Getting texts offering cash for your house? Here is how to tell who is really behind them.

A plain Georgia checklist: who sends these messages, how to look them up for free, what to watch for in the contract, and how to report the ones that will not stop. Updated October 31, 2026.

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Compare My Options

The short answer.

Most "I want to buy your house for cash" texts come from real estate investors or from wholesalers, people who sign a contract on your house and then sell that contract to another buyer for a fee. Some are legitimate buyers. Some are not. Investors were part of 21.8 percent of Georgia single family home transactions in the first quarter of 2026 [S1], so these messages are common, and you can check any sender yourself using two free Georgia lookups: the Georgia Real Estate Commission license search [S2] and the Georgia Secretary of State business search [S3]. Before you sign anything, compare the offer with what the house would net on the open market.

Who is sending these texts?

Three kinds of senders, in our experience:

1. Investors who buy with their own cash, fix the house and resell or rent it.

2. Wholesalers, who put your house under contract and then assign that contract to an end buyer for a fee. Many never intend to close themselves.

3. Bad actors. In September 2025, WSB reported that the Georgia Attorney General had sued a metro Atlanta company that, according to the complaint, signed up at least 73 homeowners and saw at least 12 households evicted [S4]. In April 2025, Atlanta News First reported that a Georgia woman was sentenced to five years for forging deeds on at least five properties [S5].

How do I check who is behind a cash offer text?

Run these four checks before you reply with anything more than "send me your company name."

1. Ask for the full legal name of the company and the person, in writing.

2. Look up the company with the Georgia Secretary of State business search [S3], which shows when it was formed and who its registered agent is. A company formed last month, or one that is not registered at all, is a reason to slow down.

3. Look up the person with the Georgia Real Estate Commission license search [S2]. A licensee owes duties under Georgia license law; an unlicensed person who negotiates sales for others may be breaking it (see below).

4. Ask for proof of funds: a recent bank or brokerage statement, or a letter signed by the bank, showing the money in the buyer's own name [S6]. A screenshot of someone else's account is not proof.

Is wholesaling my house legal in Georgia?

Georgia's license law says that a person who negotiates the sale of someone else's property for pay, or deals in options to buy it, is acting as a broker and needs a license [S7]. Buyers can act on property they will acquire without a license, but that exemption does not cover anyone using it to avoid licensing [S8]. As of October 31, 2026, we found no Georgia law written specifically about wholesaling [S9]. General information, not legal advice.

What should I look for in the contract?

"And/or assigns" after the buyer's name. It lets the buyer hand your contract to someone else, often an end buyer who is already paying more [S10] [S11]. Ask who will actually close and for how much.

A very small earnest money deposit, and a long due diligence period that lets the buyer walk away for any reason.

Repair "discoveries" after you sign that lower the price.

Pressure to sign today, to sign at your kitchen table, or to sign anything that transfers title before closing. In Georgia, a licensed attorney must handle the closing when a home is sold [S18].

General information, not legal advice.

Is a cash offer ever the right choice?

Yes. A cash sale can make sense when the house needs work a financed buyer's lender will not allow, when time matters more than price, or when you inherited a house you do not want to manage. The point is to compare it with your other options on paper first. That is what our Compare My Options page does: where a cash offer is available for your house, we set it next to the as is listing, where investors compete for your house, and the listing after prep, so you see the net from each.

How do I stop the texts?

If you do not know the sender, do not reply or tap any links, not even to text STOP. A reply can tell the sender your number is active [S19].

Forward spam texts to 7726 (SPAM), block the number, and report them at ReportFraud.ftc.gov [S12].

Add your number to the National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov [S13].

Federal rules generally require your written consent before a business sends marketing texts to your cell phone with an autodialer [S14]. Georgia's telephone solicitation law (O.C.G.A. 46-5-27) lets people sue a business that breaks it more than once in 12 months, though it is not settled whether that law covers texts [S15].

Sign up for the free Filing Activity Notification System from the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, which emails you when a document is filed under your name, so you hear early if someone records a deed on your house [S16].

General information, not legal advice.

FAQ

Are "we buy houses" companies legit?

Some are. Check the company with the Secretary of State [S3], the person with the Georgia Real Estate Commission [S2], and ask for proof of funds [S6] before you sign.

How do they get my number?

Usually from public property records matched to phone numbers by data companies, which is called skip tracing [S20].

Why is the cash offer so much lower than my home value?

An investor's offer leaves room for repairs, holding costs and profit, and a wholesaler adds a fee on top [S10]. Compare the offer with your likely net from a listing before you decide.

Can I back out after I sign?

That depends on the contract, especially the due diligence period and who it protects. Read it with a licensed agent or a closing attorney before you sign.

Who do I report a scam to in Georgia?

The Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division [S17], the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov [S12], and the Georgia Real Estate Commission if a licensee is involved [S2].