Frequently Asked Questions

To determine your offer, we follow a detailed process:

1.We Assess the Home’s “After Repair Value” (ARV)

We review sold comps and calculate what your home could be worth in top market condition, after all repairs and updates are complete.

2. We Analyze Local Market Trends

We consider active listings, how quickly homes in your neighborhood are selling and how closely sales align with listing prices.

3. We Estimate the Costs

To make a fair offer, we subtract the costs we’ll incur to bring your property to market.

Our goal is to give you the best price we possibly can! That said, our cash offer will typically be less than market value because we take on all the risks and costs of buying, holding, repairing, and reselling your home.

Yes, you can trust that our offer is the best offer we can get you under current circumstances. The amount you’ll receive at closing is the contracted price minus any existing debts or liens on the property. There are no hidden fees. Transparency is a core value at Big State, so we make sure you have a clear understanding of our offers and how they're determined.

Don’t just take our word for it—check out our hundreds of five-star reviews across various platforms.

The percentage we can offer depends on your home, the level of repairs required, and local market conditions. Typically, a competitive cash offer won’t exceed 80% of market value, minus the cost of repairs.

You bet! We study market trends and competing services to make sure we’re delivering the strongest offer possible for your house. We don’t want to lose your business, so give us the chance to review any other offers you’ve received. If we can’t beat their price, we’ll explain why—and help you verify if another offer is reliable. We want you to feel confident in your decision.

Pro tip: Some buyers use inflated numbers to grab your attention but may not follow through. Our offer is reliable and won’t change at closing.

No, there are no fees associated with our offer. Other companies might give you a higher offer price but then deduct a convenience fee or other related costs, which could cost you 15% or more of their offer price. At Big State, we believe our customers prefer to know the bottom line up front. The number you receive from our representative will be your net offer price, before considering any payoffs of mortgages, liens, or taxes due.

Here’s what you can expect at every step:

1. Initial Call

Is our service right for you? You'll find out by speaking with our intake team. We’ll tailor a solution based on your needs and schedule a property assessment to provide a firm, cash offer.

2. Property Assessment

Our local market expert will assess your property's condition and make you a cash offer onsite.

3. Offer and Contract

After you accept our offer, you ‘ll choose your closing date. We'll use a standard Texas Real Estate Commission contract, and our team will handle any title work, liens, or legal issues, keeping you informed throughout the process.

4. Closing

At closing, a title company will manage the escrow, collect funds, pay any lien holders, and distribute the remaining proceeds to you.

The short answer is yes. We need to see what we’re buying to deliver the most accurate price. However, we can estimate a price range prior to seeing the house if:

1. You’re not local. We can work with you to get the information we need without you having to meet us and without disturbing tenants. Ultimately, we will need to see the house prior to closing, but we have lots of effective strategies to get the information we need without making it difficult on you.
2. You have squatters or problem tenants, and you just want someone else to take that problem off your hands. We can do that! We understand there are unique and unusual circumstances where access is impossible, and we do close on homes “sight unseen” from time to time. Just know that we have to assume the worst about the house or occupancy situation in those cases, and our offer price will reflect that.

Call us at 888-981-9143 or fill out our website contact form and an advisor will call you shortly.

If you accept our offer, we will go under contract using a standard Texas Real Estate Commission contract that protects both buyer and seller. Once we have your signed contract, our transaction management team will work on your file to clear any title work, liens, or legal issues to prepare for closing. Our representative and transaction management team will be in constant communication with you until closing.

Yes. A cash offer means there aren’t contingencies or approvals required for us to get from commitment to closing. That doesn’t mean we won’t need to inspect the property to aid our post-closing operations, but you won’t be required to make repairs to the house, and there isn’t a team of secondary underwriters who must approve the financing after we come to an agreement on price.

As a general guide, these are some of the documents you might need before closing. Don’t let missing documents stop you from selling— there’s no problem our title processing team cannot solve!

1. Identification: Valid, current government-issued photo ID. If you don't have one or if it's expired, we can help you obtain a valid ID—in some cases, we can use a sworn affidavit (jurat) to verify identity.

2. Unrecorded Deed: If you have a deed that hasn't been recorded, we'll need the original deed to record with the county clerk.

3. Mortgage Statement: If you have a mortgage, sharing a copy of your most recent statement will expedite our process. We’ll need a signed payoff authorization from you to obtain the final payoff from your lender.

4. Affidavit of Heirship (Inherited Property w/o Will): For inherited properties without a will, we can help you complete an affidavit of heirship.

5. Letters of Testamentary (Inherited Property w/ Will): If the will has been through probate court, we'll need a copy of the letters of testamentary, issued within six months of the closing date. We can assist in obtaining a recent letter if needed. If you have a will that hasn’t been to probate, we can complete the probate process for you.

