You’re ready for what’s next. The house just has to sell first. Maybe it needs work you’d rather not take on, or you’d rather skip months of showings and back-and-forth. That’s when a cash offer starts to sound pretty good: no repairs, no showings, and a closing date you pick. For some sellers, it’s exactly the right move. For others, it leaves real money on the table. Here’s how to tell which one you are.
By The Johnson Team · Updated October 2026
What Is an Instant Offer?
An instant offer is a cash offer from a buyer who purchases your home directly. There’s no listing, no showings and no waiting on a buyer’s loan. You trade some of your sale price for speed and certainty. Jeff Johnson’s company, COS Instant Offers, makes these offers on homes across Colorado Springs and the rest of Colorado.
How Does an Instant Offer Work?
- Request an offer from COS Instant Offers by answering a few questions about your home.
- COS Instant Offers walks through the home with you. No cash offer is made sight unseen.
- COS Instant Offers gives you a cash number within 24 hours of that visit.
- You review your options with COS Instant Offers, by phone or in person.
- If you accept, you pick the closing date, anywhere from 7 to 30 days out.
You don’t clean, stage or fix anything first. COS Instant Offers buys homes in whatever condition they’re in. And if you need a little runway to move, you can stay in the home for 30 days after closing.
What Does an Instant Offer Really Cost?
A cash offer is usually lower than what your home could sell for on the open market. That’s the trade. Any cash buyer takes on the repairs, holding costs and resale risk, and prices that in. What you get back is time, certainty and zero hassle.
| Compared | COS Instant Offers | Traditional listing |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs and prep | None. Sold as-is | Usually some, plus cleaning and staging |
| Showings | None | Yes, until it sells |
| Your number | Cash offer within 24 hours of the walk-through | Set by the market and the buyer |
| Closing | 7–30 days, on the date you pick | After time on market, plus the buyer’s loan and inspection |
| Sale price | Typically below open market | Full market value, sometimes more with multiple offers |
The number that matters is your net: what lands in your bank account after everything. That’s why it pays to see a COS Instant Offers cash offer and a listing plan side by side.
When Does an Instant Offer Make Sense?
A cash offer can be the right call when certainty is worth more to you than top dollar:
- PCS orders with a hard report date. Fort Carson, Peterson SFB, Schriever SFB and Air Force Academy moves don’t wait for the right buyer. (More in our guide to selling around a PCS move.)
- A home that needs major work you can’t or don’t want to fund before listing.
- An inherited or estate property where nobody wants to manage showings.
- You’ve already bought your next home and carrying two mortgages costs more than the discount.
It usually doesn’t make sense when your home is in good shape, you’re not in a rush, and your neighborhood is selling. In that case, buyers competing for your home on the open market will usually net you more than a cash sale. That’s how multiple offers happen.
Get Both Numbers Before You Decide
You have options, and we’ll help you weigh them. A cash offer through COS Instant Offers is one of them. COS Instant Offers is owned by Jeff Johnson, who also owns The Johnson Team.
A sale on the open market usually nets more, so your agent will show you both numbers side by side, including how much you’d give up in exchange for speed and certainty. If the COS Instant Offers cash offer fits your goals, take it. If listing makes more sense, we’ll be glad to list your home. The choice is yours.
Already working with an agent? COS Instant Offers is happy to include them.
Request your free cash offer from COS Instant Offers, or call or text 719-644-6638. Your agent will walk you through both numbers, no pressure, on your timeline.
Related: Step 1: Strategy · Back to Selling Your Home
Good To Know
Frequently Asked Questions About Instant Offers
It’s a good deal for speed and certainty. You’ll usually net less than an open-market sale, but you skip repairs, showings and the wait for a buyer’s loan.
With COS Instant Offers, you get a cash number within 24 hours of the walk-through and can close in 7–30 days, on the date you choose.
No. COS Instant Offers buys homes as-is, in whatever condition they’re in. No cleaning or staging either.
Yes. If it helps, COS Instant Offers lets you stay for 30 days after closing.
Yes. Requesting an offer from COS Instant Offers is free and doesn’t commit you. Your agent will show you the cash offer and a listing side by side.
Want To Learn More?
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