When we’re the wrong buyer for your house.

If your house is clean, the roof is new-ish, the kitchen and bathrooms aren’t falling apart, and you can wait 3 to 6 months to sell, list it with a regular real estate agent. You’ll net more money. Not a little more — a lot more. On a $200,000 Philly rowhome, the difference between our offer and a retail sale can be $40,000 to $60,000 in your pocket.

A good agent will list it, market it, hold open houses, take offers, and negotiate. You’ll pay about 6% in commissions. You’ll still walk away with more money than we can pay.

Our offers are cash, fast, and as-is. That speed and simplicity costs money. If you don’t need speed or simplicity — if you can wait for the right buyer and sit through showings — we’re not your best bet.

If you have the cash to fix up the house before selling, that’s usually the best play of all. A $30,000 renovation on the right Philly rowhome can add $60,000 to $80,000 to the sale price. The math can work if you have the money and the stomach for a 3-month project.

Sometimes people call us because they’re behind on the mortgage or taxes and they think selling is the only way out. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn’t.

If you want to stay, look at these options first:

• HELOC or cash-out refinance — pulls equity out without selling. Works if you have good credit and equity in the house.
• Reverse mortgage — works if you’re 62 or older. Lets you stay in the house and pull out cash.
• Loan modification — if you’re behind on the mortgage, call your lender before you call us. Many will work with you.
• Philly’s Save Your Home Philly Hotline (215-334-HOME) — free housing counselors who can walk you through options.

Sell your house to us only if you’ve thought about staying and decided selling is actually what you want.

If another wholesaler has already sent you an offer and you’ve shaken hands on it, honor it. Don’t shop their number against ours.

The wholesaler community in Philly is small. We all know each other. When sellers shop one wholesaler’s offer against another, it poisons the well. Wholesalers stop trusting sellers, offers get lower across the board, and the whole thing turns into a race to the bottom.

If the other wholesaler’s offer is real and fair, take it. If you’re worried they’re not legit, that’s a different problem — ask us about that and we’ll tell you the red flags to look for.

We’re the right call when:

• The house needs real work and you don’t want to deal with contractors.
• You need to close in 2 to 8 weeks, not 4 to 6 months.
• You inherited a house and the family doesn’t want the ongoing burden of maintenance, taxes, or insurance.
• You’re tired of being a landlord and the tenants are a headache you want gone.
• You’re going through a divorce and both parties want a clean, fast split.
• The house has code violations or back taxes you can’t clear.
• The house is vacant and you don’t want to worry about it anymore.

A lot of wholesalers will take any deal they can get. They make the offer, sign the contract, and figure it out later. If the seller is unhappy, they don’t care — the deal’s done.

We’re trying to build something different. Watson has closed 55+ houses in Philly since 2021. Most of our deals come from referrals from past sellers. That only works if those past sellers felt good about the deal and told their friends.

So if we’re the wrong buyer for you, we’ll tell you. Then maybe you’ll tell your cousin or your neighbor, and they’ll call us when the time’s right for them.