{"id":970235,"date":"2026-10-01T08:21:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T12:21:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/blog\/?p=970235"},"modified":"2026-10-01T08:21:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T12:21:06","slug":"cash-offers-customer-story-michael-was-under-contract-in-7-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/blog\/cash-offers-customer-story-michael-was-under-contract-in-7-days\/","title":{"rendered":"Under Contract in 7 Days: How Michael W. Sold his Home for $500,000"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Selling a home often comes down to finding the right buyer at the right time. For Michael W., the home he was selling was not exactly a standard property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His 1958 home in Kent, Washington, sat on a 10,029-square foot corner lot. It had a detached steel garage and shop with a wood stove, RV parking, multiple covered parking spaces, and an attached sunroom. It had character, but those features also made the property designed to fit a certain kind of buyer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael listed the home for $499,999 on April 27, 2026. Seven days later, he accepted an offer for $500,000 and went under contract. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was faster than the typical pace in Kent. Homes in the city were going pending in about 49 days around that time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seven-day contract was just the headline though. What happened afterwards tells the whole story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Home With More Than the Basics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Michael’s property was decidedly not a starter home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fully fenced corner lot included an attached carport, a detached garage, additional covered parking, and RV parking. The steel-built garage and shop were wired for power tools and had its own wood stove. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The outside was even more beautiful. The yard had mature roses and hydrangeas, blueberry bushes, raspberries, and a space for entertaining. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The property sold for $500,000 or $446 per square foot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That combination of land, parking, and outbuildings gave the home a distinct appeal. It also meant that the right buyer had to value those features. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael’s Sale At a Glance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sale Detail<\/th>Michael’s Transaction<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
List Price<\/strong><\/td>$499,999<\/td><\/tr>
Accepted Offer<\/strong><\/td>$500,000<\/td><\/tr>
Time to Contract<\/strong><\/td>7 days<\/td><\/tr>
Contract to Closing<\/strong><\/td>25 days<\/td><\/tr>
Closing Date<\/strong><\/td>May 29, 2026<\/td><\/tr>
Payment Received<\/strong><\/td>June 15, 2026<\/td><\/tr>
Sale Price\/sq.ft. <\/strong><\/td>$446<\/td><\/tr>
Buyer Agent Commission<\/strong><\/td>3% = $15,000<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two Paths to Reach a Buyer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Michael’s home went through Houzeo Cash Offers<\/a>, which meant it was exposed to Houzeo’s vetted cash buyer network as well as buyers on the open market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That meant, the property was in front of two avenues for finding a buyer instead of just relying on only one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kent market was active too. About 43.08% of Kent homes closed above the list price, while the median sale-to-list ratio was 100.42% around the time of Michael’s sale. Still, market activity did guarantee a quick contract. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael listed on April 27. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By May 4, he had an accepted $500,000 offer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had gone from listing to contract in 7 days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Numbers Behind the Sale<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Michael’s accepted offer was essentially at his asking price. He listed at $499,999 and accepted $500,000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Houzeo’s Home Worth calculator estimated the property at approximately $534,539. That puts the accepted offer about $34,539 below the estimate, or roughly 6.5%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, a calculator estimate is not an appraisal. And the property’s 1958 construction, large lot, shop, RV parking, and other features makes the comparison with Kent’s overall housing market imperfect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For context, Kent’s median home price was at $685,000 in April 2026. The home’s age, lot size, shop, RV parking, and other features make the property difficult to compare with a citywide median. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more relevant question is what Michael chose to prioritize on the transaction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Contract to Closing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once Michael accepted the offer, the sale followed a defined timeline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He went under contract on May 4. The transaction reached to an end 25 days later, on May 29. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process, however, did not end there. The property was closed and awaiting payment until June 8. Michael closed the property and got paid on June 15. He finally received the sale proceeds that day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From listing to contract, the process took seven days. From contract to closing, it took 25 days. From closing to receiving his payment, another 17 days passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In total, Michael’s journey from listing to receiving his proceeds spanned 49 days<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seven-day contract was fast. The rest of the timeline shows that getting a buyer and completing a sale are two different parts of the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Did Michael Trade for That Timeline?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Michael sold a 1958 home on a 10,029-square-foot lot for $500,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He did not sell above his asking price. He also did not wait for months to find a buyer. Instead, the home went under contract within a week, while Houzeo Cash Offers gave it exposure to both its cash buyer network and the open market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The buyer-agent commission was 3%<\/strong>, which would equal $15,000<\/strong> on a $500,000 sale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Michael, the transaction came together quickly at the front end and moved through the remaining stages on a defined schedule. The numbers give a clear picture of the journey: s<\/strong>even days to contract, 25 days from contract to closing, and 17 more days to payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael’s story comes down to a clear sequence: a distinctive Kent property went on the market, received an offer within 7 days, reached closing 25 days later, and the money was in Michael’s pockets by June 15. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helpful Resources<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n