How it works
Six steps from your first phone call to money in your account. Here is every one of them, including the parts most cash buyers do not put on their website.
- 1
You reach out
Use the form or call. We ask for the address, roughly what shape the property is in, and how soon you want to be finished. That is it — no financial disclosures, no credit check, and no pressure to commit to anything.
If you are one of several heirs, tell us up front. We deal with multi-heir situations constantly and it changes the paperwork, not the price.
- 2
We do the county homework
We pull the parcel record from your county assessor, check the deed and chain of title at the register of deeds, look for delinquent taxes with the trustee, and search for liens, judgments, and open permits.
This is the step most sellers never see. It is also where problems surface — an old heir on title, a lien from a contractor in 2011, a tax sale notice. Finding those early is what keeps a closing from falling apart later.
- 3
We look at the property
One visit. For a house, we walk it once with our contractor pricing in hand. For land, we walk the boundaries, check access, look for utilities at the road, and note wetland, slope, or floodplain issues.
No open houses, no stream of strangers, no lockbox on your door for six weeks.
- 4
You get a written, itemized offer
Cash offer, monthly-payment offer, or both side by side so you can compare. Itemized, so you see the after-repair value, the repair budget, holding and selling costs, and our margin.
The offer is good for 7 days. If we think listing with an agent would net you more money after commission and repairs, we tell you — in writing — and you are free to go do that.
- 5
Title work
Once you accept, a local title company opens the file. They order the search, get payoff letters for any mortgages or back taxes, clear whatever needs clearing, and prepare the deed.
Straightforward files take about two weeks. Probate, heirs' property, or a lien nobody knew about can stretch that. We keep you updated weekly either way, even when the news is that nothing changed.
- 6
You close and get paid
You pick the date. Sign at the title company, at your kitchen table with a mobile notary, or by mail if you live out of state. Funds go out by wire the same day, or you take a check at the table.
We pay the standard closing costs. There is no commission and no fee deducted from your side.
How we calculate our offer — the actual formula
Most cash buyers promise transparency. Here is ours, written out, with a real example on a Knoxville house that would be worth $265,000 renovated.
- After-repair value (ARV)
- What the property is worth once it is fully renovated, based on recent sales of comparable homes in your specific neighborhood — not a county-wide average.
- $265,000
- − Repair budget
- Real contractor pricing for the actual work: roof, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, kitchen, baths, flooring, paint, and the crawlspace nobody wants to talk about.
- − $58,000
- − Holding & selling costs
- Property taxes, insurance, utilities, and financing while we renovate, plus the commission and closing costs we pay when we resell. Typically about 10% of ARV.
- − $26,500
- − Our profit
- We are a business and we take a risk on every project. We target roughly 10–12% of ARV. Not a secret, not a formula we hide behind.
- − $29,000
- = Your cash offer
- Written, itemized, and good for 7 days. No obligation to accept it.
- $151,500
On land the formula is simpler: market value based on comparable parcel sales, minus access, utility, survey and entitlement costs, minus holding costs and our margin. Either way, you get the breakdown in writing — and if listing with an agent would net you more, we will tell you that too.
See what your property would bringSelling with an agent vs. selling to WC Atlas
A higher list price is not the same as more money in your pocket. Here is the honest side-by-side.
| Selling with an agent | Selling to us | |
|---|---|---|
| Commissions & fees | 5–6% of the sale price | None — zero fees, ever |
| Who pays closing costs | You, typically 1–3% | We do |
| Inspection & financing contingencies | Yes — a common reason sales fall through | None. We pay cash |
| Appraisal needed | Yes, and low appraisals kill deals | No appraisal |
| Average days until sold | 45–90+ days in Knox County | 7–21 days |
| Number of showings | 10–25 strangers walking through | One walkthrough. That's it |
| Closing date control | The buyer's lender decides | You pick the date |
| Who pays for repairs | You, before and after inspection | We do. Sell it exactly as it sits |
| See both numbers before you decide. We will tell you when listing is the better move. | Get my cash offer | |
Frequently asked questions
Find out what your property is worth to us
One call or one form. A written, itemized offer with no obligation and no pressure.