How Our Cash Home Buying Works in Charleston
Five plain steps from first call to closing, what shapes our offer, and exactly what "no fees, we pay closing costs" covers.
Get My Cash OfferThe five steps
We buy houses across the Charleston area ourselves, with our own funds. Here is what happens, start to finish.
1. Tell us about the house
Fill out the short form or call us. Give us the address, your situation and anything you already know about the condition. There's no obligation and no cost to ask.
2. We see the house or get the details
We set up a walkthrough at a time that suits you, or work from photos and details if a visit isn't practical. You don't need to clean, repair or stage anything.
3. You get a written cash offer
We send a written cash offer within 24–48 hours of seeing the house or getting the details we need, with a short explanation of how we reached the number.
4. You decide, with no pressure
Compare our offer with listing, using our calculator or an agent's opinion. If you accept, we sign a simple purchase agreement and open the file with a South Carolina closing attorney.
5. Close at the attorney's office on your date
The attorney searches title, orders payoffs and prepares the deed. When the title is clear we can close in as little as 7–14 days, or on a later date you choose. You're paid at closing.
How we price your cash offer
Our offer isn't a guess or a teaser number. We work it out from four things, and we'll walk you through each one:
- As-is condition. We price the house the way it stands today, including the roof, systems, foundation, any water or flood history and whatever you leave behind.
- Repair estimate. We estimate what it will cost us to bring the house up to the standard buyers or renters expect in that neighborhood.
- Comparable sales. We look at what similar, updated homes nearby have recently sold for.
- What we need to resell. We account for our own holding, selling and closing costs and the margin that makes the purchase worth our risk.
The honest part: our cash offer will usually be less than what you might get listing with an agent after repairs. That's the trade for speed, certainty, no repairs and no fees. Use our cash offer vs. listing calculator to compare, and feel free to get an agent's opinion too.
What "no fees, we pay closing costs" includes and excludes
We want the closing statement to match what we told you, so here is the definition we use.
What you don't pay
- No agent commission and no fee of any kind to us.
- The closing costs on the sale, including the closing attorney's fee for the closing we set up.
- The South Carolina deed recording fee. It is $1.85 per $500 of price (or fraction of $500): $1.30 state plus $0.55 county. State law makes it the seller's cost by default (§12-24-20); we pay it.
- No repairs, cleaning or clear-out. We buy as-is, and you can leave what you don't want.
What still comes out of your sale proceeds
- Your own mortgage payoff and any home equity loan.
- Liens and judgments recorded against the property.
- Past-due property taxes and any HOA balances.
- Property taxes for the year are prorated at closing, so you pay only for the part of the year you owned the house.
- If you hire your own attorney to look over the deal, that fee is between you and your attorney.
These are debts you would owe in any sale, listed or cash. The closing attorney pays them from the proceeds at closing, and you get the rest.
Why a South Carolina attorney handles the closing
South Carolina is an attorney-closing state. Since State v. Buyers Service (1987), the title search, closing and recording must be handled or supervised by a licensed South Carolina attorney. We close with a closing attorney, not at a kitchen table, and the deed is recorded with the county after closing.
You're welcome to have your own attorney look over the purchase agreement or come to the closing. We don't describe the closing attorney as "your" lawyer unless that firm agrees to represent you in writing. Our guide to how an attorney closing works in South Carolina goes step by step.
Seller disclosure still applies
Selling as-is doesn't remove South Carolina's Residential Property Condition Disclosure Statement. There's no investor exemption. The form can be skipped only if both parties agree in writing (§27-50-30(13)) or another listed exemption applies, such as a probate or court sale. Since June 1, 2023 the Real Estate Commission's form asks about flood zones, flood insurance, claims and FEMA aid. Homes built before 1978 also need the federal lead-paint disclosure. More in selling as-is and SC seller disclosure.
What affects the closing timeline
When the title is clear, we can close in as little as 7–14 days. These are the things that can add time, and we'll tell you early if we see one:
- Title. The attorney's title search may turn up old mortgages that were never released, missing heirs, boundary questions or a name that doesn't match the deed. Most can be fixed; some take weeks.
- Liens. Mortgages, judgments, tax liens and HOA balances need written payoff figures before closing. Ordering and confirming them takes time.
- Probate. If the owner has died, a personal representative can sell if the will allows it; otherwise a court order may be needed. Creditors have 8 months to file claims, and the probate court and the estate's attorney set the pace. See selling an inherited house.
- Foreclosure or tax sale dates. If a Master-in-Equity sale or a tax sale is scheduled, the payoffs need to be confirmed before that date. See facing foreclosure and behind on property taxes.
- Signatures. Everyone on the title has to sign. In a divorce, the closing attorney may also need a family court order. See selling during a divorce.
You choose the closing date
Fast is an option, not a requirement. If you need time to find your next place, wait for a school year to end or clear out a parent's house, pick a later date and we'll plan around it. For comparison, single-family homes in the Charleston Trident region took a median of 55 days on market from listing to contract in September 2026 (Charleston Trident Association of Realtors MLS data, September 2026), often with another month to close.
We're the buyer
We don't put your house under contract and shop it to someone else. South Carolina's 2024 law (H.4754) treats marketing a house you only have under contract as wholesaling. We buy in our own name and close at an attorney's office, so you know exactly who is buying. Read more about us, browse the situations we buy in or check the areas we buy houses.
Ready for a no-obligation cash offer?
Tell us about the house. We usually reply the same day, and you choose the closing date.