Is Clever Offers a Good Way to Sell a Home for Cash?

What cash options are provided by Clever Offers?

Here are the three types of offers you can expect:

• Cash offers (7-30 days) that prioritize speed over price. You choose the offer that best fits your selling timeline.
• 7 Day Sold (7-45 days) offers are best for sellers who are OK with waiting a week to help maximize their home sale proceeds.
• Instant cash offer (7-30 Days) is designed for sellers who want a higher selling price than the first cash offer option. This choice provides a substantial upfront payment if you need immediate funds. A second payment is given to you when the cash buyer resells your house.

The instant cash offer option may be a good solution if you need a down payment for your next home. However, other real estate solution companies offer programs with additional options if you are looking to buy before you sell.

How much will Clever Offers pay for your house?

As with most house-buying companies, sellers should expect to receive less than market value. Depending on the selling option you pick, this may be 20% to 30% less or lower, especially if the home is in disrepair. Many investors apply the “70% rule,” meaning they will offer no more than 70% of the home’s potential market value after necessary repairs.

However, because Clever Offers is a marketplace platform, you can expect multiple offers from competing companies. The condition and location of your home will play a big role in the offer amounts you receive. Larger iBuyers may pay 85% to 95% of market value for homes in excellent condition.

Does Clever Offers serve your area?

Clever Offers provides cash offers for homes nationwide. The company’s partner investors make offers on residential properties in any condition. These include:

• Single-family homes
• Townhomes
• Condominiums
• Mobile homes on seller-owned property

What is the cost of using Clever Offers?

Using Clever Offers to sell your home is free; there are no client-paid service fees, commissions, or closing costs. The company makes money through agreements with its partner investors who typically resell the properties at a profit.

This no-cost model is standard among house-buying groups unless you sell to a large iBuyer like Offerpad or Opendoor. These companies charge a seller service fee, usually around 5% of the home’s price. However, traditional iBuyers typically only buy homes in good condition — houses that might be considered “move-in ready” or “turnkey properties.”

Clever Offers reviews

In this section, we’ll provide a snapshot of reviews and customer ratings taken from the company’s Better Business Bureau page and its Google customer reviews page.

Keep in mind that these Clever Real Estate Reviews pages contain ratings and feedback from customers who may have used its agent-finding services. Still, the sample reviews we’ve selected should give you an overall sense of the company’s responsiveness and general customer satisfaction.

Better Business Bureau reviews: Clever Real Estate is a BBB-accredited business with an A+ BBB grade and a customer review rating of 4.93 stars out of 5.

Google customer reviews: Clever Real Estate enjoys a 4.9-star rating out of 5 on Google.

Below are short snippets from the company’s BBB and Google review pages. Clever also maintains a customer reviews page on its website.

5-star positive review snippets

• Clever was very communicative with me during the process, checking in to see how things were coming along. Overall a great experience.
• Excellent follow-up, very happy from beginning to end.
• Worked quickly to get my house sold…They handled everything for me.
• I was having a problem trying to sell my house quickly before finding clever offers. [The rep] made it an easy and smooth transaction.
• My home sale was smooth and quick. Clever Real Estate was great, professional, and very easy to work with.

1-star negative review snippets

• There are way too many people I have to deal with, and there is no communication within any of these folks.
• Clever Real Estate sends mass junk-texts to private real estate owners who have no interest in selling.
• One online inquiry on their website this morning led to them texting me (which is great!), but then they called me five times during my workday today.
• I’m so disappointed and asked to be removed from the [call] list, yet I’m still being heavily contacted.
• Signed up and they don’t stop calling.

Pros and cons of using Clever Offers

If you’re considering selling your home through Clever Offers or any home-buying service, it’s important to weigh the advantages and drawbacks to determine if it’s a good fit for your situation. Here’s a look at the pros and cons of selling with this and other cash-offer platforms:

Pros

• Fast and convenient process: Clever Offers’ approach allows homeowners to sell quickly, often closing in a matter of days rather than months.
• No repairs or preparations required: Partner investors buy homes as-is, so you won’t need to spend time or money fixing up your property.
• Multiple cash offer options: You can select the option that works best for you without the risk of the deal falling through due to contingent financing.
• Flexibility closing timelines: Depending on the cash option you choose, Clever Offers lets you pick your closing date and moving timeline.

