Seller Protection
Wholesalers and Assignment Contracts
A Wholesaler
Contacted You
About Your Home.
What that really means, and what Arizona law entitles you to
Most sellers never hear the word wholesaler. They hear cash, fast, and as is. Here is what is actually being proposed, what Arizona requires the other side to disclose, and what to do before you sign anything.
Anne Sostman
What Is Actually Happening
They are not buying your home. They are buying the right to sell it.
The call, the letter, or the knock usually sounds the same. Someone is interested in your property. They can pay cash. They can close fast. They can take it as is. What often goes unsaid is that they have no intention of owning your home at all.
A wholesaler signs a purchase contract with you, then markets that contract to investors. The fee they earn is the difference between what you agreed to accept and what an investor will pay. That spread comes out of your equity, and it is the reason the first number is rarely the best number your home can command.
Arizona recognized the problem. Since 2022, A.R.S. 44-5101 has required a wholesale buyer to tell you in writing that they are a wholesale buyer before you enter any binding agreement. When that disclosure does not happen, the law gives the seller the ability to walk.
What To Do
Slow the conversation down. Nothing about a real offer requires speed.
Urgency is the tool. A deadline that expires today, a price that drops tomorrow, a form that needs signing before they leave. A legitimate buyer will still be there next week. Pressure to sign immediately is information about the person, not about your home.
Ask whether they are the end buyer or whether they will assign the contract. Ask whether they hold an Arizona real estate license and who their broker is. Ask whether they will be on the deed at closing. Write the answers down. Then get the written disclosure the statute requires before you consider signing anything.
Common Questions
Questions Sellers Ask Most.
Talk It Through
Someone contacted you about your home?
Send me what they sent you. I will tell you who they are, what they are actually proposing, and what your home is worth on the open market, at no cost and with no obligation to list with me.
