Frequently Asked Questions

Getting started

What is Sundae?

Sundae is a marketplace that connects homeowners looking to sell their dated or damaged house as-is to a large network of investors. Our marketplace has hundreds of local property investors who compete to buy your house giving you the peace of mind that you will receive the highest off-market price possible.

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What makes Sundae different?

Our goal is to make the process of selling a house in any condition easy and worry-free through a fair marketplace. With Sundae, you’ll get:

  • The latest technology to produce a detailed property profile of your house (photo gallery, 3D tour, video walkthrough and floorplan).
  • Hundreds of investors viewing your property without showings.
  • A team of experts with 35+ years of local experience who have helped over 8,000 sellers get offers on their property.
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Is Sundae an iBuyer?

No. Unlike iBuyers, we specialize in properties that need repairs and advertise it to hundreds of investors so that you get competitive offers vs one offer. While most iBuyers offer the convenience of selling without an agent, they typically won’t purchase properties that need a lot of work. In fact, many of our customers come to us after being rejected by an iBuyer, because their property requires too much work.

Also, most iBuyers provide an offer before seeing the house, which means the net offer to the seller almost always changes later on. Sundae won't give you an offer until our local Market Expert has viewed the house,, and we have a list of final offers from our investors.

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Where does Sundae operate?

Sundae operates in various markets across the United States. For a complete list, visit our locations page.

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Does Sundae charge any fees to sellers?

Unlike the traditional selling process, you pay zero fees and no closing costs to Sundae when you sell your house on our marketplace. A seller may be responsible for other fees such as HOA fees or paying off the remainder of their mortgage.

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How do I know I'm getting the highest possible price for my house?

We prepare your listing with all the important information an investor needs to make the best offer and advertise it to hundreds of property investors. These investors then participate in the auction and place offers on your house. The competitive auction process gives you confidence that you got the highest and best offer from every investor.

Instead of talking to one or two potential buyers, Sundae puts your property in front of hundreds of investors. We are different from the traditional way of selling a house in that we help you sell off-market in as-is condition without any showings or fees and get it in front of buyers who may not be on the MLS. We are similar to MLS in that we create competition for your house, so that you get the highest off-market price possible.

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How does Sundae make money without charging any seller fees?

We charge fees to the investor purchasing the property. This fee is collected separately from the offer presented to the homeowner. Therefore, the offer you are presented with is the offer you will receive.

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What do Sundae customers have to say about their experience?

Sundae has an average of 4.6 stars or more (out of 5) across multiple review platforms, including Yelp, BBB, Google, and Reviews.io. The feedback we see in those reviews highlights a sense of trust, the friendliness of the team, and that Sundae puts the customer’s interest first. But don’t take our word for it, check out our Reviews page and other customer stories.

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How would you define a house that needs updates or repairs?

When we say “houses that need updates or repairs,” we typically mean:

  • Houses that haven’t been remodeled in 10 or more years.
  • Houses that require substantial repairs to the structure or major systems (roof, plumbing, electrical or foundation) that aren’t fully functional.
  • Houses that contain materials that are not up to code or have been proven to be unhealthy.

These repairs may typically cost anywhere between $20,000 - $60,000 or more, depending on the condition and location. If you aren’t sure whether the property is a right fit for Sundae, you can give us a call and we can help assess the property.

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What are the benefits of selling off-market with Sundae?

Many of the homeowners we help don't want to or aren't able to get their house market-ready due to the time and cost required. Many do not want to deal with stresses that come with paying for and conducting an appraisal, doing research on local market conditions, or they aren't sure where to begin when drafting a construction budget to get their home to top of market condition. That is why sellers choose to sell off-market. Selling off-market with Sundae means no repairs, cleanings, showings or any fees paid by the seller to Sundae. You get a fair price due to the auction amongst hundreds of buyers. You can close in as little as ten days or take up to 60 days.

Some sellers may choose to sell off-market to an individual cash buyer. However, since that process doesn’t include a competitive auction based pricing like Sundae does, sellers may not always get the best price.

Read more: Selling a house as-is.

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Selling

How does the selling process work?

Step 1 - Tell us about your property

Fill out our form or speak with a Sundae local expert to find out if Sundae is a good fit for your property.

Step 2 - We’ll prepare your listing

Let us do the work. We’ll prepare your listing for auction with photos, a 3D tour and order a home inspection as needed.

Step 3 - Review your offers within days

Competition drives multiple offers and a fair price on our marketplace. We’ll present the highest offer to you.

Step 4 - Sell as-is and move at your pace

Close in as little as 10 days or within 60 days. You may also be eligible for up to a $10k cash advance.

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What terms do your offers come with?

Offers in our marketplace are non-contingent cash offers in as-is condition. When we say as-is, it really means as-is. No cleanings, repairs, or updates required. The offer is the final amount you will get, minus any mortgage and other liens you may owe on it. You don’t pay any fees or commissions to Sundae.

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Do investors generally pay cash on your marketplace?

Some of our investors pay with all-cash, while some finance their purchase. However, the financing that investors opt-in for is not a traditional mortgage, and the funds are available much faster. You can close in as little as 10 days once the offer has been accepted and signed by both parties.

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What is contained in the Property Profile that Sundae prepares for my house?

Sundae invests significant time and money into your Property Profile so that investors have all the information they need to make their highest and best offers. We typically take high quality photos, order a home inspection, a preliminary title report, a 3D tour, and a floor plan, all of which are included in your Property Profile. We also include standard real estate disclosures that each seller needs to complete before going live on the marketplace.

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Can I have a copy of the reports you prepare regarding my property?

Absolutely. We’ll send you a copy of your Property Profile where you can download any of the reports you would like.

