About Balboa Home Buyers

My name is Dom. I've been buying houses for more than seven years, I studied real estate finance at USC, and I know the San Fernando Valley — the streets, the tract builders, the price bands, which blocks carry value and which don't.

Balboa Home Buyers is my company. It's small on purpose. When you send us your address, I'm the one who reads it, I'm the one who calls you back, and I'm the one who walks your property and signs the check. There's no call center between us and there's no junior person handing you off.

What I'll actually commit to

• A written offer in under 24 hours. Itemized, so you can see how I got to the number instead of being handed one and asked to trust it.
• All cash. No lender, no loan approval, no appraisal that can come in low and collapse the deal in week five. That's the entire reason a cash sale is worth considering.
• Closing in as little as two weeks. Or ninety days, if that suits you better — you pick the date, not me.
• A straight answer about whether you should sell to me at all. If your house would net you more on the open market, I'll tell you that on the first call.

Why the finance background matters to you

Most of what goes wrong in these transactions is arithmetic done badly. A buyer guesses high on the rehab, writes an optimistic number to win the contract, then finds the real cost during inspection and comes back asking for a discount — after you've already turned down other options and told your family the house is sold.

I underwrite the deal properly before I put a number in front of you. That sometimes means my offer is lower than someone else's on day one. It also means it's the number I close at.

How I make money, stated plainly

I buy below what a finished house sells for, because I'm taking on the repairs, the permits, the holding costs, and the risk that the work costs more than anyone thought. Then I either keep the property or resell it. Sometimes, instead of closing myself, I assign the purchase contract to another investor who's a better fit for that specific property — that's standard practice in this industry, I disclose it in the contract rather than burying it, and it doesn't change your price or your closing date.

I tell you this up front because the companies that hide it are the ones worth worrying about.

What I won't do

• I won't buy or sell your contact information. You'll hear from me, not from nine other investors.
• I won't put a number in front of you I can't support, then renegotiate after you've turned down other buyers.
• I won't pressure you with a deadline. My written offers stand for a stated period.
• I won't tell you to sell when listing would net you more. I'll tell you to call an agent.
• I won't ask you for money. Not a fee, not a deposit, not for "processing." Ever.

What I'm not

I'm not a real estate broker and I don't represent you. I'm the buyer — the other side of the transaction. I don't give legal, tax, or financial advice, and when your situation calls for an attorney or an accountant I'll say so rather than pretend I can substitute for one.