Frequently Asked Questions

Maybe you have a few questions. That’s okay; most people do. Here is a quick collection of some of the questions people ask us, along with our answers. If you still have a question, don’t hesitate to contact us anytime. We would be happy to answer it for you. Q:  Will you be listing my house on the MLS or actually buying it? A: We Buy Houses Winnipeg is a direct cash home buyer, not a real estate agent or broker. We will not list your house on the MLS or market it to other buyers. We purchase properties directly using our own funds — no bank financing, no mortgage approvals, and no waiting on third-party lenders. Because we use cash, we can make a purchase decision within 24 to 48 hours of viewing your property. Once we agree on a price, we move straight to closing — typically within 7 to 14 days, or on whatever timeline works best for you. After we purchase your home, we may renovate and resell it to another Winnipeg homeowner, or hold it as a long-term rental in our portfolio. This process eliminates the delays, showings, and uncertainty that come with a traditional MLS listing. If you need to sell quickly or want a guaranteed, hassle-free transaction, working directly with a cash buyer is a straightforward alternative. Q:  How are you different from a real estate agent? A: Real estate agents list your property on the MLS and wait for a buyer to appear — a process that takes an average of 60 to 90 days in Winnipeg. When a sale closes, agents typically charge 5 to 6 percent of the sale price in commissions. On a $300,000 home, that’s $15,000 to $18,000 paid out before you see a cent. We operate completely differently. We Buy Houses Winnipeg is a direct cash buyer — we purchase your home ourselves, using our own funds, without listing it publicly. There are no agent commissions, no open houses, no buyer financing conditions, and no deals falling through at the last minute. We make a firm cash offer within 48 hours, and you choose your own closing date. The trade-off is that our offer is typically below full retail market value, because we take on all repair costs and carrying risk after closing. The comparison chart below breaks this down further. Agents provide a great service for those that can wait 4+ months to sell and who don’t mind giving up some of that sale price to pay for the commissions. But that’s where we’re different. We’re not agents, we’re home buyers. Our company buys the house directly from you. Since we pay with all cash and purchase the house from you, we can make a decision to buy your house within a couple of days (sometimes even the same day). Again, we make our living by taking the risk to buy the house with our own cash, repair the house, and market it ourselves to find a buyer. Looking for this to be broken down further? Here’s a comparison chart to give an overview:
  Selling w/ A Winnipeg Agent SOLD To We Buy Houses Winnipeg
Commissions / Fees: Up to 6%, paid by you, the seller None
Who Pays Closing Costs? 2% on average is paid by you, the seller We pay all costs.
Inspection & Financing Contingency*: Yes, sales can fall through. None needed
Appraisal Needed: Yes, the sale is often subject to appraisal. No, we make cash offers.
Average Days Until Sold: +/- 91 Days We provide immediate cash offers.
Number of Showings: It Depends 1 (Just Us)
Closing Date: 30-60+/- days after accepting the buyer’s offer The date of YOUR CHOICE.
Who Pays For Repairs? Negotiated during the inspection period We pay for all repairs.
*An inspection contingency lets the buyer have time to do an inspection and back out of the sale or negotiate a new price if there are repairs that need to be done. If you can’t come to an agreement with the buyer, the buyer has the right to back out of the sale. Similarly, a financing contingency gives the buyer the wiggle room to back out of the purchase if they can’t obtain a loan or if the home doesn’t appraise for the value that the bank needs to close the loan.
Q:  Do you pay fair prices for properties? A: Our offers are typically below full retail market value, and we are upfront about that from the start. We buy houses in Winnipeg that need work, and our price reflects the repairs, renovation costs, and carrying costs we absorb after closing. What many sellers find is that the net amount they receive from us is often comparable to — or better than — what they would net from a traditional sale once agent commissions (5 to 6 percent), closing costs, repair requests, and months of holding costs are factored in. Winnipeg homeowners typically spend $15,000 to $25,000 in commissions, staging, and carrying costs when listing through an agent. We eliminate all of those expenses. We offer cash, we close in 7 to 14 days, and there are no conditions or surprises. Our pricing commitment is simple: we present a fair, no-obligation offer and you are free to accept or decline. There is no pressure and no hard sell.

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Q:  How do you determine the price to offer on my house? A: Our offer is based on four key factors: the location of the property, the current condition of the home, the cost of repairs needed to bring it to market-ready standard, and the recent sale prices of comparable homes sold nearby. We use local Manitoba real estate data and contractor estimates to arrive at a realistic after-repair value (ARV) for the property. From that ARV, we subtract our estimated repair costs, holding costs during renovation, and a reasonable profit margin that allows us to stay in business and continue buying homes across Winnipeg. The result is our all-cash offer to you. We walk every seller through our numbers transparently and explain exactly how we arrived at our figure — there is no mystery formula or pressure. Our goal is a fair, win-win transaction. If the offer works for your situation, we move forward together. If it does not, there is no obligation and no fees owed. Q:  Are there any fees or commissions to work with you? A: There are no fees, no commissions, and no hidden costs when you sell your house directly to We Buy Houses Winnipeg. When you list with a real estate agent, you typically pay 5 to 6 percent of the sale price in commissions, plus 1 to 2 percent in closing costs — on a $300,000 home, that is up to $24,000 out of your pocket before accounting for repairs or staging. With us, those costs are zero. We make you a cash offer and, if you accept, we cover the closing costs entirely. You walk away with the agreed amount — nothing deducted at the end. We earn our income by taking on the risk of purchasing, renovating, and reselling the property ourselves. The burden and expense of carrying the property after closing shifts completely to us. What you see in our offer is what you receive at closing. No surprises, no deductions, and no last-minute renegotiations. Q:  Is there any obligation when I submit my information? A: There is absolutely no obligation when you submit your property information to us. We will review the details you provide, research the property, and reach out to learn a bit more before preparing a cash offer — typically within 24 to 48 hours. That offer is yours to review at no cost and with no strings attached. You are under no pressure to accept. If the offer makes sense for your situation, we move forward together. If it does not, you can simply decline — no follow-up pressure, no hard sell, and no fees owed for our time. Many Winnipeg homeowners come to us simply to understand their options before deciding whether to list with an agent, sell to a cash buyer, or explore another route. We are happy to be one option you consider. Our goal is a fair transaction, not a forced one. You are always in full control of the decision.

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Download our FREE Guide here and contact us anytime with questions or if you would like a no-hassle Situation Evaluation. Learn more about how we help Winnipeg homeowners sell their unwanted properties for cash. Get your FREE Guide and then give us a call at (204) 291-1248. We would love to discuss what your home is worth and what we can offer to buy it with our Cash Offer Program.

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