Every fast sale has a price. Usually it’s your upside.
iBuyers solved a real problem: selling a house used to take months of showings and uncertainty. What they never solved is who keeps the difference between what your home sells for and what they paid you. Zoom Casa keeps the speed and hands that difference back.
An iBuyer buys your home below what it expects to resell for and keeps that difference. Zoom Casa’s Cash Offer+ pays you up to 85%of your home’s value as fast as 10–15 days, then returns the remaining balance — minus one program fee — when the home resells on the open market. Same speed, same certainty, but the resale upside stays with you rather than the company.
Where the money actually goes.
This compares how the two models work, not one company’s current price list. Published iBuyer fees change over time and vary by market — check whichever company you’re considering for their current terms, and hold Zoom Casa to the same standard.
| A typical iBuyer | Zoom Casa Cash Offer+ | |
|---|---|---|
| Who keeps the resale profit | The company | You, minus one program fee |
| How the company earns | The gap between purchase and resale | A single disclosed program fee |
| Money at closing | The full agreed price | Up to 85% of value up front |
| Money later | None — the sale is finished | The remaining balance when the home resells |
| Repairs before sale | Usually deducted from your offer | Can be funded and repaid at resale |
| Your agent | Typically not involved | Stays the agent, keeps full commission |
| Best when | You want it completely over at closing | You want the speed without giving up the upside |
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.
When an iBuyer is the better choice.
When you want it finished. An iBuyer sale ends at closing — one number, one date, nothing to follow afterwards. Zoom Casa deliberately keeps you attached to the resale, because that is where the rest of your money comes from, and that means a second event some months out. If a clean break today is worth more to you than a larger total later, take the iBuyer deal. We would rather tell you that here than after you have signed something.
iBuyers, cash offers, and what’s actually different.
What is an iBuyer?
An iBuyer is a company that buys homes directly from owners, usually sight-unseen off an automated valuation, then resells them. Opendoor and Offerpad are the best-known examples. The appeal is speed and certainty: a firm price and a date you choose, with no showings. The trade is economic — the offer is set below what the company expects to resell for, and that difference is how the model earns.
Is Zoom Casa an iBuyer?
No, and the difference is structural rather than a matter of degree. An iBuyer's return comes from the gap between what it pays you and what it resells for. Zoom Casa's Cash Offer+ pays you up to 85% of the home's value up front, then returns the remaining balance — minus one program fee — when the home resells. The resale gap goes back to you instead of staying with the company.
Are cash offers for houses legitimate?
The reputable ones are, and there are a lot of them — but "legitimate" and "a good deal" are different questions. A cash offer is legitimate if the company is real, the terms are in writing, and nothing changes between offer and closing. Whether it is a good deal depends entirely on what you give up for the speed. The honest test is to make any buyer show you the full math, in writing, next to what a traditional listing would net you.
When is an iBuyer actually the better choice?
When you want the transaction to be completely over. An iBuyer sale ends at closing — one price, one date, no further involvement and nothing left to track. Zoom Casa deliberately keeps you connected to the resale, because that is where the rest of your money comes from. If certainty today matters more to you than a larger total number later, or if you simply do not want a second event months from now, the iBuyer trade is a rational one.
How do I compare a cash offer to just listing my house?
Run the numbers side by side before you talk to anyone. Zoom Casa's net sheet shows what you would get up front, what comes back at resale, and the one program fee, against what a traditional listing would likely net after commissions and carrying costs. It requires no email address, and if listing wins, a consultant is expected to say so on the same call.
Comparing specific companies? Opendoor vs Offerpad vs Zoom Casa, sourced from their own pages. Still deciding whether to trust any of this? Here are seven questions to ask any cash buyer — including us. Or see the markets where Zoom Casa has actually closed.
Opendoor and Offerpad are independent companies and are not affiliated with, and do not endorse, Zoom Casa. Their names are used here only to identify the category. 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.
Run both numbers before you decide.
See what Cash Offer+ would net you against a traditional listing — the published math, on your own address, with no email required.
See my net sheet →