Last updated November 2026. General information only, not legal or financial advice. For questions about a specific contract, talk with a Washington real estate attorney.
By Jake Webberley, Property Acquisitions Manager, Volcano Developments
If you search for cash home buyers in Longview or Kelso, you get a page full of companies that all say the same thing: fast cash, any condition, no fees. Some of them are local buyers with real money. Some are out-of-state call centers. Some will sign your house up and then try to sell the contract to someone else. From the ads, you can’t tell them apart.
You can tell them apart by asking the right questions. This guide covers the eight questions worth asking any cash buyer in Cowlitz County, what a good answer sounds like, and the red flags that should make you slow down. It works the same whether you call us or anyone else.
Why Choosing the Buyer Matters More Than the First Number
The first offer you hear is not always the price you get. A buyer can quote a high number on the phone, tie your house up under contract, and then lower the price after an inspection. Or the deal can fall apart a week before closing because the money was never there. Either way you lose time you may not have, especially if a tax auction or foreclosure date is coming up.
So treat the offer as one part of the decision. The other part is whether the buyer will actually close, on the terms they put in writing, on the date you chose.
8 Questions to Ask Any Cash Home Buyer
1. Are you local, and how long have you been buying here?
Ask for a street address, not a P.O. box or a “serving all of Washington” line. Ask how long they’ve bought houses in Cowlitz County and whether a real person will walk through your house. Then check the company yourself: the Washington Secretary of State’s Corporations and Charities business search shows whether a company is registered, when it formed, and who runs it.
2. Will you buy it yourself, or assign the contract?
Some “we buy houses” companies sign a contract with you and then sell that contract to another investor for a fee. This is called assigning the contract, or wholesaling. It isn’t automatically a bad deal, but you should know up front, because it changes who shows up at closing and whether the sale closes at all. Look for “and/or assigns” after the buyer’s name on the purchase agreement. That wording lets the buyer hand your contract to someone else.
3. Can you show proof of funds?
A buyer paying cash should be able to show where the money comes from, such as a recent bank statement or a letter from their bank or lender. If the answer is vague, or depends on “our investors,” ask who those investors are and whether the funds are committed to your house.
4. Which title or escrow company will close it?
A real buyer will name a local title or escrow company without hesitating. Once you sign, call that company yourself and confirm the file is open. Your money should move through escrow at closing, never straight from the buyer to you outside of it.
5. Who pays which closing costs?
Ask for a list of which costs you pay and which the buyer pays. In Washington, the real estate excise tax is the seller’s obligation by law (RCW 82.45.080), and it is one of the bigger costs on a sale. Be careful with “we pay all closing costs.” That money has to come from somewhere, so compare what you’d actually walk away with, not the headline price. We split closing costs the usual way for a sale here, and we’ll walk you through each line before you sign.
6. How much earnest money will you put down?
Earnest money is the deposit a buyer puts into escrow when you sign. It matters more than people think. Washington law lets a purchase agreement make the earnest money the seller’s only remedy if the buyer backs out without a legal excuse, as long as it’s no more than 5% of the price (RCW 64.04.005). If your contract says that and the deposit is $100, the buyer can walk away for $100. Ask how much they’ll deposit, and when.
7. How long is the inspection or feasibility period?
Most contracts give the buyer a window to inspect the house and back out, usually with the deposit returned. A short window is normal. A long one, especially paired with a small deposit, gives the buyer time to shop your contract or come back with a lower price. Ask how many days, and ask plainly: “Has your offer ever gone down after an inspection, and why?”
8. Can I pick the closing date?
If you need to close fast, ask whether they can. If you need time to move, ask whether they’ll wait. A buyer who is ready to close should be able to work around your date. If they push you toward their timeline, find out why.
Want to try these questions on us?
We’re based in Longview, and you can see houses and land we’ve bought on our recent deals page. Send us the address and we’ll get you a written cash offer within 48 hours. If you sell, you pick the closing date. Get your cash offer.
Cash Buyer Questions at a Glance
| Question | Why it matters | A good answer |
|---|---|---|
| Are you local? | A buyer who hasn’t seen the house may change the price later | A real street address and a person who will see the house |
| Will you assign the contract? | Someone else may end up buying, or no one | A clear yes or no, and the contract matches it |
| Proof of funds? | No money means no closing | A recent bank statement or lender letter |
| Which title company? | A neutral third party holds the money | A named local title or escrow company you can call |
| Who pays closing costs? | Changes what you actually walk away with | A line-by-line list in writing |
| How much earnest money? | It may be all you get if they back out | A real amount, deposited soon after signing |
| How long to inspect? | Long windows invite price cuts | A short, specific number of days |
| Can I pick the closing date? | Your move, your timeline | Yes, and it goes in the contract |
Red Flags When Comparing Cash Home Buyers
A business name stuffed with keywords
Names like “Cash Home Buyers Longview Kelso Fast” are built to match what you typed into Google, not to tell you who the company is. That alone doesn’t make a buyer bad, but look up the registered business name behind it and see whether it matches the person you’re talking to.