6. Power of Attorney: If applicable, we'll need a copy of the power of attorney, and the original will be required at closing.

7. Divorce Decree: If the property was addressed in a divorce, we'll need a certified copy of your divorce decree to validate ownership.

8. Copy of Lease (Tenant Occupied Property): If the property is leased, we'll need a copy of the lease, even if expired. We can help amend the lease if necessary to ensure it's valid at the time of closing.

9. Previous Title Policy: It's beneficial to keep previous title policies and closing documents. These can help clear any previous liens or debts that might not have been released properly.

You do not need a Realtor to work with Big State. We prefer to work directly with sellers but will include your realtor if you have one.

If you want to maximize your home's market value and have the time to prepare it for sale, a realtor could be beneficial. If your goal is to sell your home quickly, discreetly, and as-is (especially if you're dealing with financial stress or a complex family situation) working directly with an experienced home buyer may be the best option for you.

We can close in as little as 7 days. We aim to close within 30 days of the contract, but we can close in as little as a week or hold your contract for up to 6 months, depending on your timeline.

We can accommodate your specific needs. The whole process takes between 10 to 30 days, depending on the status of title and the terms of the offer. The faster we can schedule your property assessment, the quicker we can get you an offer and start the closing process.

If you need more time to secure your new home, we can also put your house under contract and wait, allowing for a later closing date. Keep in mind: our offers are only valid for 30 days, after which we will reevaluate the market conditions if you decide to accept the offer later.

We're happy to answer any questions about the process when you call our intake team. We’ll schedule your property assessment to give you an offer as soon as possible.

No, you don’t need to worry about making any repairs or updates. We’ll buy your home as-is.

The offer we give you will account for repairs (foundation, roof, HVAC, plumbing, electric, etc). To make a fair offer, we subtract the costs we’ll incur to bring your property to market.

We have several resources that can cleanout, pack, and even move your belongings! We do ask that you work with us to make arrangements for these services at the beginning of the process, that way we can make preparations accordingly. Depending on the service a charge may apply at the lowest possible cost.

Yes, we buy properties in any condition. Give us a call to see how we can help you.

Yes! We have 40 years combined experience in helping families sell inherited properties. Even if you’re in probate or have family disputes to settle, our quick access to legal experts and title-processing experience can help you avoid a long and sometimes costly sale process.

Yes! In fact, we can solve multiple tenant problems such as: squatters, evictions, repairs, and more. If you have problem tenants and need tenant eviction help, or HAD problem tenants or squatters and now want to liquidate the property, call us to get a free analysis of your house.

Call us and we may be able to pay your past due balances so there’s time to close without the bank taking your house. If there’s a solution, we’re going to find it.

We stop foreclosures all the time, but the more time we have to help, the better for everyone. Usually, we need to have a contract in place at least one week before the foreclosure auction to close the deal before the auction. We can rush the title commitment and tax certificates, but it still takes a few days to put all the pieces in place.

If you’re short on time and the auction is just days away, call us and we may be able to pay your past due balances so there’s time to close without the bank taking your house. If there’s a solution to getting your foreclosure sale stopped, we’re going to find it.

Generally speaking, you’re responsible for any taxes owed against the property up to the date of closing. The title company will collect taxes from you, prorated up to the day of closing.

Previous year’s taxes are paid to the county directly by the title company, and current year’s prorations will be credited to the buyer at closing. At the end of the year, the buyer will pay the current year’s property tax bill when it’s released in December.

• Annual Bill: Property tax bills are issued once a year, usually in November, covering the prior year's taxes. Until the bill is issued, you can't pay your property taxes, and the exact amount isn't known until the county finalizes the evaluation.

• Proration at Sale: If you sell your house before the end of the year, the title company will prorate your taxes based on the previous year's tax bill. For example, if last year's taxes were $3,650, the title company will divide that by 365 to get a daily rate, then multiply by the number of days you owned the home that year. You'll pay this prorated amount at closing, and the buyer will be responsible for the full year's taxes once the bill is issued.

• Exemptions: If your property has exemptions, like an over 65 exemption, that are no longer valid (e.g., selling an inherited house), the title company may adjust the proration to reflect the full tax amount without exemptions. This is because the county can collect back taxes for up to five years if they find out the exemption was no longer applicable.

• Mortgage Escrow: If you have a mortgage, your lender collects prorated tax payments throughout the year. At closing, you'll still pay the prorated taxes, and your lender will refund any escrowed tax payments within a few weeks. For instance, if you've been paying prorated taxes through your mortgage, you'll essentially double pay at closing but will receive a refund from your mortgage company later.