The Process: Five Steps, No Surprises
Step 1: You contact us. Call (703) 991-2972 or fill out the form on our homepage. Tell us the property address and your situation. This takes 5 minutes. Zero obligation.
Step 2: We assess the property. Gavin visits in person, walks the home, and evaluates the condition. This takes about 30 minutes. No preparation needed on your part.
Step 3: We make a written offer. Based on current comparable sales and the property's condition, we deliver a written cash offer, typically within 24 hours of the visit. The offer includes a market analysis showing how we arrived at the number.
Step 4: You decide. No pressure, no deadline, no expiration. Compare our offer to other options. Get an agent's opinion. Think about it. If you accept, we open title. If not, no hard feelings.
Step 5: We close. The title company handles the settlement. You sign, the proceeds are wired, and the home is ours. As fast as 5 days, or on whatever date you choose.
How to Spot a Legitimate Cash Buyer
Not all cash buyers are equal. Here are the red flags to watch for: they will not visit the property in person, they make an offer sight-unseen and later reduce it dramatically, they ask for earnest money or fees from you, they do not use a licensed title company for closing, they pressure you to sign immediately, or they will not provide proof of funds.
Capitol Cash Offer always visits in person, never charges seller fees, uses licensed title companies, provides proof of funds on request, and gives you unlimited time to decide.
Capitol Cash Offer's Local Track Record
Capitol Cash Offer is a locally-owned DC Metro real estate company run by Gavin Kersellius. We are not a national franchise, a call center, or a lead-generation website that sells your information to the highest bidder. When you call (703) 991-2972, you talk to Gavin. When someone visits your property, it is Gavin. When you have a question at 8pm on a Thursday, you text the same person who walked your home.
We have purchased properties across Virginia (Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Prince William, Loudoun, Stafford), Maryland (Montgomery, Prince George's, Howard, Anne Arundel), and Washington DC. Each transaction uses a licensed local title company, and every seller receives a written offer with transparent market analysis.
What a Legitimate Cash Buyer Should Provide
In-person assessment: Any buyer who makes an offer without visiting the property will almost certainly reduce that offer later. We visit every property before making an offer.
Written comparable analysis: The offer should come with documentation showing recent sales that support the number. If a buyer will not show you how they arrived at their price, that is a red flag.
Proof of funds: A legitimate cash buyer can provide a bank statement or letter from their financial institution showing they have the capital to close. Ask for this before signing anything.
Licensed title company: The closing should go through a licensed title company or settlement attorney, not the buyer's office. This protects both parties.
No upfront fees: You should never pay anything to a cash buyer. No application fees, no processing fees, no inspection fees. If they ask for money upfront, walk away.
Verify a Cash Home Buyer
- Google Reviews: Check the company's Google Business Profile for verified reviews
- Better Business Bureau: bbb.org
- Virginia State Corporation Commission: scc.virginia.gov, verify business registration
- Maryland SDAT: sdat.dat.maryland.gov, verify business entity
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: consumerfinance.gov
Warning Signs of Illegitimate Cash Buyers
The cash home buying industry has its share of bad actors. Here are specific red flags to watch for:
Sight-unseen offers: Any "buyer" who makes an offer based solely on an online listing or a phone description will almost certainly reduce that offer dramatically after seeing the property. Legitimate buyers visit in person before committing to a price.
Offers that seem too good: If an offer matches or exceeds what a traditional listing would produce, something is wrong. Cash buyers earn their return by purchasing below retail and adding value through renovation. An unrealistically high offer is a setup for a later price reduction.
Pressure to sign immediately: "This offer expires today" or "we have other properties to look at" are pressure tactics. A legitimate offer stands until you are ready to decide. Capitol Cash Offer gives you unlimited time to evaluate our offer and compare it to other options.
Upfront fees of any kind: Application fees, processing fees, "due diligence" fees charged to the seller are all red flags. You should never pay a cash buyer anything. Period.
No proof of funds: A legitimate cash buyer can produce a bank statement or financial institution letter showing they have the capital to close. If they cannot or will not provide this, they may be assigning your contract to another buyer for a fee (known as "wholesaling") rather than actually purchasing your home.
The Difference Between Cash Buyers and Wholesalers
Not every company that advertises "we buy houses" is actually buying your house. Many are wholesalers, middlemen who put your property under contract at a low price and then sell (or "assign") that contract to an actual buyer for a fee. The wholesaler never intends to close on your property themselves. They profit from the spread between their contract price and what the end buyer pays.
How to tell the difference: a legitimate cash buyer like Capitol Cash Offer visits your property in person, provides proof of funds showing they have the capital to close, uses their own name on the purchase contract (not an LLC formed last week), and closes at a licensed title company with their own funds. A wholesaler typically makes sight-unseen offers, uses assignable contract language, avoids providing proof of funds, and may delay closing while they find an end buyer.
There is nothing illegal about wholesaling, but it often results in a lower price for the seller (because the wholesaler needs room for their fee) and less certainty (because the deal depends on finding an end buyer). If your goal is certainty, speed, and the best price an as-is buyer will pay, work with a direct buyer who actually closes with their own capital.
Verify a Cash Home Buyer: Resources
- Google Reviews: Check the company's Google Business Profile for verified reviews from real sellers
- Better Business Bureau: bbb.org, check for complaints and accreditation
- Virginia State Corporation Commission: scc.virginia.gov, verify business registration
- Maryland SDAT: sdat.dat.maryland.gov, verify Maryland business entity
- DC Business Licensing: dcra.dc.gov
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: consumerfinance.gov, general consumer protection