Listing with an agent is the default way to sell a home in Canada. But for a lot of sellers it's slow, expensive and uncertain. Here's how the two options compare, side by side.
What a traditional listing actually involves
When you list with a real estate agent, the goal is to get your home in front of as many buyers as possible and let competition drive the price up.
But here's what the process actually looks like:
- Your agent will typically recommend repairs, updates, or staging to make the home show well. These can run anywhere from a few thousand dollars to well over $20,000.
- Your home goes on MLS. Strangers come through for showings. Open houses happen on weekends.
- Offers come in — if you're lucky, multiple offers. But most contain conditions: financing conditions, inspection conditions. Deals can fall through at the last minute.
- The process from listing to closing typically takes 60 to 90 days. Sometimes longer.
- When it's done, you pay agent commissions — usually 4–5% of the sale price.
All of it takes time, money upfront, and a tolerance for uncertainty.
What a cash sale actually involves
A cash sale removes the work and the waiting. Here's what it looks like when you sell to us:
- You tell us about the property. We ask about the address, condition, and your situation.
- We send you a cash offer within 24 hours. No conditions, no inspection contingencies.
- If you accept, we handle the paperwork and coordinate everything. You don't clean, repair, or stage anything.
- You choose the closing date. No waiting for a buyer to get mortgage approval.
- No agent commissions. No fees on our end.
Our offer already accounts for the condition of the home, so there are no repair bills, no commissions and no surprise deductions. The number we give you is the number you receive.
When a cash sale is the better choice
If most of these describe you, a cash sale is likely the better fit:
- The home needs significant work — repairs you don't want to deal with or can't afford upfront.
- You need to move quickly — relocation, financial pressure, a situation that just needs to be resolved.
- Certainty matters more than the highest price. You can't afford to have a deal fall through at the last minute.
- The process itself is a burden — the showings, the staging, the back-and-forth — on top of everything else you're already dealing with.
- The home is an inherited property or estate, and the complications that come with it make a traditional listing impractical.
- You're a landlord who's done and doesn't want to wait for the "perfect" market.
The bottom line
For sellers who value speed, simplicity and certainty, a cash sale removes an enormous amount of stress from an already difficult situation.
Want to see what a cash offer looks like for your property? Reach out. It's free, and there's no obligation.
See what your home is worth in cash.
Get a fair, no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours.