Our Three-Step Direct Buyer Process
How Merit Closings Buys Florida Houses
From our first call to the closing table — we work with Florida homeowners who want to skip repairs, open houses, agent commissions, and long closing timelines.
Our Process Explained
Merit Closings 3-Step Process for Selling Your Home
Day 1
Get In Touch
Submit your address, basic property details, and preferred timeline. Conversation takes 10-20 minutes.
Day 1-3
Receive Cash Offer
Free written offer in hand within one business day. If accepted, price does not change throughout closing process.
Day 7-14
Close & Get Paid
Transaction handled through a Florida title company. Net proceeds wired to your account the same day.
Step 1: How the Conversation Starts
The first step isn't a sale, it's a conversation. Most homeowners reach out by phone, text, or by submitting their property address through the form on our site. Merit Closings usually calls back the same day to talk through the house, your timeline, and anything you want to know before going further. The conversation typically takes ten to twenty minutes and is designed to be informational. There's nothing to sign, no commitment, and no obligation to move forward at any point.
To build an initial cash offer, we need three things: the property address, basic condition information, and your preferred timeline for closing. The visual below shows what to have ready before the first call.
Property address
A single street address. No need for unit numbers, parcel IDs, or legal descriptions yet.
Basic condition info
Roof age, HVAC, plumbing, electrical — anything you already know. Photos help but aren't required.
Your preferred timeline
Whether you want to close in 7 days, 60 days, or somewhere in between. Your closing date drives ours.
Some sellers prefer to handle Step 1 entirely by email or text. That works. Others want a single phone call and a written summary. That works too. The conversation is structured around how you want to engage. By the end of Step 1, you'll know what (if anything) we still need to provide a real cash offer and roughly when you can expect it. If you're ready to start the conversation now, submit your property address through our short form.
Step 2: How Merit Calculates Your Strongest Cash Offer
Once we have your address and basic condition information, our underwriters build the offer. For most properties, that takes a few hours to one business day. We don't need a walkthrough to issue the initial offer — comparable sales data and the condition you describe is usually enough. The offer comes back via email or text with a written breakdown, not a verbal-only number you'd have to recall later. If you'd prefer an in-person walkthrough before we issue the offer, that's available — but it's optional, not required.
ARV
After-Repair Value. What your home would sell for fully renovated.
Repair cost
Verified work the property needs.
Merit overhead
Holding and transaction costs.
Cash offer
Your written cash offer.
The number we send on day one is the number that you receive at closing — some cash buyers issue a soft, attractive offer to lock the contract and then knock it down throughout the process. The honest tradeoff is that a Merit cash offer typically lands below the highest possible retail listing price — but allows you to trade unnecessary market risk for speed, certainty, and zero seller-side closing costs. When weighing multiple offers, the true amount that you should be focused on is the net proceeds that you will receive after commissions, closing costs, and months of carrying costs. Get your strongest cash offer now.
Step 3: What Happens After You Accept the Offer?
If the offer fits, we prepare a standard Florida FAR/BAR contract for your review — the same residential purchase contract a real estate attorney or agent would use. There's no financing contingency because we're paying cash, and the inspection contingency can be waived if you'd like to remove that variable. At signing, we deposit earnest money in escrow at the title company, signaling our commitment and protecting you if we were to back out for any reason outside the contract terms.
Day 0
Sign contract
Earnest money goes into title-company escrow. Contract terms locked.
Days 1-7
Title work in motion
Title search runs. Lienholders contacted for payoff letters. Closing scheduled.
Days 7-14
Closing & funds wired
Sign the deed and settlement docs. Title company wires net proceeds.
Closing day itself is straightforward. You sign a small stack of documents — the deed, the settlement statement, and a few standard disclosures. If you're out of state, our title company supports remote closings via mobile notary or Remote Online Notarization. Once the documents are recorded, the title company wires your net proceeds (or issues a cashier's check if you prefer). Mortgage payoffs, recorded liens, and back property taxes are deducted automatically from the gross proceeds — they're not out-of-pocket costs. The remaining balance is yours. If you're ready to begin the process, request your cash offer here and we'll handle the rest.
The Florida Title Company Closing Process Explained
Who handles the legal paperwork, money movement, and title verification.
Every Merit Closings Home Buyer cash sale closes through an established Florida title company. Florida is what's called a title-state closing environment, which means every residential property transfer must be processed through a licensed title company that verifies legal ownership, clears outstanding claims against the property, and records the new deed with the county. The title company runs the title search, coordinates payoff letters with any existing lienholders (mortgage, recorded liens, back property taxes, HOA dues), prepares the deed and settlement statement, issues the owner's title insurance policy, and disburses your net proceeds at closing.
Title verification
Title search runs. Clean ownership confirmed. Liens and encumbrances identified.
Payoff & escrow
Earnest money held in escrow. Payoff letters coordinated with each lienholder. Settlement documents prepared.
Funds disbursement
Deed recorded with the county. Net proceeds wired (or cashier's check) to the seller the same day.
Because we know the closing-side mechanics in detail, we work alongside the title company throughout the file — chasing payoff letters that haven't arrived, coordinating notary scheduling, anticipating where complicated files (probate, multi-heir estates, code-enforcement liens) typically slow down. We're invested in keeping the transaction moving on its intended closing timeline.
