We Buy Houses in Columbus, OH

Franklinton, the low-lying neighborhood just west of downtown where Columbus was first settled, flooded so badly in 1913 that the city eventually built the Franklinton Floodwall, completed in 2004, to hold back the Scioto River from a neighborhood that sits largely within a historic flood zone. Cash Home Buyers CA buys houses throughout Columbus as-is, for cash, flood zone or not.

Columbus’s market in August 2026: prices essentially flat, homes moving steadily

Redfin’s August 2026 data puts Columbus’s median sale price at about $300,000, up just 0.6% from a year earlier, with homes taking a median 42 days to go under contract and selling for about 99.5% of asking price. After years of Columbus ranking among the fastest-appreciating Midwest markets, prices have leveled off, which puts more weight on a property’s actual condition rather than just its location.

In a market that’s no longer rising quickly, a house with real issues, deferred maintenance from decades of student rental use near Ohio State, storm or flood exposure, or an inherited property that needs work, competes on much tougher terms against move-in-ready listings. That’s where a cash sale, without a financing or inspection contingency, changes the math for the seller.

Rules that shape a Columbus home sale

• Conveyance fee. Ohio counties, including Franklin County, charge a real property conveyance fee of up to $4 per $1,000 of value, customarily paid by the seller.
• Judicial foreclosure. Ohio foreclosures go through the courts and end in a sheriff’s sale, a process that moves forward once filed but generally takes longer than a non-judicial state.
• Required seller disclosure. Ohio law requires a signed residential property disclosure form on known conditions, with the buyer able to cancel within 3 business days if it’s delivered after the purchase agreement is signed.
• Flood-zone neighborhoods. Franklinton and other low-lying areas along the Scioto and Olentangy rivers sit in or near mapped flood zones, something that affects insurance requirements for a financed buyer.
• Massive city footprint from annexation. Columbus grew to its current size largely through aggressive mid-20th-century annexation tied to extending city water and sewer service, meaning housing ages and styles vary enormously from one side of the city to another.

German Village to Franklinton: what we buy in Columbus

Columbus’s older core holds some of the Midwest’s best-preserved 19th-century housing, from the brick rowhouses of German Village to the Victorian and Queen Anne homes of Olde Towne East and Victorian Village, alongside the rental-heavy bungalow blocks near Ohio State University and the flood-affected streets of Franklinton just across the river from downtown. That range means everything from meticulously restored historic homes to decades-worn student rentals falls within the same city limits.

We buy the Franklinton house within the historic flood zone, the near-campus rental with years of tenant wear and deferred maintenance, the inherited German Village or Olde Towne East property that needs real investment, and the rental property whose owner is ready to exit without managing another turnover.

Situations we see most in Columbus

• Flood-zone properties. Homes in Franklinton and other low-lying areas can face insurance and financing hurdles. We buy them as-is.
• Worn student rentals. Near-campus properties with years of tenant turnover often need more work than a retail buyer’s lender will accept. We take them as they are.
• Inherited historic-district homes. German Village and Olde Towne East properties held by one family for generations are common, and we can close after probate.
• Landlords ready to exit. We buy occupied rental property without requiring a tenant transition first.
• Foreclosure timelines. Ohio’s judicial foreclosure process runs through the courts, and a fast cash close can resolve the debt before a sheriff’s sale.

How a Columbus cash sale closes

Once you accept our written offer, a title company opens the file and runs title, working through old liens, unresolved estate paperwork, or other title issues along the way. Ohio does not require an attorney at closing, so the title company typically handles the transaction from open to close.

Because there’s no lender involved, there’s no appraisal or underwriting delay, so closings can run 7 to 14 days from acceptance, or later if you need time to settle an estate or move out. We factor Franklin County’s conveyance fee into your net proceeds so the number we quote is the number you get.

Listing a Columbus house or selling for cash

A renovated house in German Village or Victorian Village, priced right in a market still selling close to full asking price, can do well listed with an agent. That path makes sense when the property is in solid shape, sits outside a flood zone, and the seller has time for showings and a financed buyer’s closing process.

The calculation changes for a Franklinton flood-zone property, a worn student rental, or an inherited house that needs to be resolved quickly. A financed buyer’s lender will require flood insurance in a mapped zone and a clean inspection everywhere else, and either can stall a deal for weeks. Our cash offer accounts for the property’s condition and location up front, no repairs, no commission, and a closing date you set.

Columbus sellers ask us

How fast can I sell my house in Columbus for cash?

We deliver a written offer within 24 to 48 hours and can close in as little as 7 to 14 days. Redfin's August 2026 data shows Columbus homes taking a median 42 days to go under contract, plus a financed buyer's own closing period, so a cash sale typically saves well over a month.

My house is in the Franklinton flood zone. Can I still sell it?

Yes. Flood-zone status can complicate insurance and financing for a traditional buyer, but it's exactly the kind of property we buy directly, floodwall protection or not.

What will I owe in transfer costs when I sell in Columbus?

Franklin County charges a real property conveyance fee of up to $4 per $1,000 of value, customarily paid by the seller. We factor that into the net number we quote you.

Do I have to fill out a disclosure form to sell my house?

Ohio requires sellers to complete a signed residential property disclosure form on known conditions. When you sell directly to us, we still want an honest picture of the property, but the process is far simpler than a retail listing.

My rental near campus has years of wear and tear. Will that stop a sale?

No. Worn student rentals near Ohio State are one of the most common properties we buy, since a retail buyer's lender will often require repairs a landlord hasn't kept up with. We buy the property as-is, occupied or vacant.

To request a written cash offer on your Columbus house, call 424-435-2326. The offer is free, and the decision is yours.

Written and reviewed by the Cash Home Buyers CA team. Market figures are from Redfin, the City of Columbus, and Ohio state statutes as of August-September 2026 and are updated periodically.

Get a free cash offer from Cash Home Buyers CA today.