HomeVestors vs Offerpad: both say no fees. They mean opposite things.
Zoom Casa competes with both companies on this page, so read it with that in mind. What we can promise is method: every claim about HomeVestors and Offerpad below comes from that company’s own published pages, linked, and where we could not verify something we say so rather than fill the gap.
Offerpad charges a 5% service fee plus roughly 1% in closing costs, taken off its offer. HomeVestors charges no fee at all and pays typical closing costs, recovering it inside an offer its own footnote calls “typically discounted below market value.” That discount is never quantified. Offerpad is one national company; HomeVestors is 750-plus independently owned franchises.
How this was sourced. Facts verified against HomeVestors’ own seller FAQ and Offerpad’s seller FAQ on October 12, 2026. Both companies change terms without notice. Confirm anything that matters directly with them before you decide, and hold Zoom Casa to exactly the same standard.
The fee is in a different place, and so is the company.
Both companies tell you there are no fees. Offerpad says it and then names one anyway: “a simple service fee of 5%” plus about 1% in closing costs, no commissions and no concessions. The number is on the page, it is the same in every market, and you can do the arithmetic before anyone visits your house.
HomeVestors means something different and is straightforward about it if you read the small print. There is genuinely no fee, and they pay typical closing costs. The money comes out of the price instead, which their own site-wide footnote states: offers are “typically discounted below market value in exchange for speed and convenience”. How far below is not published anywhere we could find. You can check Offerpad’s math before anyone visits your house. With HomeVestors you cannot, because the number that matters is the offer itself.
The second difference decides what kind of transaction you are in. Offerpad is one national company. HomeVestors is a franchise network it puts at over 750 offices, and “each franchise office is independently owned and operated”. The person who prices your house, negotiates and signs is a local investor you meet on the day. That is usually good for you on price. It is why a HomeVestors offer can be negotiated and an Offerpad offer mostly cannot.
What each company actually says.
Every cell below is drawn from the company’s own pages. Where a company does not publish something, the next section says so rather than this one guessing.
| HomeVestors | Offerpad | Zoom Casa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who you are actually dealing with | A local franchisee, not the brand. “Each franchise office is independently owned and operated,” across a network HomeVestors puts at over 750 franchises. You learn who they are when they arrive. | Offerpad itself, one national company, in every market it serves. Publicly traded. | Zoom Casa, one company, with the same program terms in every market it serves. |
| What it costs you | No fee of any kind, stated plainly: “We don’t charge commissions or fees of any kind… If you decide to sell to us, we will even pay the typical closing costs.” The cost is in the price instead, which their own footnote states: offers are “typically discounted below market value in exchange for speed and convenience.” The size of that discount is not published. | A published number: “a simple service fee of 5% for completing our cash offers,” plus “approximately 1% in closing costs,” which Offerpad notes varies slightly by state. No commissions, no concessions, no out-of-pocket repair costs. | A single program fee in the 5-10% range, taken out of the resale proceeds rather than paid up front, and itemized on your net sheet before you sign. |
| Who keeps the resale profit | The franchisee. Their seller-facing pages do not address it; the franchise side of the business is marketed as “the #1 real estate investing franchise helping individuals make money as residential real estate investors.” | Offerpad, entirely. It says so directly: “We take on the work, costs, risks and hassles you just saved yourself from,” and typically updates the home before reselling. | You. The remaining balance comes back to you when the home resells, minus the one program fee. |
| How the offer is produced | In person first. “Your local HomeVestors property buyer will meet with you for a quick, in-person visit of your house,” often with an offer the same day. They contrast this with iBuyers who “may provide an initial estimate only to revise it upon viewing the property.” | Online form Offerpad says takes about five minutes, reviewed by local experts alongside their own evaluation technology, followed by a free on-site assessment by an Offerpad partner. | Enter an address and see the full net sheet immediately, no email address required, and nothing to accept to see the math. |
| Can the number change, and is it negotiable | Negotiable, and the franchise structure is the reason: because offices are “independently owned and operated,” the local buyer has “the flexibility and freedom to reach a solution that meets the needs of both parties.” | Largely fixed, but re-openable on evidence: “if you feel we’ve missed something about your home that would affect it, let us know… we’ll be happy to re-evaluate.” Offers expire in seven days, and a renewed offer “may be the same, higher, or lower than the original one.” | The net sheet is an estimate until a consultant underwrites it by hand. The confirmed number is the one you are given in writing. |
| Repairs | None, and none deducted as a line item: “We buy houses in their current condition, so you don’t need to repair, renovate, or clean anything,” and “No inspections.” The repair cost is priced into the offer instead. | Three published options: take a repair credit (“our most popular, no-hassle option”), do the repairs yourself with a licensed contractor and proof, or decline, in which case Offerpad “can cancel our contract or decide if we still want to purchase your home,” with no penalty either way. | Pre-Sale Home Prep can fund the work instead of discounting for it, repaid out of the eventual sale. |
| Closing timeline | “We can sometimes close in as little as three weeks,” hedged with “sometimes” on every instance, and “although sometimes circumstances dictate a longer timeline.” | Seller picks, 8 to 60 days, with published state-by-state minimums (8 business days in AZ, NV, NC, SC and TX; 15 in FL, GA and OH; 14 in IN). | Agreed with you in writing before you sign, not a range on a web page. |
| If you change your mind | A published three-day window: after signing, “you have the next three days to consider your decision,” cancellable in writing to your property specialist. | No equivalent published cancellation window for the seller. Offerpad can cancel if you decline repairs, with no penalty to either side. | Nothing is binding until you sign a term sheet, and the net sheet costs nothing. |
Up to 85% up front, less reserves. The remaining balance (minus a one-time program fee) is paid when the home resells on the open market. Final terms are issued in writing. Not all properties qualify.
