How to Vet a Company That Buys Houses Before You Sign Anything
3 min read · Last updated 2026-08-03 · Reviewed by Camilo Palacio, Licensed Florida Real Estate Professional (License #3280644, REALTOR®)
Vetting a home-buying company takes fifteen minutes: check if any agent or brokerage involved is actually licensed, look up the business's real history, and get the net price and fee in writing before you sign. Cash Flow Deals is one option that names its licensed brokerage partner, Silver Door Realty, up front, so that check takes you two minutes instead of guesswork.
| Factor | Traditional Listing | Cash Flow Deals |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline | Timeline runs on your local market and condition, plus typically another 30-45 days to close, with a licensed agent required by law to represent you. | Net price and closing date go in writing up front; confirming the arranging brokerage's license at MyFloridaLicense.com takes about two minutes before you sign. |
| Repairs | A licensed agent's fiduciary duty is defined by Florida real estate law; any repair credits get documented in the listing contract. | A legitimate direct buyer locks the net price before repairs are scoped and puts that number in writing. |
| Fees / Costs | Commission is negotiable since the NAR Sitzer/Burnett settlement took effect August 17, 2024, and is disclosed in a written listing agreement. | Fee should appear as a specific line item on the closing statement, never collected upfront; ask to see it in writing before you sign. |
Start With the Florida License Lookup
Florida requires anyone acting as a real estate broker or sales associate for compensation to hold a valid, active license under Florida Statute 475.42(1)(a), and that same statute classifies operating without one as a felony of the third degree, punishable under Florida Statutes 775.082 and 775.083. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation runs a free public search at MyFloridaLicense.com where you can look up any agent, broker, or brokerage by name or license number and see the license status, issue and expiration dates, and any disciplinary history. If a company selling itself as a real estate business can't point you to a real license behind the transaction, that's a direct question worth asking before you go further, not after.
Check the Business's Real History, Not Just Its Website
A real estate business that's been operating for years has a paper trail: a business registration with the Florida Division of Corporations at Sunbiz.org, a physical address you can look up, reviews and complaints you can find independently, and past transactions people can talk about. A polished website by itself proves nothing, anyone can build one in a day. Search the company name plus a word like 'complaint' or 'review' separately from the company's own site, and ask for the address of a closed transaction you can independently confirm happened.
Get the Net Price and the Fee in Writing Before You Sign
A legitimate buyer or brokerage puts the number you'll actually receive, and how they get paid, in writing before you sign anything, not verbally on a call. Ask specifically: is the fee a percentage or a flat amount, where does it show up on the closing statement, and does the price change if repairs turn up something unexpected. A company that hedges on any of those three questions, or won't put the answer in writing, hasn't earned a signature yet.
Cash Flow Deals' Process: A Vetting Checklist Built Into How It Operates
Cash Flow Deals' Process: 1. Request your net-price walkthrough, and use that first conversation to ask directly about licensing, fee structure, and how title transfers. 2. Verify Silver Door Realty's license status yourself at MyFloridaLicense.com; the affiliated agent of record is Camilo Palacio, Florida license #3280644. 3. Cash Flow Deals locks your net price and closing date before repairs are scoped, in writing, so there's a specific number to hold anyone to. 4. Title transfers once, directly from you to a real FHA or conventional buyer, at a licensed closing, with every party's role on record. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens. Cash Flow Deals is a Florida real estate investor that locks in a net price for a seller's house before repairs are scoped, using a novation-based, flat-fee process arranged through its licensed FL brokerage partner, Silver Door Realty — not a traditional listing, and not a brokerage itself.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign Anything
Ask who holds the real estate license behind this transaction and confirm it yourself, independent of what you're told on the phone. Ask exactly how the buyer's fee is disclosed and where it appears on the closing statement. Ask what happens to the price if an inspection finds something unexpected, and get that answer in writing. Ask how title transfers and who's handling that closing. A company with nothing to hide answers all four questions without hesitation and without needing you to just trust them.
Common questions
Does a company have to be a licensed brokerage to buy my house directly?
A company can purchase real estate for itself without holding a real estate license itself, since buying property in your own name isn't the licensed activity. What requires a license is representing someone else in a transaction for compensation, such as arranging or brokering a sale, which is why the brokerage relationship behind a transaction still matters to verify.
What's the fastest way to check if a real estate license is real?
Go to MyFloridaLicense.com, search by the agent's or brokerage's name or license number, and confirm the status reads active with no unresolved disciplinary action. It's free, public, and takes about two minutes.
Should I be worried if a buyer wants to move fast?
Speed by itself isn't a warning sign, real, licensed buyers close fast all the time. The warning sign is speed paired with refusing to put terms in writing, avoiding your questions about licensing or fees, or discouraging you from having anyone else look at the paperwork.
Who is the licensed agent behind Cash Flow Deals' transactions?
Camilo Palacio, a Florida-licensed REALTOR under license #3280644, affiliated with Silver Door Realty, LLC, is the licensed agent connected to Cash Flow Deals' brokerage-arranged transactions. You can verify that license directly at MyFloridaLicense.com.