Frequently Asked Questions about Selling a House Direct to an Investor for Cash

Home Buyer Louisiana is a locally owned real estate investment company that buys houses in Louisiana and Mississippi in as-is condition for cash. Since 2019, we’ve closed more than 215 transactions in Greater New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, the Northshore, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Home Buyer Louisiana was founded by Stephen Keighery, a seasoned entrepreneur and real estate investor. Stephen previously co-founded hipages Group (ASX: HPG), Australia’s largest online home services marketplace, which went public in 2020. Since relocating to Louisiana in 2018, he has invested heavily in distressed property acquisitions, renovations, and community revitalization. Stephen serves as Director of Marketing & Memberships for the New Orleans Real Estate Investors Association (NOREIA) and leads the Westbank Real Estate Investors Meetup. Stephen is a frequent guest on real estate podcasts, industry panels, and in publications like Realtor.com, Biz New Orleans, and New Orleans City Business. .

Home Buyer Louisiana are experienced with working with homeowners facing foreclosure, inheritance, probate, costly repairs, relocation, or problem tenants, offering fair cash offers and flexible closings. We’re active members of the communities we operate in and our team is committed to revitalizing local communities.

Home Buyer Louisiana is:

• Accredited by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.
• 5-star rated on Google with dozens of verified seller reviews.
• Known for closing on time, every time, through licensed title attorneys.
• Transparent about our process, with references and proof of funds available on request.

You can learn more about Stephen’s background on our About Us page and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Our mission is to make selling your house simple, fast, and stress-free, while giving you the peace of mind that you’re working with an experienced, trustworthy local buyer.

We can close in as little as 8 days. Because we buy houses in Louisiana and Mississippi with cash, we don’t have to wait on bank approvals or appraisals. The exact timeline depends on your situation and the title process, but our team handles everything to make the sale as quick and stress-free as possible. Our average close time is 21 to 24 days.

If you are in a hurry you can get more information on selling your house fast here.

Yes. Home Buyer Louisiana regularly help homeowners in Louisiana and Mississippi who are behind on mortgage payments, in pre-foreclosure, or facing a sheriff’s sale. Selling before the foreclosure is finalized can help protect your credit and avoid a forced sale. Our team works with you and your lender to arrange a fast, legal, and above-board closing so you can move forward.

You can get more information on selling before foreclosure in Louisiana  and on Foreclosure laws in Mississippi.

We confirm the basics and condition by phone, then send a no‑obligation cash offer in writing. If you accept, we open title, do a walk through. schedule closing, and handle paperwork and utilities. There are no repairs, showings, or financing delays.

Yes. In Louisiana, the legal process for transferring ownership after someone passes away is called a succession (similar to probate in other states). You do not have to wait until the succession is finished to start the sale process. In many cases, we sign a purchase agreement with the heirs first and then have our local title attorneys handle the succession and the title work at the same time. This can save weeks or even months and allows you to close as soon as the court finalizes the transfer. We regularly help families sell inherited properties, even when there are multiple heirs or the property needs significant repairs.

You can see more details on selling an inherited property in Louisiana here.

No. You can leave the property as‑is, you don’t need to make repairs, paint, or even clean. If you have unwanted furniture or junk, we can handle the disposal after closing.

We price repairs into the offer and handle everything after we close. This saves you time, cash, and stress compared with trying to prep a realtor listing.

Yes. Home Buyer Louisiana regularly buys properties with storm, flood, and structural damage.

We factor repairs into our offer and handle the work after we own the property, saving you time and repair costs.

See more information on selling a house after a natural disaster and selling a house with foundation issues.

Yes. We can buy your property even if you have an active insurance claim for storm, flood, fire, or other damage. Depending on your preference, you can keep the claim payout, or we can work it into the purchase so repairs are handled after closing.

You can see a case study of a seller in Laplace that sold us a house after Hurricane Ida in as-is condition and kept the insurance check. This is a pretty common scenario for hurricane and fire damaged houses.

Yes. Home Buyer Louisiana buy rental properties with paying and non-paying tenants.

We follow all local laws for tenant notice and can handle the eviction process after closing if needed.

You can see our FAQ page on selling a rental property with tenants for more information.

We start with the after‑repair value, subtract renovations, holding and selling costs, and a fair profit margin. We are happy to show our numbers so you can see how we got there, and we welcome any comps or bids you want us to consider. You can see more information on how we calculate cash offers here.

We buy single-family homes, multi-family properties, mobile homes with land, condos, and vacant lots.
We also purchase storm-damaged homes, fire-damaged properties, and houses in historic districts across Louisiana and Mississippi.

Yes. In Louisiana, we buy houses involved in succession cases, and in Mississippi, we buy probate properties. Whether the estate is still in court or the title is ready to transfer, we can work with your attorney to close quickly. We also buy homes from multiple heirs, estates with liens, or properties needing major repairs.

Yes, but it’s more complex. We regularly work with situations where multiple heirs have different opinions about selling. Our title attorneys can help resolve disputes, track down missing heirs, and handle court approvals if needed. We can often get purchase agreements signed by the willing heirs and work in parallel to resolve the others, so the sale can still move forward.

