A we buy houses scam in Columbus can start with a letter, text, or roadside sign, but the biggest financial risk usually shows up in the purchase contract. Watch for a buyer who won’t put earnest money with a title company. Watch for a contract that lets them assign your house to someone else, and a price that drops after you sign. Since March 2, 2026, Ohio law also requires wholesalers to hand you a signed disclosure before any purchase contract.
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If somebody wants to pay cash for your house, you probably want to know whether it’s a we buy houses scam before you call back.
My name’s Marc Van Steyn. I’ve held an Ohio real estate license since 2004 and I’ve been part of more than 250 transactions. I own EasySell Cash Homebuyers, so I send some of those letters myself. I’ve also dealt with sellers who got similar offers from people who never intended to buy the house. I’ve seen what happens when a seller signs without understanding the buyer’s right to cancel or assign.
Are We Buy Houses Scams Common in Columbus?
There’s no reliable count of how many cash home buying scams happen in Columbus. What I see more often are contracts that give the buyer too much control and leave the homeowner with little protection if the deal falls apart. Plenty of the companies behind the signs aren’t buyers at all. They’re wholesalers. A wholesaler puts your house under contract, then sells that contract to an investor for a fee. That’s legal in Ohio. It just isn’t what most sellers think they’re agreeing to.
Columbus has noticed. In December 2024 the city passed Ordinance 3505-2024, which requires residential property wholesalers to register under Chapter 4518 of the city code. In 2025 it approved software to run that registry. ABC6 also reported that elderly homeowners on the Hilltop said anonymous code complaints were called in on their homes after they turned down offers to sell. The Legal Aid Society of Columbus told homeowners in that spot to call (614) 224-8374.
Who Sends We Buy Houses Letters, Signs, and Texts?
Direct buyers, wholesalers, and lead generators all use the same mailers. A direct buyer purchases the house with their own money and takes title in their own name. A wholesaler contracts to buy a property and then assigns that contract to another buyer for a fee. A lead generator never buys anything. They collect your address and phone number and sell them to investors.
You can’t tell which one you’re dealing with from the postcard. A local phone number doesn’t tell you whether the company actually buys houses. Ask who will take title at closing and whether the contract can be assigned.
Before you call any of them, read my 8 tips to know before selling your house for cash.
What Does a We Buy Houses Scam Look Like After You Sign?
It usually looks like a normal purchase contract with a few lines that favor the buyer. Those lines are where you lose money, time, or both.
Your Contract Gets Sold to Another Investor
Check whether the contract lets the buyer assign their interest to someone else. You may see “and/or assigns” after the buyer’s name, but assignment language can show up elsewhere in the agreement. Read the whole clause before you sign. If that new buyer backs out, your house sat off the market for weeks for nothing. Our guide to the assignment of contract clause in Ohio walks through the exact language, and this post explains how to tell if your Columbus cash buyer is a wholesaler.
Sellers call me after this happens all the time. They agreed on a price with someone they thought was a cash buyer. Later they found out it was a wholesaler who planned to assign the contract. When no investor would pay the wholesaler’s markup, the wholesaler used the inspection period to back out. The seller lost weeks and had to start over.
The Price Drops After the Walkthrough
This is the classic bait and switch. A wholesaler offers a strong number to get the contract signed. If they can’t sell that contract to an investor at a profit, they go back to the homeowner and ask for a lower price. Meanwhile, your house has been off the market and you may have turned away other buyers. Read how the we buy houses bait and switch works and whether a cash buyer can lower their offer after you sign.
The Earnest Money Is Tiny or Never Shows Up
Wholesalers don’t like earnest money. Many tell homeowners it isn’t necessary, and Ohio law doesn’t require it. Any serious buyer puts down a substantial deposit anyway. With little or no earnest money, the buyer has nothing to lose by walking away. A larger deposit works differently. Once it’s in, a buyer who cancels can’t simply take it back. Under Ohio Revised Code 4735.24, a broker can’t release earnest money unless the deal closes, both buyer and seller sign written instructions, or a court orders it. That statute covers brokers. When a title company holds the deposit, the escrow agreement controls, and in my experience it still doesn’t go back to the buyer without a release signed by the seller. Earnest money belongs with a title company, and you should call that title company yourself to confirm it arrived. On a typical retail sale, earnest money runs half a percent to 1 percent of the price.
The Pressure Turns Into Harassment
Daily calls. Offers that “expire tonight.” A new letter every week. Homeowners have told me about wholesalers pushing them to sign a contract over the phone, before anyone had even seen the house. Some Columbus homeowners have reported code complaints showing up after they said no. If the calls keep coming after you’ve told them to stop, keep a record of every contact. If you’re already dealing with the city, read about selling a house with code violations in Columbus.
The Wholesaler Puts a Claim on Your Property
Once you sign, many wholesalers record a memorandum of the purchase contract, or another document claiming an interest in your property, with the county recorder. It works a lot like a lien, and it shows up in the title search. If you try to back out and sell to someone else, the title company will usually require that claim to be resolved before closing, even if you believe the original buyer broke the contract. Homeowners have told me wholesalers demanded money before they’d release it. Talk to a real estate attorney before you agree to pay anything. Before you sign, ask the buyer whether they plan to record anything against your house.
What Does Ohio’s 2026 Wholesaler Law Require?
