How we price an offer
Here's exactly how we work out the price on a Calgary house.
Plenty of cash-buyer websites promise to be fair with you. This page shows the arithmetic instead.
Start from what it's worth finished. Subtract what it takes to get there.
- Worth renovated — from real recent sales in your community
- The renovation — real quotes from our trades, not a percentage
- Holding costs — tax, insurance, utilities, financing
- Selling costs — legal, title, commission on the way out
- A margin for the risk — some projects go wrong
What you actually keep — the three options compared
This is the comparison that matters. Not the sale price — what's left in your hand at the end, and how long it takes to get there.
Swipe the table sideways to see all three →
| Renovate it, then list | List it as-is | Sell to us | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money you put in first | Cost of the renovation | $0 | $0 |
| Real estate commission | Yes | Yes | None |
| Legal cost | You pay | You pay | We cover it |
| Repairs & cleaning | All of it | Usually some | None |
| Showings | Many | Many | None |
| How long it takes | Around 5–7 months | Around 2–4 months | As little as 5–7 days; 2–3 weeks more usual |
| Conditions in the offer | Buyer's financing and inspection | Buyer's financing and inspection | None — the home is sold firm once you accept |
Timelines run from first listing to funds in your hand, not to an accepted offer. These are illustrative ranges for a typical older Calgary house, not a valuation of yours, and not legal, tax or financial advice — get your own before you act on any of it.
If you want to see what the work actually looks like, here's a house we bought as-is and renovated, and here's what happens between the first phone call and the keys.
If your house is in good to great condition and you're not in a hurry, listing with a Realtor may be a better option — and I'll tell you so to your face. Matthew Mai · Co-Founder, Direct Home Buyer
We're the right answer when the house needs real work, when a lender won't finance it as it stands, or when certainty is worth more than the last few thousand.