Sources, in order of first use: HomeVestors’ seller FAQ · HomeVestors on its franchise network · HomeVestors on how it works · HomeVestors on selling fast for cash · Offerpad’s seller FAQ · Offerpad’s sell page · Offerpad’s free local move
The things other comparison pages make up.
These are the questions we went looking for and could not answer from either company’s own pages. They are left open rather than filled in.
- How far below market a HomeVestors offer typically falls. The footnote confirms there is a discount; no page puts a number or a range on it.
- Which HomeVestors franchisee will handle your house, and which legal entity signs the contract. You find out when someone arrives.
- Whether HomeVestors keeps the resale profit. The seller-facing pages do not say. The franchise-recruitment side of the business answers it clearly enough, but that is not where a seller is reading.
- What an Offerpad offer represents as a share of market value. The 5% fee is published; what it is 5% of is not.
- How Offerpad sizes a repair credit. The three options are documented in detail; the arithmetic behind the number is not.
- How often either company revises an offer after the on-site assessment, and by how much.
- What HomeVestors means by “typical closing costs” in the cases where circumstances are not typical.
One claim we deliberately leave out: HomeVestors’ own page states that iBuyers charge sellers 13% to 15%, citing a third-party study. That is a competitor’s characterization of a competitor, and it is not verifiable from Offerpad’s pages. Offerpad publishes 5% plus about 1%, so that is the figure used above. We would rather quote a company against itself than quote its rival.
The questions sellers actually ask.
Is HomeVestors cheaper than Offerpad because there are no fees?
Not necessarily, and the comparison cannot be made from the published numbers. Offerpad charges a 5% service fee plus about 1% in closing costs, taken off its offer. HomeVestors charges nothing and pays typical closing costs, but states in its own site footnote that its offers are “typically discounted below market value in exchange for speed and convenience,” without publishing how large that discount is. A fee you can see is not automatically worse than a discount you cannot. The only way to compare them is to get both numbers on the same house and read the net proceeds.
Am I dealing with HomeVestors or with a local investor?
A local investor. HomeVestors states that “each franchise office is independently owned and operated” across a network it puts at over 750 franchises. The brand sets the marketing; the person who views your house, prices it, negotiates and signs the contract is the franchisee. That is why a HomeVestors offer is negotiable in a way a single national company’s offer usually is not, and it is also why the experience varies by office.
Does an Offerpad offer expire?
Yes. Offerpad states that “our offers usually expire seven (7) days from the date of the offer.” They can be renewed, but Offerpad is explicit that a renewed offer “may be the same, higher, or lower than the original one,” and that in rare cases it may not be able to renew at all. HomeVestors publishes no equivalent expiry, but does publish a three-day window to cancel after you have signed.
Does “cash offer” mean the sale is certain?
HomeVestors answers this one about itself, in its own site-wide disclaimer: “CASH does not mean there is no financing in the transaction or that closing is guaranteed.” That is worth reading carefully from either company. A cash offer describes how the buyer intends to pay, not a guarantee that the transaction closes.
Which one should I take?
Whichever leaves more in your pocket on your house, which neither company can tell you in the abstract and nor can we. Get the number from each, in writing, and compare net proceeds rather than headline price. Zoom Casa competes with both, so treat this page as a starting point and hold us to the same standard: our net sheet shows the full math before we ask for anything.
Related: Opendoor vs Offerpad · Mark Spain vs Opendoor · are cash offers legit
HomeVestors of America, Inc. and Offerpad are independent companies, are not affiliated with Zoom Casa, and do not endorse it. Their names and trademarks belong to them and are used here only to identify and compare the services. Company statements are quoted from their own public pages as of October 12, 2026. Net-sheet previews are illustrative; final offer terms are issued in writing on a term sheet. Program availability varies by state. Past results don't guarantee future outcomes. Not all properties qualify. Up to 85% up front, less reserves. The remaining balance (minus a one-time program fee) is paid when the home resells on the open market. Final terms are issued in writing. Not all properties qualify.