As-Is Sale Without a Realtor: What You Handle

Selling a house as-is without a Realtor means you take over the jobs a listing agent would do: setting the price, completing and delivering the disclosures, finding and checking a buyer, settling the purchase contract and carrying the sale through escrow. "As-is" removes the repairs, not the paperwork; California's seller disclosures apply whoever the buyer is. Selling directly to a cash buyer is one form of no-agent sale, and it removes the marketing and the showings, but it still leaves you to check the price, the contract and the disclosures yourself.

This guide lists each job, what the law puts on you when no agent is involved, and when hiring an agent is likely to net more. It describes the process and is not legal advice; a real estate attorney and the escrow officer are the right people for questions about your sale.

The job list, three ways

JobListed with an agentYou sell to a financed buyer yourselfYou sell direct to a cash buyer

Pricing

The agent's CMA

You

The buyer's written offer, which you check

Disclosures

You, with the agent's own inspection section

You, alone

You, alone

Marketing and showings

The agent

You

One walkthrough

Checking the buyer

The agent reviews the loan letter

You

You review proof of funds

Contract

Standard forms the agent completes

You and your attorney

The buyer's contract, reviewed by you or your attorney

Inspection, appraisal and loan

Negotiated by the agent

Negotiated by you

No loan; terms set in writing

Escrow to closing

Coordinated by the agent

You and the escrow officer

You and the escrow officer

Job 1: setting a price without an agent's CMA

Four different numbers get called "what the house is worth," and only one of them is a price someone will pay.

• An automated estimate comes from an algorithm that has never seen the house. It cannot see an original panel or a converted garage.
• A CMA is a licensed agent's opinion of likely sale price from comparable sales. Without an agent, you are building your own version from public sales.
• A certified appraisal is an independent opinion of value by a state-licensed or certified appraiser. It is the number to use when a court, an estate or a lender needs one. Mr. Cali Offers does not do appraisals; they are referred to Mr. Cali Appraisals.
• A cash purchase offer is a price a buyer will pay, on stated terms.

The home value page lays out when each one is the right tool. Whatever number you start from, convert it to a net: subtract the loan payoff, any liens, the escrow and title charges, and the documentary transfer tax. That tax depends on place. Every county charges one at recording; in Los Angeles County, Pomona adds a city tax on top, while Claremont does not.

Job 2: the disclosures are all yours

Without an agent, nobody else fills in any part of the disclosure package. The core items:

• The Transfer Disclosure Statement. You complete Sections I and II from what you know. Section III, the seller's agent's inspection, is completed only when the seller has an agent (Civil Code section 1102.3). The details are in the Transfer Disclosure Statement for as-is sellers.
• The Natural Hazard Disclosure. Civil Code section 1103 places the flood, fault and seismic zone disclosures on "the seller if the seller is acting without a seller's agent." Most sellers order a third-party report; see natural hazard disclosures and as-is sales, which also covers the fire notices that follow a fire zone.
• Lead-based paint, for houses built before 1978. Federal rules require the seller to disclose known lead paint hazards, provide the EPA pamphlet and offer the buyer an opportunity to test.
• The earthquake guide, for houses built before 1960. Government Code section 8897.1 requires the seller of a one-to-four unit dwelling of light-frame construction built before January 1, 1960 to deliver the Homeowner's Guide to Earthquake Safety and complete its disclosure.
• Smoke alarm and water heater statements. Health and Safety Code sections 13113.8 and 19211.
• Special tax notice where a community facilities district applies (Civil Code section 1102.6b), common in newer San Bernardino County tracts.
• The database notice in the contract. Civil Code section 2079.10a requires every contract for the sale of residential property of one to four units to carry the statutory notice about the public sex-offender database.

One thing disappears when there is no agent: the agent's own duty under Civil Code section 2079 to make a visual inspection and disclose what it would reveal. That makes your own answers on the TDS carry more of the weight, and "as-is" does not reduce it. The as-is pillar explains why disclosure survives an as-is clause.