If you're out of state or unable to travel for closing, our title company supports remote signing through three paths: a mobile notary who comes to you, document delivery via FedEx with a notary at your destination, or Remote Online Notarization (RON) where state law permits. Once the deed is recorded with the county, your net proceeds are wired — typically same-day. If you'd like to start the process, request your cash offer here.
The benefits of a cash sale
What a Cash Sale Removes from the Traditional Process
Both the line items and the deal-breakers a traditional sale carries.
There are two main factors associated with a traditional retail home sale that most sellers aren't fully prepared for. The first is cost — agent commissions, closing costs, and prep expenses all quietly add up to about 9% of the total sales price. All subtracted out from what the seller ends up receiving. The second is contingency — financing, appraisal, inspection, and insurance requirements. Any one of which can collapse a deal weeks after the contract was signed. A direct cash sale to Merit Closings removes both.
Costs You Never Pay
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No Florida agent commissions
Average 5.57% of sale price avoided
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No seller closing costs
Doc stamp tax, owner's title insurance, and HOA estoppel covered by Merit
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No pre-listing prep costs
No 4-point inspection prep, repairs, staging, or marketing required
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No inspection or appraisal fees
No third-party assessments needed before the sale
Contingencies Removed
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No financing contingency
We use our own cash funds; no buyer lender approval needed
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No appraisal contingency
No risk of a low appraisal killing the deal mid-process
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No inspection-driven price renegotiation
Offer locked from day one through the closing table
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No insurance-binding requirement
Uninsurable Florida homes can still close with Merit
The combined effect is a closing path that's both cheaper and more certain than a traditional sale. The cash offer you accept on day one is the cash you receive at closing, and the only thing standing between the contract and the closing table is the title work — not a buyer's lender, not an inspector's punch list, not an insurance underwriter. If you'd like to see what your number looks like, request your cash offer here.
Get Your Strongest Cash Offer
If you're thinking about selling and want to explore your options, start here.
Free, no obligation. Same-day response.
How a Florida Cash Sale Compares to a Traditional Listing
If you are at this point, you are deciding between two paths for the sale of your home: a traditional listing with an agent, or working with a direct cash buyer. Each path differs on time, costs, effort, and risk — not just dollars. Here's how they compare.
How the experience compares
Traditional Listing
- Months of showings and open houses
- Pre-listing repairs required
- Stage and photograph the home
- 5-6% agent commissions
- ~3% in seller closing costs
- Wait 60-90 days for a buyer
- Inspection-driven price negotiations
- Risk of buyer financing falling through
Merit Cash Sale
- No showings, no open houses
- No repairs required
- Skip the prep entirely
- $0 in commissions
- $0 in closing costs
- Close in 7-14 days
- Offer locked from day one
- No financing or appraisal contingency
Want to compare the numbers before deciding? Read our Florida Home Seller Closing Costs 2026 guide for a line-by-line look at what sellers typically pay in a retail listing.
Earnest Money Deposit Explained
How Earnest Money Works in a Florida Cash Sale
Earnest money is the deposit a buyer puts down at contract signing to show commitment to the deal. In a Florida cash sale with Merit Closings, the amount is typically a few thousand dollars and is held in escrow at the title company, not by Merit. The deposit makes the contract binding and gets credited toward the purchase price at closing.
Day 0
Earnest money posted
Typically $1,000-$5,000 per the contract terms.
Days 1-14
Held in title company escrow
Not held by Merit; protected by a third-party escrow account.
At Closing
Credited to purchase price
Released per contract terms; returned to buyer if Merit defaults outside the contract.
In a cash sale with Merit, the deposit isn't at risk from a buyer's financing falling through — Merit closes with our own funds. If you'd like to see what your offer looks like, request your cash offer here.
Florida Counties We Serve | Where We Buy Houses
Merit Closings Home Buyers provides Florida homeowners with strong market-value cash offers for their homes across ten Florida counties throughout Central Florida and the Gulf Coast.
Merit serves: Hillsborough, Orange, Pasco, Polk, Pinellas, Sarasota, Seminole, Hernando, Hardee, Manatee
Major cities served: Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Brandon, Lakeland, Winter Haven, Orlando, Sanford, Sarasota, Bradenton, New Port Richey, Wesley Chapel, Spring Hill, Wauchula
Frequently Asked Process Questions
How long does it take to get an offer?
Am I obligated to accept the offer?
Do I need to clean or repair the house before you make an offer?
Who pays the closing costs?
How long until I get paid?
What if I have a mortgage, liens, or back property taxes?
What is the difference between a Florida cash home buyer and a wholesaler?
What is the difference between Merit Closings and an iBuyer?
What contingencies are removed in a Florida cash sale?
Do you need to walk through the property?
Can I close on my Florida home remotely from out of state?
What documents do I need to sell my Florida house for cash?
What happens at a Florida cash closing appointment?
Start the conversation
Request a Same Day Offer
Contact Merit Closings Home Buyers with the property address, your preferred timeline, and any condition details you already know. Our Tampa office is 4016 Henderson Blvd STE HH, Tampa, FL 33629. Call, text, or use the contact page when you are ready for an obligation-free offer.
Merit Closings does not require cleaning, repairs, showings, or upfront fees.