You can see a case study of a house we bought in New Orleans with a tricky heir situation.

There are no commissions and we typically pay standard seller closing costs. You receive the net amount on your closing statement unless we agree to handle a lien, taxes, or occupancy needs.

We buy directly for cash, so there are no listings, showings, or agent commissions.

Unlike iBuyers, we buy as-is, including distressed properties, and can close in days instead of weeks or months.

No, we are not affiliated with any Realtors association; we are a private Real Estate Investors who purchase our properties direct from the owners.

We buy lots and land in Louisiana. As long as there are no title issues we can buy your lot fast for cash so you don’t need to keep paying the taxes and maintaining the lot.

Yes. We buy houses in historic neighborhoods across Louisiana and Mississippi, including properties in designated historic districts. We understand the local renovation guidelines and permitting requirements, so we can make offers on older homes that may need specialized repairs or updates. We are also experienced with the significant renovations that can be required when these homes have been neglected for extended periods of time.

Yes. This situation is often called being “underwater” on your mortgage. We have multiple ways to help:

• Short Sale – We work with your lender to accept less than what’s owed so the sale can close and you can avoid foreclosure. This can reduce the impact on your credit and help you move forward.
• Take Over Payments (“Subject To”) –  In some cases, we can purchase your property by taking over your existing mortgage payments. This can be faster than a short sale and may work even if your lender won’t approve a payoff for less than the balance.

We’ve helped homeowners across Louisiana and Mississippi navigate both options successfully. We’ll look at your unique situation and recommend the solution that works best for you.

See our frequently asked questions on selling a house with negative equity

Yes. You can sell your house even if you owe back property taxes, as long as it has not been fully foreclosed through the Louisiana tax sale process.

In Louisiana when you are behind on property taxes the city sells your tax debt to investors. That doesn’t mean you’ve lost your house, the investor must wait 3 years (if the property is occupied) or 18 months (if it’s vacant) before they can complete the foreclosure. You can still sell during this period by paying off the tax debt from your sale proceeds at closing.

You can read more about what happens if you don’t pay your property taxes in Louisiana here. We also have a FAQ on selling a house with liens or tax debt.

Yes. We buy houses in any condition, including those with code violations, safety hazards, or condemnation notices. In many cases, we can close before the city enforces repairs or demolition. We’ll work with the city or parish to resolve the violations during the closing process, so you don’t have to make repairs or bring the property up to code.

Not exactly. FSBO (For Sale by Owner) means you’re finding the buyer yourself, often by listing on websites or showing your home to the public. When you sell to us, there’s no listing, no public showings, and no need to negotiate with multiple buyers as we are the direct cash buyer.

This can be faster and simpler than FSBO, especially if you want to sell as-is without repairs or inspections.

At Home Buyer Louisiana we have purchased over 215 homes across Louisiana and Mississippi since 2019 helping sellers in Greater New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, the Northshore, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast sell quickly and stress-free. We’re accredited with the Better Business Bureau (A+ rating), have a 5 star google rating and close every sale through licensed title attorneys in your state.

When choosing any cash home buyer, here are key things you should check:

• Proven track record with a reputable title company that has closed many deals for them (it’s a red flag if they’ve only closed a few).
• Proof of funds to show they can pay cash.
• Better Business Bureau registration and positive reviews.
• References from past sellers in your area.

At Home Buyer Louisiana,  we provide proof of funds and connect you with our title company so you can verify our track record immediately. As one seller in St. Bernard Parish said, “They kept every promise and we closed in under three weeks.” You can read more stories like this on our Testimonials page or ask us for a direct reference in your parish.

Yes. You can sell a house even if one of the owners is incarcerated and at Home Buyer Louisiana we have done this multiple times.

Most correctional facilities have a notary who can facilitate signing the necessary sale documents. The process may take extra coordination with the facility and the title company, but we handle this regularly for sellers. If the owner in jail also holds a mortgage or lien responsibility, those details can be resolved during closing.

Home Buyer Louisiana buys houses in Louisiana and Mississippi. Our core markets we concentrate on are Greater New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, the Northshore, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

In Louisiana, our main focus is in parishes like  Jefferson Parish, St. Bernard Parish, St. Charles Parish, Livingston Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, Ascension Parish, and St John the Baptist.

In Mississippi, we have a presence focus on Harrison County, Hancock County, Jackson County, and Pearl River.

While these are our main markets, we do buy in other parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. If you’re thinking about selling your house as-is, contact us to see how we can help.

We don’t personally but do have a big network of property investors who we know and trust. Below are some investors in different markets you might be interested in:

– Atlanta, Georgia
– Denver, Colorado
– Jacksonville, Florida
– Kansas City, Missouri
– Louisville, Kentucky
– Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
– San Antonio, Texas
– San Diego, California
– Springfield, Massachusetts
– St Louis, Missouri
– Orlando, Florida
– Tucson, Arizona
– Warner Robins, Georgia
– Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area