No real local address
A website with no address, a P.O. box, or a “local office” that turns out to be a shared mailbox is worth a second look. So is a buyer who has never seen your street and doesn’t plan to.
Pressure to sign today
“This offer expires at 5 p.m.” is a sales tactic, not a real deadline. A buyer with real money will still want your house tomorrow. Take the time to read the contract and, if you want, have someone you trust read it too.
An offer that drops after inspection
Some buyers win the contract with a high number and plan to cut it once the house is tied up and you’ve started packing. Ask what could change the price before you sign, and get the answer in writing.
Refusing to put terms in writing
Price, closing costs, earnest money, inspection period, closing date: if it isn’t in the written contract, it isn’t part of the deal. A buyer who keeps promises verbal is keeping their options open, not yours.
“Sell to us, stay, and buy it back later”
If you’re behind on payments or facing foreclosure, be very careful with any offer to buy your house, let you keep living there, and sell it back to you later. Washington has a specific law for those deals, the Distressed Property Conveyances Act (chapter 61.34 RCW), because they have been used to strip equity from homeowners. Talk to an attorney before signing anything like that. For more on your options, read our guide to selling a house in foreclosure in Washington.
Check a Buyer’s Track Record
Ask any buyer for addresses of houses they’ve bought nearby, then check them. Property sales are public record, so you can confirm who bought a house and when. A company that has really bought in Longview and Kelso can point to specific streets and show you before and after photos.
Ours are on our recent deals page: a fire-damaged Longview house with liens and an auction date, a Kelso lot, a manufactured home in Vader, land near Vader with a creek, and a city lot in St. Helens. You can also read more about who we are.
Is a Cash Sale Even the Right Move?
Not always. If your house is in good shape and you have time, listing with an agent will usually net you more. A cash sale makes more sense when the house needs work, when you’re up against a date, or when you just don’t want to deal with repairs and showings. Our cash offer vs. listing breakdown for Longview walks through the math both ways. Our pages on selling a house in Longview and selling a house in Kelso cover what’s specific to each town.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are cash home buyers in Longview legit?
Many are, and some aren’t. The ones worth working with will answer the eight questions above directly, put everything in writing, and close through a local title or escrow company. If a buyer dodges those, keep looking.
What does it mean if a buyer “assigns” my contract?
It means the company that signed with you sells its place in the contract to another buyer, usually for a fee, and that other buyer is the one who closes. You should know before you sign whether that’s the plan.
How fast can a cash buyer close?
A cash buyer doesn’t wait on a loan approval, so timing mostly depends on title work and your own plans. Ask the buyer for a realistic date, and make sure it’s in the contract.
How much earnest money is normal?
There’s no set amount. What matters is what you’d get if the buyer backs out, and when they can cancel and get it back. Read the earnest money and inspection sections of the contract together.
Do I pay closing costs when I sell for cash?
Usually some of them. In Washington the excise tax is the seller’s by law, and other costs like escrow fees are split between buyer and seller according to the contract. Ask for a written list before you sign.
Is a cash offer just a lowball?
A cash offer is below what a fixed-up house would sell for on the open market, and we won’t pretend otherwise. It reflects the house as it sits, with no repairs, no showings, and no commission. Whether that trade is worth it depends on your house and your timeline. Our FAQ page covers how we put our number together.
The Bottom Line
Most cash home buyers in Longview and Kelso advertise the same promises. The difference shows up in the answers: who is actually buying, whether the money is real, what’s in writing, and whether the price holds. Ask every buyer the same eight questions, compare the written answers side by side, and go with the one that gives you straight ones.
Related: Sell your house fast for cash · Longview, WA · Kelso, WA · Cowlitz County · Recent deals · Common questions
Ask Us the Same Eight Questions
Volcano Developments is based in Longview and buys houses as-is across Cowlitz County and the rest of Southwest Washington. Send us the address and you’ll get a written cash offer within 48 hours. No repairs, no showings, no commission, and you pick the closing date.
About the author
Jake Webberley is the Property Acquisitions Manager at Volcano Developments, a Longview, Washington-based company that buys houses and land for cash across Washington, Oregon, and Arizona. A Cowlitz County native, Jake works directly with owners navigating foreclosure, probate, inherited property, and other time-sensitive sales. The Volcano team brings 40+ years of combined experience and has closed 1,000+ transactions with $0 commissions or fees. Have a property to sell? Call (360) 846-7511 for a no-obligation cash offer.