The quick answer: the fastest way to sell your house is to a local cash buyer, who can usually close in 10 to 14 days with no repairs, showings or commissions. You will get less than full market value for that speed. If you want top dollar, list with an agent, price it right on day one, and plan for roughly two months.
Joey Gizzi has been buying and renovating houses across Hampton Roads since 2020. Our last purchase in Great Neck closed on the date the seller needed so she could move. Here is how each way of selling fast actually works, what it costs, and how to pick the right one for your situation.
Three Ways to Sell Your House Fast, Side by Side
| List with an agent | Sell it yourself | Sell to a cash buyer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to close | Time on the market, plus about 37 days for the buyer’s loan to close | Same as listing, often longer | Usually 10 to 14 days |
| Commission | About 5.4% in total, on average | None to your own agent, though many sellers still pay the buyer’s agent | None |
| Repairs and cleaning | Usually yes, to attract buyers and pass inspection | Usually yes | None. The house is sold as it sits |
| Showings | Yes | Yes, and you run them | One walkthrough |
| Closing costs | Seller pays their share | Seller pays their share | Paid by the buyer, in our case |
| Price | Full market value for a house in good shape | Market value, if you price and negotiate well | Below market value. Ours lands between 70% and 80% of the after-repair value |
Sources: loan closing time from ICE’s May 2026 Mortgage Monitor (36.8 days for purchase loans). Average commission from a 2026 Clever survey of 806 agents reported by HousingWire (about 5.44%). Our offer range is our own.
What Is the Best Way to Sell Your House Fast?
It depends on one question: is the house ready to sell as it sits? If it is in good shape, the best way is to list it with a good local agent and price it correctly from day one. You will wait longer, but you will usually walk away with more money.
If the house needs real work, if you need a fixed closing date, or if you cannot face showings, a cash sale is usually the better fit. You trade some of the price for speed and certainty. There is no loan that can fall through, no inspection to renegotiate, and no repair list.
Selling it yourself sits in the middle. It saves the listing commission, but you do all the pricing, marketing and negotiating. Only about 5% of sellers sold without an agent in NAR’s 2025 survey, the lowest share on record.
How to Sell Your House Fast With an Agent
If you are listing, these steps make the biggest difference to how fast it goes:
- Price it right the first week. Homes priced too high sit, and a price cut three weeks in tells buyers something is wrong. Ask your agent for recent sales within half a mile, not a wish number.
- Fix the cheap, visible things. Paint, burned-out bulbs, dripping taps and the front door. Buyers forgive an old kitchen far more easily than a list of small jobs.
- Clear it out. Fewer things in each room makes the house look bigger in photos, and photos are where most buyers decide whether to visit.
- Get a pre-listing inspection. Finding the roof or HVAC problem before a buyer does stops a late renegotiation.
- Say yes to showings. Every showing you turn down is a buyer who may not come back.
- Pick the strongest offer, not just the biggest. A slightly lower offer with solid financing and no sale contingency often closes faster and more surely.
Our guide to getting a house ready to sell goes room by room, and our breakdown of what it costs to sell a house shows what comes out of your side.
Can I Sell My House Fast for Market Value?
Sometimes. A house in good condition, priced correctly in a busy market, can sell quickly for full market value through an agent. That is the best of both worlds when it is available.
A cash buyer cannot pay full market value for a house that needs work, because the buyer is paying for the repairs and taking on the risk of reselling it. Be wary of anyone who promises full price and a fast cash close in the same sentence. That is usually a wholesaler who plans to sell your contract to someone else, and the price tends to change before closing.
If your house is in good shape and could be listed as it sits, an agent will almost certainly get you more money than we will, and we will tell you that on the walkthrough.
I Need to Sell My House Fast. Where Do I Start?
Start with your deadline, then work backwards:
- Less than three weeks: a cash sale is realistic. A financed buyer usually cannot close that quickly.
- One to two months: either route can work. If the house needs little work, get an agent’s pricing and a cash offer and compare what you would actually net.
- More than two months: listing usually gets you the most money, unless the house needs major repairs.
If a foreclosure sale date is coming, call before that date, not after. Our guide to stopping foreclosure in Virginia explains your options. If you are moving on military orders or for a new job, our guide to selling a house and moving out of state covers how to close from a distance.
How Quickly Can You Sell a House for Cash?
With a local cash buyer, usually 10 to 14 days from the day you accept the offer. We walk the house, send a written offer within 24 hours, and close at our attorney’s office or with a remote online notary on the date you choose.
A few things can slow any sale down, cash or not: a title problem, unpaid liens, a probate that has not been opened yet, or a contract you already signed with another buyer. None of them stop a sale, but each one adds time. Tell your buyer about them on the first call so the timeline is honest.
The Benefits of Selling Quickly
Speed is worth money when a house is costing you money to hold. Every month you own it, you keep paying the mortgage, taxes, insurance and utilities. A vacant house can also pick up problems nobody notices for weeks, such as a leak or a break-in.
- Certainty. A closing date you can plan a move around.
- No repair spending. You do not put money into a house you are leaving.
- No showings. No keeping the house spotless or leaving every evening.
- One less thing. Often the real benefit, when the sale is part of a divorce, an inheritance or a move.
The cost is price. Weigh what you save in holding costs, repairs and commission against the lower offer, and look at what you would actually net each way.
What We See in the Field
Three recent purchases show how fast a cash sale really goes, and what slows it down:
- Great Neck, Virginia Beach. The seller was stuck in a contract with a wholesaler who could not close. Once she was out of it, we closed so she could move. The house needed structural work and a full refresh.
- Redmill, Virginia Beach. Five sisters inherited a house that was already in foreclosure. Getting all five to agree took some time, and we still closed in time.
- Portsmouth. Another seller had signed with a wholesaler who could not close. Most of the time went on getting out of that contract. The house needed a full refresh and a second bathroom.
The pattern is the same each time. The house itself never slowed the sale down. Contracts with other buyers, and family members who all need to agree, did. If you are talking to more than one buyer, read before you sign anything, and ask whether the company is buying the house itself or assigning the contract to someone else.
Common Questions About Selling Your House Fast
What is the fastest way to sell my house?
Selling to a local cash buyer is the fastest way. It usually takes 10 to 14 days from accepting the offer to closing, with no repairs or showings.
How long does it take to sell a house with an agent?
It is the time on the market plus the buyer’s loan closing. Purchase loans took about 37 days to close on average in early 2026, so two months or more is a realistic plan.
Do cash buyers pay less?
Yes. A cash buyer pays for the repairs and takes the resale risk, so the offer is below market value. Ours usually lands between 70% and 80% of what the house would be worth after the work is done.
Can I sell my house fast without making repairs?
Yes. A cash buyer buys the house as it sits. If you list instead, you can still sell as-is, but expect a lower price and fewer buyers.
Who pays closing costs in a fast cash sale?
It depends on the buyer. We pay all of the closing costs. Anything already owed on the house, such as a mortgage or liens, is paid off from your proceeds at closing, the same as in any sale.
Sell Your House Fast for Cash in Hampton Roads
If you need to sell your house fast in Hampton Roads, tell us about the house and we will come walk it. You get a written cash offer within 24 hours, and if listing would get you more, we will say so. We buy in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News and Suffolk.