The process, in order
How selling your rental house to us works
Here is exactly what happens between your first message and the day the title company hands you a settlement statement, with the extra steps that apply when a tenant lives in the house.
- Leased or vacant, send it
- We buy direct, we do not list
- Offer in writing first
- Closed by an Arizona title company
Before anything else: what we need from you
The first step is deliberately light. You send a name, a phone number and the property address, plus a few lines on what is going on. If you already know the answers to a few landlord questions, include them: is there a tenant, when does the lease end, is rent current, and is there a mortgage?
You do not need photos, a rent roll or an organized folder. Owners with a hard tenant situation can read the situations page first, and owners in a particular neighborhood may want the San Tan Valley overview. If you have them, they speed things up, and our contact page lists how to send them. If you do not, we will ask for what we need as we go. A first look is free and does not obligate you in any way.
The address
Tells us what part of San Tan Valley the house is in, which matters for age, lot size and association rules.
The tenant picture
Lease or no lease, rent paid or behind, and whether the tenant knows you are thinking of selling.
The loan picture
Roughly what you owe and whether you would consider a payment takeover instead of a payoff.
Step by step, from request to closing
Every step below is something you can pause at. If a number or a date does not suit you, you can stop, and you owe us nothing for having asked.
Review and questions
We look at the address, the tenant details and what you say about the house. Expect a short call or text to clear up anything unclear, such as how old the roof is or whether the lease has a renewal clause.
A look at the house
We arrange a visit. With a tenant inside, the visit is scheduled through you and the tenant gets proper notice, because their right to peaceful occupancy does not pause for a sale.
The written offer
You get a number and the terms in writing: price, closing costs, closing date and how the lease and security deposit are treated. Read it, ask us questions, and show it to an attorney or a tax professional if you like.
Open escrow with a title company
If you accept, a local Arizona title company opens escrow. It searches the title, collects what is needed to transfer the deed and prepares the settlement statement.
Closing and handover
You sign. The title company pays off your mortgage if the route is cash, or records the documents for a payment takeover. The tenant is told who the new owner is and where rent goes next.
Start with the address
Everything above starts with those few lines.
What happens to the tenant and the lease
In most sales of a leased property the lease continues, and the buyer steps into the landlord's role. The security deposit and any prepaid rent are accounted for at closing so the new owner is not left holding promises it never received. How all of that is written depends on your specific lease and on Arizona law, which is why an attorney and the title company look at it before the deal closes.
We take the tenant seriously because they are a person, not a line in a spreadsheet. Nobody is told to leave because ownership changed. If a tenant wants to stay, they stay under the lease they signed. If they plan to move at the end of the term, nothing about our purchase changes that date. And if the unit is already vacant, none of this applies and the process is quicker. For a closer look at tenant-related scenarios, our situations page covers lease transfers, non-paying tenants and units you would rather sell empty.
Notice and access
Visits are scheduled through you with proper notice. We do not show up unannounced.
Deposit handling
The deposit is dealt with on the closing statement, in writing, so nobody has to guess later.
Rent after closing
The tenant gets a clear letter saying who the owner is and where payments go.
Timing: you set the pace within reason
How long a sale takes depends on the title work, the tenant, the loan and how quickly each side answers. We will not give you a number we cannot keep. What we can say is that a cash purchase has fewer moving parts than a financed one, because there is no buyer's lender running an appraisal and underwriting file. A payment takeover has its own paperwork and may take longer, and we will say so when we send the offer.
If you need a specific date, such as the day a lease ends, a tax deadline or a move you have already scheduled, tell us at the start. Some dates are realistic and some are not, and an honest answer on day one is better than a missed closing. If the date is firm, say so on the contact form and mention it in the notes.
Lease end date
Often the cleanest day to close because nothing is disturbed.
Tax-driven dates
If a deadline matters, your tax pro should set it. We will tell you if the title work can reasonably meet it.
Open-ended
If there is no rush, the deal can wait for the right month.
What you pay and what you do not
We buy the property directly, so there is no commission to a listing agent. Closing costs are written into the offer so you can see who pays what. Our standard is to put every cost on one page before you sign, so nothing shows up later as a line you did not expect. For more on the two routes we offer, read the cash offer page, and if you want to check our reasoning for a particular scenario, the FAQ is a good place to look.
Please keep in mind that an offer from a direct buyer is usually below what a fully repaired, fully marketed house might bring on the open market. What you get in exchange is certainty, no repairs and a sale on your schedule. Whether that trade is right for you is your decision.
Quick answers
Do I need to tell my tenant before I contact you?
You do not have to. Visits need proper notice, though, so the tenant will be told when it is time to see the house.
Will my tenant lose their home if you buy?
Not because of the sale. A lease generally stays in force after a sale, and the buyer takes the owner's place. Check your own lease and ask an attorney.
Can I ask you to wait on my tenant's lease end date?
Yes. Many owners prefer to close just after the lease ends. Say so in your first message.
Do I need an attorney?
We encourage it, especially for a payment takeover. We are a buyer, not your lawyer.