Since March 2, 2026, Ohio Revised Code 5301.95 requires a wholesaler to give you a separate written disclosure before you sign a purchase contract. Both of you sign and date it, and it has to be printed in bold type at least 12 points in size. The form says the person is a wholesaler, doesn’t represent you, and may assign the contract to a third party for a profit. It also warns that the price may be below market value and that you’re entitled to seek legal advice.
If a wholesaler buying your house skips that disclosure, you can cancel any time before the close of escrow without penalty. The escrow or closing agent then has to pay you the wholesaler’s earnest money within 30 days. The statute treats a missing disclosure as an unfair or deceptive practice, which opens the door to enforcement under Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act.
If someone hands you that form, you’re talking to a wholesaler. That’s legal. The disclosure tells you the buyer intends to profit by assigning the contract. Before you sign, ask what happens if they can’t find another investor before the closing date.
How Do You Check a Cash Buyer Before You Sign?
Start with the exact company name on the purchase contract. Look it up on the Ohio Secretary of State business search and confirm its legal name, registration status, and statutory agent. Registration confirms the business is on file with the state. It doesn’t tell you whether the company has the money or experience to close on your house. Then search that name on the Franklin County Auditor website. A direct buyer shows up as the owner of houses they’ve bought. A wholesaler usually doesn’t.
Ask for proof of funds, and make sure the buyer can explain where the purchase money is coming from. If another company or a lender holds the funds, ask for paperwork showing that money is set aside for your sale. Ask which title company holds the earnest money, then call that title company yourself. If the buyer says they’re licensed, look them up with the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing.
Last, have an Ohio real estate attorney review the contract before you sign. If you need more time, ask for an attorney review provision in the agreement. I’m a licensed Realtor, not an attorney, and I tell every seller to get that review. For more detail, see how to verify a Columbus cash buyer, the four contract clauses Ohio sellers must check, and how to find a BBB accredited cash home buyer in Columbus.
How Far Below Market Should a Cash Offer Be?
There’s no standard discount for a cash offer in Columbus. A house that needs $80,000 in repairs gets priced differently than one that needs paint and carpet. A cash buyer starts with what the home would sell for after repairs, then subtracts repair costs, selling costs, and profit. Our how it works page shows that math with actual numbers. The comparison that matters for you is what you’d net from a cash sale against what you’d net listing the house in its current condition.
Ask how the buyer arrived at the offer. You should see their estimated repair costs and what they expect the house to sell for after renovation.
Every seller who calls me gets two options, a cash offer and my plan for listing the house, with the pros and cons of each. On roughly 1 in 20 calls, I tell the homeowner that listing will put more money in their pocket.
How Does EasySell Cash Homebuyers Buy a House?
We buy with our own money and close in our own name. We don’t wholesale and we don’t assign contracts.
Every purchase runs on the Columbus REALTORS purchase contract through my RE/MAX brokerage. EasySell Cash Homebuyers isn’t a brokerage, but I’ve been a licensed Ohio agent since 2004. I use that contract because it clearly covers earnest money, inspections, closing, and default. We put $10,000 in earnest money with a well known local Columbus title company. The fastest we close is 10 days. We pay the closing costs except property taxes. We don’t come back after the contract is signed and ask you to lower the price.
EasySell Cash Homebuyers holds a BBB A+ rating. The former national president of the BBB is a longtime real estate client of mine and trusts me with his own property. You can read what other sellers say on our reviews page or learn more about Marc and EasySell Cash Homebuyers.
Should You Call the Number on That Sign?
Sure. A phone call costs nothing. Just don’t sign anything the same day. Ask whose name goes on the deed. Ask where the earnest money sits. Ask for the wholesaler disclosure if it applies, and run the contract by an attorney.
If you’d like to compare a cash offer against what a listing would net you, call me at 614-969-0624 or stop by our office at 1560 Fishinger Road, Suite 150. You’ll get both numbers, and I’ll tell you which one I’d take. You can also start with a no obligation offer from a cash home buyer in Columbus Ohio who closes in his own name.
Questions Columbus Sellers Ask About a We Buy Houses Scam
How long does a cash home sale take in Columbus?
Ten days is the fastest EasySell Cash Homebuyers closes, and most sellers pick a later date. Title work takes time. A three day close is possible in the right circumstances, but ask whether the title work is done and how the buyer plans to hit that date. See our full cash home sale timeline for Columbus.
Do I have to clean out the house before a cash sale?
Not with us. Take what you want and leave the rest. Whoever you sell to, get that in the contract so it can’t turn into a deduction at closing.
Can a cash buyer lower the price after I sign?
A cash buyer can ask you to lower the price after you sign, but you don’t have to agree. Some contracts let the buyer cancel during an inspection or due diligence period. Read those clauses before you sign, because they decide how much leverage the buyer has once you’re under contract. EasySell Cash Homebuyers doesn’t renegotiate once the contract is signed.
Can I cancel a contract with a wholesaler in Ohio?
If the wholesaler never gave you the signed disclosure required under ORC 5301.95, yes, any time before closing. If they did, your rights depend on the contract itself. Talk to an attorney before you try to walk away.
Is wholesaling illegal in Ohio?
No. Wholesaling is legal in Ohio as long as the wholesaler makes the required disclosure. Ask how long the wholesaler has to close and what happens if they never find another buyer.
Can a wholesaler put a lien on my house?
A wholesaler may record a memorandum of contract or another document claiming an interest in your property. It isn’t automatically a lien, but a title company will usually require it to be resolved before anyone else can close on the house. Some wholesalers want to be paid first. If that’s happened to you, talk to an attorney before you sign anything else.
