Every seller faces the same trade: certainty now or more money later. An instant cash offer gives you a firm price, a closing date you choose, and no showings, repairs or financing risk. Listing exposes your home to every buyer and usually produces a higher price, at the cost of weeks of uncertainty. Neither is right for everyone, and the honest answer depends on your numbers, your timeline and your tolerance for hassle. This guide shows you how to get both numbers for your own home and compare them fairly — on MLS9 you can do both at the same time, with no commission on either path.
Understand the two paths
An instant offer is a cash purchase by an investor or buying program: you share your address and details, receive an offer in a day or two, and if you accept, close in as little as 10–14 days or as long as 60. There are no open houses, no strangers walking through, no repair negotiations and no risk that a buyer's loan falls through.
Listing means putting the home in front of the entire market. Buyers compete; a well-priced home in a healthy market draws multiple offers and sells for close to full value. In exchange you prepare the home, host showings for two to six weeks, negotiate inspection repairs and wait 30–45 more days for the buyer's financing to close.
On MLS9 both are commission-free. That changes the math: the traditional argument for cash offers was that they saved a 6% listing commission, which made a 5% discount look reasonable. With 0% commission on the listing side, you compare the cash offer against a listing net that keeps all of that money.
Checklist
- Understand what you give up on each path: money vs. time and certainty
- Note that MLS9 charges 0% commission on both
- List your priorities: speed, certainty, price, convenience
- Set your minimum acceptable net
Get a real instant offer
Request the offer first — it costs nothing, does not obligate you and gives you a hard floor for every decision that follows. MLS9 pulls comparable sales and rent data for your address, asks a few questions about condition and updates, and presents a cash offer alongside an estimated market value.
Read the offer's terms, not just the number: closing timeline flexibility, any inspection period the buyer keeps, whether repairs can be requested after inspection, and who pays closing costs. A good cash offer has a short or no inspection contingency and lets you pick the closing date.
Be honest about condition. Cash buyers inspect too, and an offer built on "excellent condition" for a home with a 25-year-old roof will be revised down. Accurate inputs produce an offer that holds.
Checklist
- Request the MLS9 instant offer for your address
- Answer condition questions accurately
- Review inspection terms, closing flexibility and who pays costs
- Note the offer as your floor
Estimate your realistic listing price
Pull three to six closed sales of similar homes in the last six months within a half mile. Adjust for condition and features. That range — not an optimistic online estimate — is what your home is likely to sell for if listed and priced correctly.
Then be realistic about condition and market. If comparable homes are updated and yours is not, land in the lower half of the range or budget for the updates. If homes in your area are taking 60 days to sell with price cuts, plan on landing below your initial list price.
Read the pricing guide if you want the full method. For this comparison you need a single realistic number and a conservative one — the price you would actually get, and the price you would get if the market is softer than you hope.
Checklist
- Pull 3–6 closed comps from the last 6 months
- Adjust for condition, size and updates
- Set a realistic sale price and a conservative one
- Check current days on market in your area
Compare net proceeds, not prices
The number that matters is what lands in your account. For the listing path: realistic sale price, minus your mortgage payoff, minus 1–2% seller closing costs, minus prep and repairs, minus any buyer credits from inspection (budget 0.5–1%), minus your carrying costs while you wait (mortgage, taxes, insurance, utilities for two to three months). Commission is zero on MLS9.
For the cash path: the offer price, minus payoff, minus any closing costs you pay under the offer's terms, minus a much smaller carrying cost because you close in weeks. No prep, no repairs, no credits.
Run both through the Seller Net calculator. The difference between the two nets is the true cost of certainty. In many cases it is far smaller than the gap between the two prices suggests.
Checklist
- Listing net: price − payoff − closing − prep − credits − carrying costs
- Cash net: offer − payoff − any costs under the offer terms
- Run both in the Seller Net calculator
- Note the gap: the cost of certainty
Put a value on your time and risk
Listing costs time you can measure: preparing the home, being available for showings, negotiating, managing the inspection and appraisal. If you are relocating for a job, managing an estate from out of state or holding two mortgages, every week of delay has a dollar cost. Add it to the listing side.