Job 3: finding and checking the buyer

On the open market without an agent, you write the listing, take the photographs, answer calls, host the showings and the buyer's inspector, and decide which offer is real. For a financed buyer, ask for a lender's preapproval letter and read the loan and appraisal contingencies, because an as-is house that a lender's appraiser flags can still fail late in escrow. For a cash buyer, ask for a dated proof-of-funds letter in the buyer's own name.

Job 4: the contract and escrow

The purchase agreement decides more of your net than the price does. Read these before you sign, or have an attorney read them:

• the as-is language and what inspection or cancellation rights the buyer keeps;
• the contingency periods and how they are removed;
• the deposit amount, and that it goes to an independent escrow holder;
• whether the contract can be assigned to another buyer;
• who pays which closing costs, and the closing and possession dates in writing.

Escrow is the neutral party that holds the money and documents, orders the title report, collects the transfer tax and records the deed. Without an agent, you are the one answering the escrow officer's requests, and you deliver your disclosures through the same channel. Liens, missing signatures and title issues are what move a closing date.

What a direct cash sale removes, and what it does not

A direct sale to a cash buyer takes away three jobs: the marketing, the showings and the loan. It does not take away the disclosures, which are yours by statute, or the need to check the offer. A written offer should show the comparable sales, each deduction and the net; if yours shows only a price, read reading a cash offer: comps, deductions and the net, or ask for a second opinion on a cash offer.

Our own process is one form, one in-person walkthrough, then two written numbers on the same house: an as-is cash offer and an open-market read, a preliminary estimate, not an appraisal, each with the comps, the line-item deductions and the net. How it works has the sequence.

When hiring an agent nets more

Doing it yourself saves the listing commission and costs your time; selling direct saves the showings and costs the buyer's margin. An agent is likely to net more when the house shows well, it would draw owner-occupant buyers who will pay for its condition and location, there are several financed buyers to compete, and you have the months a listing takes. A tidy post-war house in North Claremont with a newer roof is a typical case.

When the open-market column comes out higher and the timing works, the written recommendation says so, and you are introduced to a designated local expert, an independently licensed California agent who works your neighborhood. Mr. Cali Offers never lists a house. See when we tell a seller to list instead.

What this looks like in practice

These are the kinds of files that come in, described without names or figures.

• A Pomona owner who started selling a converted-garage tract house on their own, lost a financed buyer when the appraisal would not count the space, and wants both numbers before trying again.
• Out-of-state heirs to a Claremont Village bungalow who will not hire a listing agent until they know whether restoration or an as-is sale nets the estate more.

The as-is sales hub has the rest of this series.

Next step

If you are weighing a sale without an agent, start with both numbers on your house or call (909) 498-3977. There is no cost and no obligation to get the two numbers and the written report.

Sources

• California Civil Code section 1102.3 (TDS delivery; agent section only when the seller has an agent): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (accessed October 31, 2026)
• California Civil Code section 1103 (hazard disclosures by a seller acting without an agent): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (accessed October 31, 2026)
• California Civil Code section 1102.6b (special tax notice): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (accessed October 31, 2026)
• California Civil Code section 2079 (agent's visual inspection duty): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (accessed October 31, 2026)
• California Civil Code section 2079.10a (database notice in sale contracts): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (accessed October 31, 2026)
• California Government Code section 8897.1 (earthquake guide for pre-1960 dwellings): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (accessed October 31, 2026)
• California Health and Safety Code section 13113.8 (smoke alarm statement): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (accessed October 31, 2026)
• California Health and Safety Code section 19211 (water heater certification): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (accessed October 31, 2026)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Real Estate Disclosures about Potential Lead Hazards: epa.gov (accessed October 31, 2026)
• Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, Documentary Transfer Tax general information: lavote.gov (accessed October 31, 2026)
• California Department of Real Estate, consumer information: dre.ca.gov (accessed October 31, 2026)

Mr. Cali Offers is not a law firm and does not represent sellers as an agent. Cash offers come from independent buyers and investors who buy for their own account and may resell for profit; a cash offer is generally below what the open market would bring. Any value shown is a preliminary estimate, not an appraisal. Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice.