Selling options
Compare more than one way to sell.
There is more than one way to sell a home. The useful comparison is what you receive, when you receive it, what you have to do, and which risks stay with you. I'll help you compare listing, a possible cash purchase, and seller financing using the same property and clearly stated assumptions.
Still deciding whether or when to sell? Start with Sell Your Home for pricing, preparation, and timing.
Three ways forward
Each option trades something for something else.
Prepare, market broadly, and let buyers compete.
Fits: Often fits sellers with time to prepare who want the widest pool of buyers.
Tradeoffs: Preparation, showings, and a less predictable timeline. The final price depends on the market and the offers that come in.
Ask whether a direct purchase could fit.
Fits: Can fit sellers who want to avoid showings or repairs, or who are working around a specific timeline.
Tradeoffs: Price, timing, and certainty depend on the actual written terms, if an offer is made at all. Nothing on this page is a quote or a promise that a purchase is available.
Act as the lender and receive payments over time.
Fits: Can fit sellers with equity who do not need all of their cash at closing.
Tradeoffs: Buyer credit risk, a balloon payoff date to plan around, and legal and tax questions that need professional review.
Side by side
What each option pays, when, and with what risk.
Hypothetical worked example
One property, two ways to sell it.
These numbers come from the seller financing calculator's example scenario, run through the same tested calculation. The example assumes the listing sells for $439,000 and a seller-financed buyer pays $550,000. That $111,000 price difference is an assumption for illustration, not a prediction; change either price in the calculator to test your own.
A possible purchase has no number here. It depends on an actual written offer, and this page does not quote one.
Hypothetical example
Listing at $439,000
- Cash at closing
- $259,376.00
- Later payments
- None
- Nominal total
- $259,376.00
- Timing
- All at closing
- Risk
- Price and closing depend on the market and the buyer
Seller financing at $550,000
- Cash at closing
- $12,950.00
- Later payments
- $47,795.34 over 24 monthly payments, then $376,760.50 at payoff
- Nominal total
- $437,505.84
- Timing
- Payments start Nov 2026; payoff Oct 2028
- Risk
- Buyer default, the payoff date, and the existing loan
Assumes $30,000 down, a 5% fixed note, a balloon after 24 payments, and an existing mortgage kept in place. Whether a loan can stay in place is a question for your lender and an attorney; the example does not assume it is allowed. Nominal totals add dollars received at different times; they are not savings, profit, or a return, and they do not account for buyer default, taxes, or the time value of money. Illustration only, not an offer, quote, or advice.
Questions to settle first
Ask these before you pick an option.
- How much cash do I need at closing, and for what?
- Could I wait for part of my proceeds, and for how long?
- What happens if a buyer stops paying, or cannot pay off the balloon?
- Does my current mortgage allow a sale that leaves it in place? Ask your lender and an attorney.
- If a purchase is offered, what exactly do the written terms include, and what would a listing likely net instead?
- What would each option cost in taxes? Ask a tax professional before you choose.
Not sure which fits?
Start with your situation, not the option.
Send a short note with the property location and what you are trying to decide, and we can compare the options against your actual situation. Calculator numbers are illustrations, not offers or advice.