Listing also carries risk: the buyer's financing can fall through (5–10% of contracts do), the appraisal can come in low, the inspection can uncover a costly issue, or the market can soften while you are on it. A cash offer removes nearly all of that.
On the other side, weigh the upside: a listing in a hot market can produce multiple offers and a price above your comps. If your area is seeing that, the listing path has more upside than your realistic number captures.
Checklist
- Estimate the cost of each extra month you own the home
- Consider your risk tolerance for a deal falling through
- Assess how hot your local market is right now
- Add time and risk to the comparison
Factor in your home's condition
Condition tilts the decision more than anything else. A move-in-ready home shows well, photographs well and attracts financed buyers who pay top dollar — the listing path is strongest here. A home that needs a roof, has deferred maintenance or dated systems will draw lower offers, inspection credits and possibly appraisal problems; the cash path closes more of the gap.
Estimate what it would cost to bring the home to "shows well" — paint, flooring, minor repairs, cleaning, landscaping — and how long it would take. If that is $15,000 and six weeks you do not have, the cash offer has effectively saved you that too.
Inherited homes full of belongings, homes with tenants, and homes with title or permit issues are frequent cash-offer candidates because the buyer takes them as-is and handles the complications.
Checklist
- Rate your home: move-in ready, needs minor updates, or needs major work
- Estimate prep cost and time to list well
- Note complications: tenants, belongings, permits, title
- Adjust the comparison for condition
Make the call — or do both
If the listing net exceeds the cash net by less than the value you place on speed and certainty, take the cash. If the gap is large, your home shows well and you can afford the time, list. There is no wrong answer; there is only the answer that fits your numbers and your life.
A third option: list on MLS9 and keep the instant offer as a backup. Many cash offers stay valid for one to four weeks. If the listing draws strong interest, you take the higher offer; if it stalls, you fall back to cash without starting over. On MLS9 both paths run side by side.
Whatever you choose, decide once and commit. Sellers who list at an aspirational price "just to see," then take a cash offer after 60 days on market, usually net less than either clean path would have produced.
Checklist
- Compare the net gap to your value of certainty
- Decide: cash, list, or list with cash backup
- Confirm how long the cash offer stays valid
- Commit to the chosen path
Execute the path you chose
Chose cash: accept the offer on MLS9, choose your closing date, and let the title company handle the rest. Expect a brief inspection, then the closing statement a few days before signing. Move out on your schedule; some cash buyers even allow a short post-closing occupancy if you need it.
Chose listing: follow the selling guide step by step — prep, photos, list for 0%, showings, offers, contract, close. Keep the cash offer's expiration date in your calendar as your decision point.
Either way, use the Seller Net calculator to verify the settlement statement before you sign. The numbers you modeled should match what the title company prepares; if they do not, ask why before closing day.
Checklist
- Cash: accept, pick a date, prepare for a brief inspection
- Listing: follow the 0% selling guide
- Calendar the cash offer's expiration
- Verify the settlement statement against your model
Common questions
How much lower is a cash offer than market value?
Typically 5–15% below what a listing would bring, depending on condition and market. The gap is smaller for homes that need work, because listing them also produces lower prices and repair credits.
Is the instant offer binding?
No. Requesting an offer is free and you can decline it. It becomes binding only when you accept and sign a purchase agreement.
Can I list and keep the cash offer as a backup?
Yes. On MLS9 both paths run side by side. Cash offers typically remain valid for one to four weeks; confirm the expiration when you receive yours.
Do I pay commission on either path?
No. MLS9 charges 0% commission whether you accept the instant offer or list your home. Normal closing costs — title, escrow, transfer taxes — apply to both.
How fast can a cash offer close?
Often 10–14 days after acceptance, and you can usually choose a later date if you need time to move. Financed listing sales take 30–45 days after contract.