the company itself, and each answer can be checked in a public record.

In our October 2026 checks of 481 “we buy houses” companies and programs across eight states, 81 named no legal entity we could find and 40 showed conflicting addresses. Most of what you need to know is in public records, if you know where to look.

1. What is the exact legal name of the company that will sign my contract, and who owns or manages it?

Good answer: one LLC or corporation name and a named principal, the same name on the website, contract and proof of funds. Red flag: only a brand name, or a name your state’s business registry shows as dissolved or not found. Check it: your state’s business registry, usually the Secretary of State.

2. What is your office address, and is that where your staff work?

Good answer: a street address that matches the business registry, the BBB file and the company’s map listing. Red flag: different addresses on different sources, only a PO box, or an out-of-state address behind a “local” page. Check it: compare all three.

3. Is anyone at your company a licensed real estate agent or broker, and will you put that in writing?

Good answer: a name and license number, or a plain “no one here is licensed, and we don’t market your home.” Red flag: a refusal, or an unlicensed company offering to market your home to other buyers. Check it: your state’s real estate license lookup.

In Texas, a license holder buying property for themselves, or for a business they own more than 10% of, must disclose in writing that they hold a license.¹

Members of the National Association of Realtors must disclose in writing, before anyone signs, that they are buying for themselves or have an interest in the purchase.² That is an ethics rule for NAR members, not a law for everyone.

4. How does your company make money on my house?

Good answer: one plain model, such as renovating and reselling, renting it out, charging a service fee, or selling your contract to another investor. Red flag: “we don’t really make money on this,” or a site that says “we buy directly” while its own terms describe a network of investors.

Some companies publish the answer themselves. Offerpad, for example, says it charges a 5% service fee plus approximately 1% in closing costs.³

5. Will you close in your own name, or could you assign the contract or resell the same day?

Good answer: “We close in our own name with our own funds, and the contract says it can’t be assigned without your consent.” Red flag: “and/or assigns” after the buyer’s name with no explanation. Several states require a written wholesaler disclosure.

6. Where does the money come from?

Good answer: the company’s own account, shown by a recent bank letter in the same name as the contract. Red flag: a lender’s commitment letter, or funds in another name. Check it: call the bank on a number you looked up yourself.

7. Can you give me three addresses in my county you bought in the last 12 months?

Good answer: addresses where the county record shows the same legal name from question 1 as the buyer. Red flag: no addresses, or deeds in someone else’s name. Check it: a grantee search at your county recorder or clerk.

8. How many homes did you resell, and how soon?

Good answer: a direct number and a description, such as “we renovate for three to six months.” Red flag: a company that says it renovates while its records show same-day resales. Two deeds on one property recorded the same day is a double close on the record, which is not by itself wrongdoing.

9. Has your company or any owner been sued by a seller, or had a license disciplined?

Good answer: “No,” or a straight account of a case and how it ended. Check it: county and state court records by company and owner name, the federal PACER system for federal cases and bankruptcies, and the license lookup.

10. What complaints have been filed against you, and how did you resolve them?

Good answer: a specific account that matches the BBB file. Red flag: a website showing a BBB rating or accreditation that the BBB file doesn’t. That mismatch was the most common reason we held companies back from our rankings.

PACER charges $0.10 a page, capped at $3 per document, and waives fees for anyone who spends $30 or less in a quarter.⁴

The BBB itself says a rating is not a guarantee of a business’s reliability or performance.⁵ Use it to check whether the company’s address, start date and accreditation match its own website.

11. Which disclosures does my state require you to give me before I sign?

Good answer: the company names them and hands them over. Ask for the ones that apply to your situation.

There is no general three-day right to cancel a home sale. The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule excludes sales of real property, so any cancellation right comes from a specific state law or your contract.⁶

12. Which title company, escrow company or closing attorney will close, and does your company own any part of it?

Good answer: an independent title, escrow or attorney office you can choose or verify. Red flag: insisting on its own closer, or wiring instructions sent by email. Check it: the closer’s license, and a phone call on a number you looked up.