Are we legit?
Fair question. This industry earned your suspicion.
"We buy houses" signs are stapled to telephone poles by operations that vanish in a year. So don't take our word for anything on this page. Every claim below comes with a way to check it yourself, without asking us.
The receipts
Five things you can verify without talking to us
Sixteen years in the same place
Established in Appleton in 2010. Most cash-buying operations don't last five years; the ones that cut corners don't last two. Longevity is the one credential you can't fake in this business.
5.0 stars on Google, unedited
Search "House Buyer Dan" and read the reviews directly on Google, where we can't edit, reorder, or delete a word of them.
Featured on WFRV Local 5
Green Bay's CBS station featured us as "Northeast Wisconsin's trusted home buyer." TV stations vet who they put on air; their newsroom did that homework before we ever appeared.
$4.6M+ actually paid out
Paid directly to Wisconsin homeowners since 2010, through licensed Wisconsin title companies, the same regulated closings any traditional sale uses. Every dollar has a paper trail.
A real, findable person
"House Buyer Dan" is Dan Ahlborn, an actual person with his name on the company, not a fictitious character fronting a call center. Look him up online; he's easy to find. Or call (920) 259-4326 and a real, live person from our company answers. That test takes you thirty seconds.
Who vouches for us
The company that handles the money, on the record
"I have had the opportunity to get to know Dan Ahlborn both professionally and personally over the past 3 years and I truly believe you couldn't find a more honest and intuitive person! On every transaction with Dan, he provides all the info needed up front so we are able to move to closing quickly and without issues."
And we put our own money at risk before you sign.
Once a cash offer goes firm, we place $5,000 of earnest money in escrow with a Wisconsin title company. Miss your closing date and it's yours, automatically, no claims process. A company planning to disappear doesn't hand a title company $5,000 of leverage against itself. Read the full guarantee terms →
Protect yourself
Red flags with any cash buyer, including us
Whoever you end up selling to, walk away from anyone who does these things. Yes, we're handing you the checklist to use on us.
- They pressure you to sign the same day, real offers survive a week of thinking
- The offer isn't in writing, or the number keeps changing with no reason they can show you
- They ask for money from you, ever, for any reason
- No local footprint: no address, no reviews, no title company that knows them
- They won't explain how they arrived at the number
- Closing happens anywhere other than a licensed title company or attorney's office
How to check any Wisconsin cash buyer in about half an hour
Everything here is free and public, and none of it requires talking to the company you are checking.
The Register of Deeds. Every property purchase in Wisconsin is recorded at the county. A buyer who has actually been buying here has a trail of recorded deeds you can look at. A company that has been "buying houses for twenty years" with nothing recorded is telling you something.
The Department of Financial Institutions. Wisconsin's DFI lets you look up a registered business entity, when it was formed and whether it is in good standing. It takes about two minutes.
Circuit court records. Wisconsin's court system is searchable online. Litigation history is public, and a buyer with a pattern of disputes with sellers is a matter of record rather than opinion.
The offer itself. Ask three questions and listen to the shape of the answers: are you buying this yourself or assigning the contract, can you show proof of funds today, and what exactly comes out of my proceeds? Real answers are specific and fast.
Anything you are asked to pay before closing. An application fee, an inspection fee, an appraisal fee, a "processing" fee — there is no legitimate version of this. It is the clearest single signal there is. The longer guide names the specific tactics.
The case against us, stated fairly
If we are asking you to check us out, it would be strange to leave out the arguments on the other side.
Our offer is below full retail value. It has to be — the number has to cover the work, the months of holding, and a margin, or the business does not exist. Anyone offering you retail for a house that needs work is either not buying it themselves or not telling you something.
For a well-kept house, listing usually nets more. Genuinely. If your house could be shown tomorrow and you have a couple of months, an agent will very likely beat us even after commission, and we will say so on the phone.
We are not a large company. That is a real trade-off. You get the person who makes the decision rather than a call centre, and you also get a company with a smaller balance sheet than a national buyer.
You are relying on us to price the work honestly. That is why the offer shows its arithmetic, why we visit before quoting, and why the $5,000 sits in escrow rather than in a sentence. Those are the things you can check. Take them as evidence rather than as reassurance.
Checking us out
How do I know you are not going to lower the offer later?
Should I be worried that you are not a national brand?
What is the single biggest warning sign with any cash buyer?
Can I have a lawyer look at the paperwork?
Checked us out? Then let's talk about the house.
Thirty seconds to reach out, a real person on the phone, and a written offer within 24 hours.
Rather talk to a person right now? Call (920) 259-4326 and a real, live person from our company answers. Never a call center.
Ready when you are
Get a free, written cash offer within 24 hours. No fees, no repairs, no obligation.
Get My Cash Offeror call (920) 259-4326 — a real person answers