A Seller’s Experience With ELS
Hear a homeowner describe what it was like to work with us.
7 StatesNY, CT, MA, NH, VT, ME, PA
24 HoursFrom address to written offer
$0Commission and fees charged by us
Since 2021Buying houses directly from owners
What we do
What does Expert Land Sellers do?
Expert Land Sellers is a cash home buyer. We buy houses and other property directly from the people who own them, in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Pennsylvania. Diego Santiago founded the company in 2021 and has worked in real estate since 2019, and he is the person on the other end of the call. Below is how a direct sale actually works, what it costs, what comes out of the proceeds at closing, and answers to the questions homeowners ask us most.
Most people who call us are not selling a house that is ready for the market. They are behind on the mortgage, or on the property taxes. They inherited a house they do not live near and cannot look after. There are repairs they are not going to make. There are liens, judgments, or a title problem nobody wants to untangle. The house is sitting vacant, or it is a rental they are finished with. We buy in all of those situations, exactly as the property stands, and we do not ask you to fix, clean, or clear anything first.
Send us the address and tell us what is going on with the property. We look at the property and at recent comparable sales in that town, and we come back with a written cash offer within 24 hours. There is no obligation to take it.
The transaction
Why Homeowners Sell to Us Directly
Four things that are true of every purchase we make, including the part about what you actually take home.
No agent commission
We are the buyer, not an agent. There is no listing agreement, no commission taken out of the price, and no fee for making you an offer.
We cover the ordinary closing costs
The routine costs of closing the purchase are ours, not yours. Your written offer will explain the terms of the purchase, including any closing costs Expert Land Sellers has agreed to cover.
Sell it exactly as it stands
No repairs, no cleaning, no staging, no showings, and no inspection you have to pass. Take what you want and leave the rest. Don’t spend money on repairs, cleaning, or staging. We handle everything after closing.
What you actually take home
Our offer is a price for the house. It is not the amount you walk away with. In a sale to us, anything owed against the property is paid out of the sale proceeds at closing: the remaining balance on your mortgage, unpaid property taxes, recorded liens, and judgments. You receive what is left. Those figures appear on the settlement statement your closing attorney or title agent prepares, and if the payoffs look likely to exceed the offer, we will say so early rather than at the closing table.
Two ways to sell
Listing With an Agent, Compared With Selling Directly
Neither one is better. They answer different questions, and the honest way to choose is to see them side by side.
| Listing with an agent | Selling directly to Expert Land Sellers | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is buying | No buyer yet. You sign the listing agreement first, and your agent represents you while a buyer is found. Who that turns out to be is unknown on the day you sign. | We are. The offer comes from us, and Diego is who you talk to. |
| Who pays the commission | Whatever your listing agreement says. That document is where your side of it is set, so read it before you sign, and ask what the total is, who it is shared with, and what is negotiable. | There is no commission. We are the buyer, not an agent, so there is no listing agreement and nothing comes out of the price for one. |
| Repairs required before sale | Your decision, made before the property goes on the market. Ask your agent what they would want done first, what it would cost you, and what your options are if a buyer’s inspection turns something up. | None. We buy the property exactly as it stands, and we handle everything after closing. Take what you want and leave the rest. |
| Showings and open houses | Selling on the open market means giving buyers a way to see the property. Ask your agent how showings will be scheduled, how much notice you will get, and whether they intend to hold open houses. | None. There is no listing, no staging, and no open house to get ready for. |
| Financing contingency and appraisal risk | A buyer who needs a mortgage brings a lender into the sale. Ask your agent what your contract lets that buyer do if the lender’s appraisal comes in under the price, and what happens to your timeline if the financing does not come through. | No lender is underwriting our purchase, so there is no appraisal to pass and no financing contingency to wait on. |
| Who chooses the closing date | There is no date to choose until there is a buyer, and it is agreed with the person who buys the property. Ask your agent what your options are if you need to be out by a particular date. | You pick the date. From there the schedule is set by the title work rather than by a loan approval, and we will tell you on the first call whether the date you need is reachable. |
| Closing costs charged to the seller | Transfer taxes and recording fees can arise in a sale, and those are set where the property is. What you would end up paying in a listed sale is not ours to state. Ask your agent, or your own closing attorney, to put your expected costs in writing before you list. | We cover the ordinary closing costs on our purchase. Your written offer will explain the terms of the purchase, including any closing costs Expert Land Sellers has agreed to cover. What is owed against the property is separate: that is paid from the sale proceeds at closing. |
Neither column shows what you take home. Whichever route you take, the price is a price for the house and not the amount you walk away with. What comes out of the sale proceeds in a sale to us is set out under “What you actually take home.”
