Comparing Cash Offers
A We Buy Ugly Houses alternative for Inland Empire homeowners.
You know the yellow signs, and maybe you have already booked the consultation. This page explains how the HomeVestors franchise model actually works, using what the company publishes itself, and what changes when you sell to a local family that buys in these two counties and nowhere else. We would rather you understood both than picked one on brand recognition.
The most useful sentence on their own website.
Buried in the fine print at the bottom of webuyuglyhouses.com is this: “Our offers are typically discounted below market value in exchange for speed and convenience.” That is honest, and we will say the same thing about our own offers — every genuine cash offer, from anyone, is a trade of some price for speed and certainty. The question is never whether a cash offer is discounted. It is how big the discount is, how fast the close really is, and who is standing behind the contract. That is what this page is about.
What HomeVestors is — said fairly.
We Buy Ugly Houses is the consumer brand of HomeVestors of America, a franchise company that has been operating since 1996. Their site describes the network as “a network of real estate investors” made up of “more than 750 independently owned and operated franchises in 46 states,” and the footer of every page repeats the same line: “Each franchise office is independently owned and operated.”
The published process is three steps: a free, no-obligation consultation at the house; a cash offer after the walkthrough; and closing, “sometimes in as little as three weeks, or later if you need more time.” Their FAQ adds that typically, from consultation to closing, a house sells in about a month or less. They state that they do not charge commissions or hidden fees, that they cover typical closing costs, and that you need to do nothing before the visit — “no repairs, updates, or even cleaning.” They buy houses, townhomes, condos, multi-tenant properties, and some mobile or manufactured and commercial properties.
That is a real service, honestly described, and for plenty of sellers it works out fine. The recognizable brand is genuinely worth something when you are inviting a stranger to walk through your house. We are not going to pretend otherwise, and we will tell you when we think their number or a traditional listing beats ours — that is one of the three promises we make on every deal, and it costs us business regularly.
The billboard is national. The buyer is one local business owner.
This is the single most important thing to understand before your consultation, and the company states it plainly rather than hiding it: each franchise office is independently owned and operated. The advertising, the training, and the brand come from HomeVestors. The offer, the contract, the money, and the follow-through come from a separate local business that bought the right to use the name.
That is not a criticism of franchisees. Many are experienced local investors doing careful work — the same category of business we are in, minus the sign. But it does mean the brand’s reputation is not automatically your buyer’s reputation. Across 750-plus independently owned offices, experience, capitalization, and how a difficult escrow gets handled will vary, and the national marketing tells you nothing about the specific person who will sit at your kitchen table.
So ask. Who is the legal entity that will appear on the purchase agreement? Is it the franchisee’s own company, and are they the one funding the purchase? How many houses have they closed in your city, not nationally? Do they intend to assign the contract to another buyer before closing, and if so, who ends up owning it? Ask us the same questions — every one of them — and get every answer in writing before you sign anything. A buyer who will not put those answers on paper is telling you something.
- Ask which company is actually on the contract
- Ask whose money funds the purchase
- Ask how many closings they have done in your city
- Ask whether the contract can be assigned to someone else
- Ask what happens to the price after the walkthrough
- Ask for the closing date in writing, not a range
How their offer is built, and what to compare it against.
Their FAQ lists the factors behind the number: the current condition of your home, the extent and cost of any necessary repairs, how your home’s value stacks up against similar properties nearby, and ongoing maintenance expenses. That is a reasonable description of how any cash buyer prices a house, including us. The number lands where the repair estimate and the local comparable sales put it.
Two things are worth doing before you compare anything. First, compare net proceeds — the figure that actually lands in your account on closing day — rather than headline prices. Both of us say we charge no commissions and cover typical closing costs, so on that specific line there is no difference between us worth talking about, and any buyer who presents it as a unique advantage is selling you something you would get anyway.
Second, ask each buyer whether the number can change after the walkthrough or an inspection, and get the answer in writing. Ours cannot: we walk the property first, the written offer comes after that, and there are no price re-trades — the number we agree on is the number you get at closing. That is exactly why it helps you to tell us about the roof, the leak, and the unpermitted addition up front instead of hoping we miss them.
And there is one option on our side that most cash buyers do not put on the table at all. On qualifying deals we can structure a profit-share second payment, so you have a chance at an additional amount out of the profit when the house is resold. It is never guaranteed, and we explain in writing exactly how it would apply to your house before you commit to anything — but it is a genuinely different shape of deal from a single take-it-or-leave-it number.
Three weeks versus seven days — when the calendar is the whole deal.
HomeVestors publishes closing “sometimes in as little as three weeks,” and typically about a month from consultation to closing. For a seller with time, that is perfectly fine and the difference between us barely matters.
For a seller with a date on the calendar, it is the entire decision. A trustee’s sale scheduled by the county recorder’s clock, a probate hearing that finally cleared, a divorce judgment waiting on the house, a job that starts in another state on the first of the month — in those situations the gap between a month and a week is not a convenience, it is whether the sale happens in time at all. We write the offer within 24 hours and can close in as little as 7 days through a local title company, or later on your timeline if a slower close is what actually helps you.
The honest caveat: sometimes nobody can close fast enough, and we will tell you that rather than tie up your house while a deadline runs out. If you have a notice of default or a notice of trustee’s sale, send it to us with the address and you will get a straight answer about whether we can make your window.
What being local actually changes.
We buy houses in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties and nowhere else. That is a smaller business than a national franchise network, and in a few ways it is a smaller advantage than sellers assume — we do not have a call center, and we are not the right buyer for every house. But it changes three things that tend to matter when a sale gets complicated.