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Does Sundae have to come visit the property in order to make an offer?

Yes, we need to visit the property once to take photos, make a 3D video tour, and create a home inspection report so that we can prepare your listing and start getting offers.

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Offers

How long does it take to get an offer?

We will provide offers four business days after a home inspection takes place and we receive your completed seller disclosures. During these four business days, property investors on our marketplace will place offers on your house. We will bring your highest non-contingent cash offers to you and you can select the final offer.

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How long do I have to consider offers?

Offers are valid for three business days and then must be accepted or rejected.

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How does Sundae estimate the range where my offers will fall?

Your local Market Expert can calculate an estimated range where your offers may come in. We start by modeling an after-repair-value for your property, then factor in the costs an investor would incur like a construction budget, holding costs, and resale costs. We also review offers on other properties on our marketplace to get an even more complete view of recent off-market sales. We will use these inputs to arrive at an expected range. Investors ultimately dictate their own offer price, which could be below or above the range we predict.

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What happens if I don’t receive any offers?

On average, our sellers receive 22+ offers when they list on our marketplace. However, in the case that your house does not receive any offers, we will continue to keep the property active on our marketplace as long as you are comfortable. This way we can reach more potential buyers that may not have been active the first time around.

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Closing

How does the closing process work when you sell through Sundae?

You have enough to handle with moving, so Sundae makes everything else easy! That means we handle the closing process with minimal need for you to get involved. Sundae will assign you one of our dedicated Closing Managers. The Closing Manager will talk you through the steps in the process and work with you to resolve any issues that arise. In most cases, all you’ll need to do is sign some paperwork. We take care of all of the details with escrow, title and the investor purchasing your property during the closing process. Read more here.

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How fast can you close?

We can close in as little as 10 days or up to 60 days.

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How can I receive the cash advance up to $10,000?

You may be eligible to receive a cash advance up to $10,000 after you have signed the purchase agreement from an investor on our marketplace.

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Can I live in the house after I sell it if I am actively looking for my next home? If yes, for how long?

One of the advantages of working with Sundae is the flexibility we offer. You can live in the house for up to 30 days after you close at no additional cost. To ensure that you leave the property at the agreed upon date, some of your profit will be released after this is confirmed. We recommend that you tell us about your situation in advance so that we can make the investors on our marketplace aware of it before they make a non-contingent offer on your house.

We want to make this as easy as we can for you. Please discuss your situation with your localMarket Expert, and they will be happy to guide you.

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Do I have to dispose of everything that is left behind and clean the property or reimburse the investor for those expenses?

No. Our investors buy the property in an as-is condition, which means no cleanings or repairs are required on the property. You are allowed to leave as much personal property as you want and will not be responsible for any expenses.

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Marketplace

How many investors are on the Sundae marketplace?

We have over 20,000 property investors across the United States.

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How is Sundae’s marketplace different from the MLS?

The MLS is best for selling a property in a market-ready condition. Sundae, on the other hand, is best for houses that need repairs and need to be sold as-is without the hassle of showings, repairs, cleanings, talking to multiple buyers, and paying agent commissions. Sundae's marketplace creates investor competition through an auction process. Instead of talking to one or two investors, Sundae puts your property in front of hundreds of investors.

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Will investors on your marketplace understand the nuances of my neighborhood and community?

Yes, we have a wide range of local investors who understand the nuances of the respective areas they typically invest in.

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Will the investors have my contact information? Will they be calling me?

No. We will not share any of your contact information with the investors on our marketplace. We will bring all the offers directly to you. If you do get contacted by an investor directly, please let your local Market Expert know. We want to protect you from low-ball offers and bait-and-switch tactics.

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Why should I use the Sundae marketplace instead of calling investors myself?

We advertise your property to a database of hundreds of local property investors. Our auction process drives up offers and gives you confidence that they got the highest and best offer from each investor. All offers via our marketplace aim to be non-contingent, meaning you’ll never have an investor lower their offer after you accept. Sundae is the only one to step foot in the property and your partner throughout the whole process. We help you avoid the predatory practices that some investors take.

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Do I have to agree to doing an investor showing?

No, Sundae is the only point of contact that will step foot on your property. However, some sellers decide to hold a brief one-time investor showing in order to drive up the offers. This is something you and your Market Expert can discuss together and decide how to proceed.

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Can I see the list of investors you’re marketing my property to?

We do not disclose the full list of the investors on our marketplace.

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I’ve already received an off-market offer from an investor. What do you recommend?

Refer them to Sundae’s marketplace! This puts them in competition with hundreds of other investors, which is a good strategy for driving up offers. Sundae will market your property to more investors than one person could contact by themselves.

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Disclaimers

Typical seller fees do not include payoff of loans, prorated/property taxes, HOA charges or payoff of other secured liens against property; At Sundae, although Sellers typically pay no commission fees, we do receive a commission from the buyer which is deducted from the gross offer; The information for MLS and/or iBuyer transactions and data are not representative of all MLS and/or iBuyer transactions, and is solely provided here as an example of how Sundae transactions may compare and contrast to a MLS and/or iBuyer transaction. Other terms, conditions, and/or fees may apply for all transaction types shown above. The information shown above is solely an estimate based on data currently available to Sundae and not, in any way, a promise of actual offer to be received from Sundae's marketplace.

While Sundae makes every effort to provide our Marketplace sellers with offers that are non-contingent, with no walk-throughs, no showings, and/or repairs, we can’t guarantee it will always happen. Sundae operates in different markets and because real estate laws and regulations differ from each state it could happen, that in some cases, offers might present different terms and conditions, and it is up to the seller to accept them.