Sale-Leaseback Companies in Florida: How They Work and What They Cost You
3 min read · Last updated 2026-08-03 · Reviewed by Camilo Palacio, Licensed Florida Real Estate Professional (License #3280644, REALTOR®)
A sale-leaseback company buys your Florida house for cash, then rents it back to you as a tenant, often at 110% to 125% of local market rent. Cash Flow Deals works differently: it connects your house to a real FHA or conventional buyer and locks your net price before repairs get scoped, so you leave with a clean sale, not a lease.
| Factor | Traditional Listing | Cash Flow Deals |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline | Typically weeks to months on the market before going under contract, then a 30 to 45 day closing once under contract. | Net price locked upfront, then closing follows the buyer's own FHA or conventional loan timeline, typically 30 to 45 days. |
| Repairs | Seller pays for repairs or gives buyer credits after inspection, which can renegotiate the price down mid-contract. | Net price locked before repairs are scoped, with one narrow exception for undisclosed structural issues. |
| Fees / Costs | Commission is negotiable following the 2024 NAR Sitzer/Burnett settlement, effective August 17, 2024, plus seller-paid closing costs. | Paid as a separate line item on the closing statement, arranged through Cash Flow Deals' licensed brokerage partner, Silver Door Realty, not a markup on price. |
What a Sale-Leaseback Company Actually Buys
A sale-leaseback company buys a house outright, at a price that typically runs 70% to 85% of market value, and signs a lease at the same closing so the seller can keep living there as a renter. Truehold is one named example of this model, with a public track record on the Better Business Bureau and on consumer review sites that any seller can look up directly before signing anything. There is no automatic buy-back option in most of these agreements, which means the former owner gives up any future appreciation on the house the day the sale closes. Property taxes, insurance, and major maintenance typically shift to the new owner, but the rent the former owner now pays is set by that same new owner, not by the open rental market.
The FTC Flagged Real Risks in October 2024
The Federal Trade Commission published a consumer alert in October 2024 titled 'Risky business: offers to cash out your home equity through a sale-leaseback,' warning that these deals are often written in complicated contracts with hidden fees and rent that can climb past what a homeowner can afford. The FTC's warning lines up with reporting on the model generally: rent after a sale-leaseback commonly runs 110% to 125% of nearby market rates, and because the seller no longer owns the property, there is no equity cushion left if that rent becomes unaffordable. Losing the home to eviction after already selling it is the risk the FTC specifically called out, not a hypothetical.
What Cash Flow Deals Actually Is
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. Cash Flow Deals does not buy the house and does not become anyone's landlord. Instead, the property transfers one time, directly from the seller to a real FHA or conventional buyer, and that buyer's own lender funds the purchase.
Cash Flow Deals' Process
1. Request your net-price walkthrough with Cash Flow Deals. 2. Cash Flow Deals locks a net price for the house before any repairs are scoped, using its licensed brokerage partner Silver Door Realty. 3. Cash Flow Deals matches the property to a real FHA or conventional buyer whose own lender funds the purchase. 4. Title transfers once, directly from seller to buyer, and Cash Flow Deals is paid as a line item on the closing statement, not a markup on the price.
Repairs After You Sign
A locked net price only holds if the number doesn't move once repairs get scoped, and that is the whole point of the arrangement. 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.
Why Sellers Search for Reviews Before Signing Anything
Searches for terms like 'Truehold Reviews and Legitimacy' run around 4,243 times a month, which tells you how many homeowners want to know a deal is real before they hand over their house. That instinct is correct. A sale-leaseback contract changes who owns the property and sets a rent number that isn't tied to the local rental market, so reading the lease terms line by line matters more than the speed of the offer. The same instinct applies to any company offering to buy a house directly, Cash Flow Deals included, and a seller should always confirm exactly what they're signing and who holds title after closing.
Common questions
Is a company like Truehold a legitimate way to sell my house?
The business model itself is real, and Truehold specifically has a public Better Business Bureau profile and consumer reviews a seller can check directly. Legitimate does not mean risk-free: the FTC's October 2024 consumer alert flagged rent that can run 110% to 125% of market rate and contracts with no equity cushion if that rent becomes unaffordable.
Do I get my house back after a sale-leaseback?
Most sale-leaseback agreements, including Truehold's, do not include an automatic buy-back option. Once the sale closes, the company owns the property and the former owner has no built-in path back to ownership.
How is Cash Flow Deals different from a sale-leaseback company?
Cash Flow Deals does not buy the house or become a landlord. It connects the property to a real FHA or conventional buyer, locks the seller's net price before repairs are scoped, and title transfers once, directly from seller to buyer.
What happens to my mortgage if I sign with a sale-leaseback company?
How the existing mortgage gets paid off and how the new lease interacts with that payoff varies by contract and by lender. Confirm the exact mechanics with a licensed Florida real estate attorney before signing anything.