Simple process
Three Steps From an Address to a Closing Date
No listing, no showings, and nothing you have to fix first.
- 01
Send us the address
Tell us the town, the condition, who is living there, anything outstanding against the property, and whether there is a deadline we should be working against.
- 02
Review a written offer
We look at recent local sales and the details of the property, then put a written, no-obligation offer in front of you.
- 03
Choose a workable date
If you accept, a title company coordinates clearance and closing around a date that works for everyone who has to sign.
We can help
The Situations We Handle Most
None of these stops us from making an offer. All of them change the number, which is why we would rather hear about them at the start than find them at the end.
Urgent deadline
Foreclosure and auction dates
Foreclosure, tax, probate, and ownership rules vary by state, so the right next step depends on where the property is located. Tell us where the case stands and who is representing you. Your attorney tells you your options. We tell you whether we can buy it and what we can pay.
Municipal debt
Back taxes, water charges and liens
Unpaid property taxes, water and sewer charges, judgments, and other recorded liens surface during title work whether or not you raise them. Tell us up front so they sit in the number instead of arriving late.
Estate property
Probate and inherited homes
We work with executors, administrators, and personal representatives, often before an estate has fully closed. Say up front that it is an estate, and tell us who is handling it and how many heirs there are.
Occupied property
Tenants and tired landlords
Occupied is fine. Tell us how many units the building legally has, who is in them, what they pay, and whether there are written leases. We would rather price it accurately with the tenants where they are than ask you to do anything about the tenancy.
As-is condition
Vacant, damaged, or full
Empty for years, fire or water damaged, gutted, or holding a lifetime of belongings. An empty Northeast house in January is a frozen pipe waiting to happen. You do not need to clear it out or make it presentable first.
Two owners, one house
Divorce and separation
Turn the house into one clean number both sides can divide, without months of showings and price reductions on a schedule neither of you set.
Also buying through code violations, hoarder homes, job relocations, and properties that need everything. Pick your state below for the local detail.
Where we buy
Pick Your State
Each state page carries the local detail, the cities we buy in, and a no-obligation cash offer.
New York
Poughkeepsie • Newburgh • Middletown • Troy • Schenectady • Utica • Syracuse • Rochester
New York details →Do not see your town? We buy in many surrounding communities across all seven states. Send the address and ask.
Verified Google reviews
What Sellers Say About Working With Diego
Real Google reviews from homeowners who worked directly with Expert Land Sellers.
★★★★★
“Diego was a pleasure to work with. Solved all of our problems with no hesitation and communicated excellently. Will 100% work with again.”
Donald BrownGoogle Review★★★★★
“Great communication and honesty, quick response time and Diego was very kind to work with! Helped me out a ton!”
AliGoogle Review★★★★★
“Diego was an amazing person who held my hand through the entire process, and bought my house for all cash quickly!!”
Hakeem HijazGoogle Review
Meet your buyer
Learn more about the company →
Meet Diego Santiago
Diego Santiago is a Brooklyn native who has been in real estate since 2019. He founded Expert Land Sellers in 2021 to give owners a direct option when repairs, tenants, title problems, or timing make a traditional listing difficult. The company now buys across New York and six other Northeast states.
Call about a property and you get Diego. Not a call center, and not a lead form that gets resold three times. Foreclosure notices, town tax liens, estates working through probate, landlords ready to hand over the keys: those are the calls he takes, in seven states. You get a straight answer and a real number, with no pressure to take it.
A written offer, not a phone number
You choose the closing date
No repairs, no showings
Our approach, stated plainly
Expert Land Sellers evaluates each property based on its actual condition, occupancy, title, legal use, and seller timeline.
Questions we get every week
Selling to a Cash Buyer, Answered
Straight answers.
How does selling to a cash buyer actually work?
You send us the address and tell us what is going on with the property. We look at the property, its condition, and recent comparable sales in that town, and we come back with a written cash offer within 24 hours. There is no obligation attached to it. If you accept, a title company runs the title search and coordinates the closing around a date you pick. Because there is no lender underwriting the purchase, there is no appraisal to pass and no financing contingency to wait on.
Do I have to make any repairs first?
No. We buy the property exactly as it stands. That includes the roof, the furnace, the septic system, the foundation, fire and water damage, and a house still full of things you do not want to move. Take what you want and leave the rest. Don’t spend money on repairs, cleaning, or staging. We handle everything after closing.