The first is who walks your house: the person who sees the property is the person who prices it and the person standing at the closing table. Nothing gets relayed through a system. The second is what happens when escrow goes sideways — a lien nobody knew about, an heir who will not sign, a tenant who changes their mind, a solar lease that has to be assumed. You are talking to the person who can decide what to do about it that afternoon, not to whoever answers the phone.
The third is local pricing knowledge that a national brand standard cannot carry. Manufactured homes in Hemet and the High Desert, pre-war bungalows in Colton, Redlands, and the Wood Streets, mountain properties above Yucaipa where the California FAIR Plan is the only insurance available, tenant-occupied rentals in Moreno Valley and Rialto, acreage out toward Nuevo and Cherry Valley. Those are the houses where a buyer’s familiarity with the specific street is worth more than a recognizable logo. And if you want to see how the market is moving before you decide anything, our Inland Empire market report is updated monthly with cited data for both counties.
Local Knowledge
Who you are actually choosing between.
In Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, the practical choice for most sellers is a national brand executed by an independent local franchisee, a traditional listing with an agent, or a local family-owned buyer. All three are legitimate, and the right answer depends on your house and your calendar more than on anybody’s marketing. If the house shows well and you are not in a hurry, list it — we will say so. If the house needs work, has tenants, is full of belongings, or has a deadline attached to it, get more than one cash number and compare the net proceeds, the closing date, and the name on the contract.
Common Questions
Answers before you even ask.
Is Roman Home Solutions affiliated with HomeVestors or We Buy Ugly Houses?
No. We are an independent, family-owned company that buys houses for cash in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by HomeVestors of America, Inc. Everything described on this page about their process, network, and timelines comes from their own published website.
Who actually buys my house if I call the yellow-sign number?
A local franchisee. HomeVestors states on its own site that each franchise office is independently owned and operated, and that the network is made up of more than 750 independently owned and operated franchises across 46 states. The brand and advertising are national; the company on your purchase agreement is a separate local business. Ask which legal entity is buying, whose funds are being used, and whether the contract may be assigned to someone else before closing.
Will their offer be below market value?
Their own site says offers are typically discounted below market value in exchange for speed and convenience. So is ours, and so is every real cash offer — that discount is what pays for closing without repairs, showings, financing contingencies, or commissions. The useful comparison is not cash offer versus market value; it is one net cash number against another, and both against what a traditional listing would leave you after repairs, commissions, and months of carrying costs.
How fast can you close compared to We Buy Ugly Houses?
Their site says closing sometimes happens in as little as three weeks, and typically about a month from consultation to closing. We write a fair offer within 24 hours and can close in as little as 7 days through a local title company — or later, on your timeline, if a slower close suits you better. If you are working against a trustee’s sale date, send us the notice and we will tell you honestly whether we can close inside your window.
Do you charge fees or commissions?
No commissions and no hidden fees, and we cover the typical closing costs. To be fair, HomeVestors publishes the same policy — so this is not a real point of difference between us, and you should be skeptical of anyone who presents it as one. Compare the net number you would actually receive on closing day, in writing, from each buyer.
Does your price change after you have seen the house?
No. We walk the property first and the written offer comes after that walkthrough, with the condition already priced in. No price re-trades — the number we agree on is the number you get at closing. Tell us about the roof, the leak, the addition built without permits, and the tenant who has not paid in three months; none of that scares us, and disclosing it up front is what keeps the number stable.
What kinds of houses do you buy?
Houses in any condition across Riverside and San Bernardino Counties — fire and water damage, foundation problems, unpermitted work, hoarded and cluttered homes, inherited and probate properties, rentals with tenants still in place, houses with leased or financed solar, and homes with a foreclosure date already recorded. You do not need to repair, clean, or empty anything first. Take what matters to you and leave the rest.
Should I get more than one cash offer?
Yes, always, and we will say that even when it costs us the deal. Get each offer in writing, compare net proceeds rather than headline prices, confirm the closing date and whether the price can move afterward, and check who the contracting entity actually is. A buyer worth selling to will not object to being compared.
Have a different question? Ask us directly — a real person answers.
Whatever is going on with the house, there is a page for it
Comparing an Opendoor offer instead?
How an iBuyer offer is built line by line, and the long list of houses they will not buy.
Sell As-Is / Major Repairs
Fire damage, foundation problems, deferred maintenance — priced honestly, fixed by us after closing.
Sell a Rental With Tenants
We buy with the tenants in place, so a move-out is not your problem before you can sell.
The house is in probate
Letters, the probate referee, full versus limited authority, and courtroom overbids explained.
Stop Foreclosure
When there is a sale date on the calendar, the closing window matters more than the headline price.
Inland Empire market report
Cited monthly data on prices and days on market before you compare a single offer.
Get a second number, and a name you can check.
Send us the address and tell us what the house is really like. You get a written offer within 24 hours from the family that will actually be buying it — and if we think another offer or a traditional listing would leave you better off, we will say so.
Free and no-obligation. See how it works — including all three ways we can buy.
This page is general information for Inland Empire homeowners, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Laws and figures change; always confirm how they apply to your situation with a qualified professional. Roman Home Solutions is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by HomeVestors of America, Inc.; “We Buy Ugly Houses” and related marks are trademarks of their owner. Descriptions of the HomeVestors franchise network, process, fees, and timelines on this page are drawn from the company’s own published website as of August 2026 and may change — confirm current details directly with them, and with the specific franchisee making you an offer, before making a decision.