cashbuyerrated

How we rate cash home buyers

CashBuyerRated helps homeowners check a cash buyer before signing a contract. We publish sourced public facts about each company, and publish reviews only from sellers who prove they dealt with the company. Companies cannot pay to change their reviews, their score, or their ranking.

How is the CashBuyerRated Score calculated?

It's a 0 to 100 score built from Google reputation (45 points), review volume (15), recent activity (15), responsiveness to reviews (10), years online (7), and transparency (8). Verified seller reviews appear on each profile; they will be added to the score once enough are in.

Can companies pay to change their score or reviews?

No. Companies can't pay to remove, hide, or reorder reviews, or to change their score or ranking.

Where does CashBuyerRated get its data?

Google Maps ratings, review dates and owner replies; public domain registries; the California real estate regulator for California companies; and each company's own website, with claims labeled as claims.

How are seller reviews verified?

A review is verified when the seller privately shares their purchase agreement or closing statement with us. Those documents are never published.

Verified. Not for sale.

  • Companies can't pay to remove, hide, or reorder reviews. If we offer paid features, they will be tools and seller requests, never better reviews or scores.
  • A review is removed only if it breaks a published rule, for example it isn't from a verified sale, or it contains threats or personal information. Never for being negative.
  • Once reviews are live, we'll publish a monthly count of removed reviews and the reason for each.
  • Companies will be able to respond publicly to reviews once company responses launch.

What verified seller reviews measure

Every review answers the questions sellers care about most with cash buyers:

  • Offer held at closing: did the price stay the same, or was it cut after inspection?
  • Closed on time: did they close on the date they promised?
  • Clear about who's buying: did they say upfront if they planned to assign the contract to another investor?
  • Communication: did they keep the seller informed?

A review is marked verified when the seller privately shares their purchase agreement or closing statement with us. Those documents are never published.

The CashBuyerRated Score

A score from 0 to 100. Until a company has verified seller reviews, it's calculated from public data only and labeled preliminary. Companies need at least 5 Google reviews to get a score; others show “Not enough data”, which is not a negative rating.

  1. Reputation

    45 pts

    The Google star rating, weighted so recent reviews and a long track record both count.

    • When a company has 3+ reviews in the last 12 months, those recent reviews count for 40%, so a recent slide in quality shows up.
    • Small review counts are pulled toward 4.0, so a handful of perfect reviews can't outrank a long track record.
    • Trend: when both the last 12 months and the 12 months before have 5+ reviews, a drop of 0.3★ or more subtracts 3 points and a rise of 0.2★ or more adds 2.
    • Yelp check: with 5+ Yelp reviews and a Yelp rating a full star or more below Google, 3 points are subtracted.

  2. Review volume

    15 pts

    How many Google reviews the company has. Full marks at 200+.

    • Reviews posted in unusually busy weeks for that company count at half weight.

  3. Recent activity

    15 pts

    New Google reviews in the last 12 months (full marks at 24+) and how recently the last one arrived.

    • So buyers who may have stopped buying don't coast on old reviews.

  4. Responsiveness

    10 pts

    How often the company replies to its Google reviews.

    • Replies to 1–2 star reviews count the most.

  5. Years online

    7 pts

    1.5 points per year since the website was first registered or the oldest Google review we collected, whichever is earlier.

    • Franchise locations don't get credit for the national brand's website age.

  6. Transparency

    8 pts

    2 points each for a working website, a phone number, a public address, and a Google listing claimed by the business.

    • Minus 4 when a company has 3+ Google listings and 60% or more of them have no reviews.
    • Minus 2 when other brand names use the same phone number.
    • A shared street address alone isn't penalized, since it's often an office building.

Confidence shows how much data is behind a score: High (50+ Google reviews and 5+ in the last year), Medium (15+), or Low (5–14).

Adjustments never accuse a company of anything. A busy week of reviews can have innocent causes, so those reviews count less rather than being removed.

Where our facts come from

  • Google Maps: ratings, review counts, review dates, owner replies, locations. We show totals and link to Google; we don't copy review text.
  • Public domain registries: when a company's website was first registered.
  • The California Department of Real Estate (California metros only, for now): license status, when an exact name match exists. We never label a company unlicensed; many cash buyers legally don't need a license.
  • The company's own website: claims like “close in 7 days” or “we buy as-is”, always labeled as the company's claims, not verified facts.

Every fact shows its source and the date we checked it. Company data was collected in September 2026 and will be refreshed on a regular schedule.

Corrections

If a fact about a company is wrong or out of date, use the Request a correction link on its profile. Include a source if you can. We review every request, usually within 2 business days, fix verified errors quickly, and note the date of the change. Accurate information isn't removed because a company dislikes it; companies can claim their profile, and will be able to respond publicly once company responses launch.