Cons

• Lower than market value offers: Cash house-buying platforms like Clever Offers typically offer less than what you can get by listing with an agent. The investor’s offer will reflect their costs for repairs, resale efforts, and profit margins.
• Not right for all situations: Even on its own website, Clever Offers says its cash offer services are best for specific distressed situations where a fast sale outweighs the desire for the highest proceeds.
• Lack of negotiations: The offers you receive from a cash buyer investor are typically firm and final, which means there’s no room for traditional counteroffers.
• Not the best for unique homes: If you have a home with rare features or if it’s in a highly desirable market, you’ll likely get a much better price through a traditional agent-assisted sale or with a large iBuyer company.

In short, if you’re not in a hurry and your home does not need major repairs, it’s often best to explore other options that can provide higher profits.

How Much Is Your Home Worth Now?

Home values have rapidly increased in recent years. How much is your current home worth now? Get a ballpark estimate from HomeLight’s free Home Value Estimator.

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Know your home’s worth before you commit

Whether it’s Clever Offers or another house-buying service, it’s vital to know what your home is worth and compare offers before making a commitment. Here are some helpful tips:

• Research the investor-buyer: It’s one thing to read reviews about Clever Offers, but you’ll want to also read customer feedback about the partner investor sending you the cash offer. Look into the investor’s track record and company reputation.
• Know your home’s worth: Consult a top local real estate agent and request a competitive market analysis (CMA), a comprehensive report that compares your home with recently sold homes in the same area. Another option is to get a professional appraisal to ensure the offer is fair. An appraisal may cost $300 to $500, but it can give you valuable insights and help you avoid a low-ball offer.
• Understand the purchase contract: Beyond the cash offer price, carefully review all the purchase agreement terms. Understand any fees or seller conditions involved. Also, be certain the closing timeline fits your moving plans and dates.

Before committing to a house-buying company, HomeLight recommends you compare cash offers to what an experienced local agent might be able to get for your home. HomeLight can connect you with top-rated agents in your city. You can also use HomeLight’s free Home Value Estimator to get a preliminary estimate in less than two minutes.

Alternatives to Clever Offers

If Clever Offers doesn’t seem like a good fit, or you just want to explore more options, below are examples of other popular cash-offer services to sell your home with speed, convenience, and simplicity:

• Simple Sale by HomeLight
• We Buy Houses
• We Buy Ugly Houses
• HomeGo
• Sundae
• Homeward
• Mark Spain Real Estate
• OfferPad
• Opendoor

In addition to these platforms, don’t rule out partnering with a top real estate agent. If you’re not facing an immediate financial or moving deadline, selling through a seasoned agent will almost always get you a higher sale price and more proceeds at closing.

How does HomeLight Simple Sale work?

Simple Sale is an online service that connects you with the largest network of trusted cash buyers in the country. Unlike many house-buying platforms, Simple Sale shows you all your options in one place.

With Simple Sale, you’ll receive a no-obligation cash offer in 24 hours and can close in as little as 10 days. Plus, our platform compares your cash offer with an expert estimate of what you might receive if you list your home using a performance-proven agent.

You’ll receive agent recommendations based on transaction data (e.g., sale-to-list ratios, Days on Market) and thousands of real customer reviews. This means you’ll know which local agents sell homes fast and for the highest price.

Here is the easy 4-step Simple Sale process:

HomeLight’s Simple Sale can provide cash offers for homes in almost any condition nationwide.

To get started, fill out a short questionnaire to tell us about your home and selling timeline. Nearly 2 million people have trusted HomeLight to get a better outcome when buying or selling a home.

Read more customer reviews about HomeLight and Simple Sale on our testimonial page.

Free tools offered by HomeLight

• Find a Top Agent
• Home Value Estimator
• Agent Commissions Calculator
• Home Affordability Calculator
• Net Proceeds Calculator
• Best Time to Sell Calculator 

Is an all-cash offer right for you?

Deciding on an all-cash offer for your home hinges on your immediate needs and specific circumstances. Clever Offers and Simple Sale reviews highlight the easy, streamlined experience of selling a house for cash, but not all homeowners face the same life situations.

If speed and convenience are your priority — and you’re willing to trade higher proceeds for more certainty — then a cash offer can be a good solution for you. In some circumstances, the convenience can’t be beat.

If you want to secure the highest sale proceeds — and you have a timeline that’s flexible — it’s usually best to hire an experienced real estate agent who can market your home and negotiate a more profitable deal.

If you want to see all your options in one place, try HomeLight’s Simple Sale today. Get started by answering a few questions about your home and selling timeline. There is no risk or obligation to request an offer.

Editor’s note: House-buying programs can change. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the company’s website.

Header Image Source: (Robin Jonathan Deutsch / Unsplash)