Do you charge a commission?
No. We are the buyer, not an agent, so there is no listing agreement and no commission taken out of the price. We are not licensed real estate agents or brokers, and there is no fee for receiving an offer from us.
Who pays the closing costs?
We cover the ordinary closing costs on the purchase. Your written offer will explain the terms of the purchase, including any closing costs Expert Land Sellers has agreed to cover. Separate from that, a sale can carry transfer taxes and recording fees, which are set where the property is rather than by us, and anything owed against the property is paid from the sale proceeds. Your closing attorney or title agent puts every one of those figures on the settlement statement.
Can I sell if I still have a mortgage on the house?
Yes. The remaining balance on your loan is paid off from the sale proceeds at closing, and the title company orders the payoff figure from your lender rather than asking you to produce it. What you receive is what is left after that payoff and after anything else owed against the property. If the payoff looks likely to be larger than our offer, we will tell you early rather than at the closing table.
Can I sell if I owe back property taxes?
Yes. Owing property taxes does not stop a sale to us. The amount owed is paid from the sale proceeds at closing like any other payoff, and the title company confirms the current figure with the tax office rather than relying on your last bill. Deadlines and consequences for unpaid property taxes are set by state and local law, so the place to confirm your own dates is your municipal or county tax office, or your own attorney.
Can I sell a house that is in foreclosure?
Being in foreclosure does not disqualify a property and it does not change how we make an offer. What it changes is the timeline, so tell us the date on your paperwork on the first call. We will look at it and tell you honestly whether a sale can be completed inside that window, including when the answer is no. The lender’s payoff is handled at closing the same as any other. Foreclosure procedure and deadlines are set by each state’s law and by the documents in your own file, and we do not interpret either one for you. That is a question for your own attorney.
I inherited a house. Can I sell it?
Yes. We buy inherited property, including property that is still going through probate. What we need to know early is who currently has authority to sign for the estate and what stage the estate is at, because that is what sets the schedule. Who holds that authority, and what a court has to approve, is set by the law of the state where the estate is being administered and by the will if there is one. Your estate attorney is who confirms that, not us. Tell us where the estate stands and we will work to it.
Will you buy a property that has liens on it?
Yes. Liens, judgments, and title problems do not disqualify a property. The title search identifies what is recorded against it, and those amounts are paid from the sale proceeds at closing so that clear title can be delivered to us. If the total is close to or above our offer, we will tell you as soon as we know rather than at the closing table. What we cannot tell you is whether a particular lien is valid or how to contest it. That is a question for your own attorney.
How quickly can a cash sale close?
There is no lender underwriting the purchase, so there is no appraisal to pass and no financing contingency to wait on. After that, the schedule is set by the title work rather than by us: clearing recorded liens, an estate that is still open, a mortgage discharge that was never recorded, or a payoff figure a lender is slow to produce. Tell us the date you need on the first call and we will tell you whether it is reachable. You pick the closing date.
Do I need a real estate agent?
Not to sell to us. We are the buyer, not an agent, so there is no listing agreement, no showings, and no commission. If you would rather have an agent or your own attorney review the offer or handle the closing for you, that is entirely your call and we will work with them. We are not licensed real estate agents or brokers, and nothing on this page is legal, financial, or tax advice.
Do I have to accept your offer?
No. The offer is written and there is no obligation attached to it. There is no fee for receiving it and no penalty for turning it down. You are welcome to take it to an agent, an attorney, or another buyer and compare. If a direct sale is not the right answer for you, that is a perfectly good outcome.
Which states do you buy houses in?
Seven, all in the Northeast: New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Pennsylvania. We buy in the cities we have pages for and in the towns and counties around them, so it is worth asking about your address even if you do not see it named.
No obligation
Get a Cash Offer on Your House
Send us the address and we will come back within 24 hours with a real number. An auction date, back taxes, an estate, tenants, or a house that needs everything. Bring it.
Expert Land Sellers. Call or text 603-704-1007Offer in 24 hoursNo repairsNo agent commission charged by usNo obligationYou pick the date
This page is general educational information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Foreclosure, tax, probate, and landlord-tenant law differs in every state and changes often. Please consult a licensed attorney in your own state. Expert Land Sellers is a real estate investment company. We are not licensed real estate agents or brokers.
Continue exploring
Northeast USAResources for Property Owners
The states we buy in, foreclosure help in each of them, and direct ways to learn more about Expert Land Sellers.