Shades CreekHome Buyers (205) 440-6513

Hoover, Alabama · Jefferson & Shelby Counties

You don't have to sell to us to get a straight answer.

We buy houses across the Birmingham metro. Before we make an offer, one of our home buying specialists tells you what the house is likely worth on the open market — and if listing it would put more money in your pocket, we say so.

Tell us about the property Read when you shouldn't sell to us
A modest single-family home previously purchased by Shades Creek Home Buyers.
Previously purchased
A weathered single-family home previously purchased by Shades Creek Home Buyers.
Previously purchased
The side of a weathered single-family home previously purchased by Shades Creek Home Buyers.
Previously purchased
A brown single-family home previously purchased by Shades Creek Home Buyers.
Previously purchased
A number in writing
Within four days
You choose the date
Seven days, or ninety
No countdown
Take the time you need
First visit
Nothing is signed

Why people call

Almost nobody calls about a house. They call about what happened.

The house is usually the last problem on the list, and the one blocking everything else.

  1. A death

    A house in Birmingham, an executor two states away, and taxes and insurance running the whole time.

  2. A divorce

    When two people need one clean number and a firm date far more than they need the highest one.

  3. Debt

    A foreclosure date that won't move, liens, back taxes, or repairs no lender will finance a retail buyer through.

  4. Downsizing

    A move to assisted living, a job two states away, or a house that stopped fitting the life inside it.

  5. A tenant

    Occupied, behind, or mid-dispute. We buy as it stands and take it from there.

What we pay, and why

Every offer arrives itemised.

The reason cash offers feel insulting is that nobody shows their work.

So ours comes as a page, not a number. What the house would list for repaired, what the repairs will cost, and what we carry while we hold it. If the trade isn't worth it to you, you'll be able to see that for yourself rather than take our word for it.

The comparable sales we used are attached, with addresses, and so is the repair estimate. Those are the two things the offer is built on, and both are things you can check without taking our word for anything.

How the number is built

Illustrative · every offer shows real figures

What it would list for, repairedComparable sales, attached
Less the repairs we take onItemised, room by room
Less carrying, closing and resaleTaxes, insurance, interest, fees
What's left is your offerIn writing

Those are the numbers that can be known on the day. What the house finally sells for, months from now, and what it turns out to need once the walls are open, are not — and that uncertainty moves to us the moment we close. It is the whole of what the discount buys you.

How it works

Four steps, and the timing we hold ourselves to.

01

You tell us about the property

Address, rough condition, and what's driving the timeline. We don't ask for a social security number, a mortgage balance, or a copy of the deed.

3 minutes
02

You get the market picture first

What comparable houses nearby actually sold for, and what yours would likely list at as it stands — before any offer, so you can judge ours against something real.

1 business day
03

One visit, then the number in writing

About forty minutes. No contractors trailing through, no repeat showings, no staging. The written offer is itemised as above.

2–4 days
04

You decide, on your schedule

Close in seven days, or in ninety if you need somewhere to go first. If you'd rather list it, we'll tell you who we'd call.

Your timeline

Before you call us

When you should not sell to us.

If the house is in reasonable condition, you're not against a deadline, and you can live with showings for a few weeks — list it. You will very likely net more than we can offer, even after commission.

That isn't modesty. Our offer sits below retail by design, because we absorb the repairs, the months of carrying costs, and the risk that a financed buyer's loan collapses two days before closing. When none of those risks are yours, you shouldn't be paying anyone to take them.

We would rather say that in the first phone call than spend a week of your time arriving at it. It costs us the deals that were never right, and wins the ones where trust was the only thing in the way.

“A buyer who never tells you to walk away is telling you something. We would rather be the one you call back in two years than the one you got talked into today.”

In their words

What three sellers said afterwards.

The first of these is from someone we did not buy from. Published with permission; names withheld at their request.

ProbateAlabaster

“I was referred to Shades Creek by my sister and they were beyond amazing. I could go on for days, to be honest. My mother passed away and left the house to me. Every other buyer was swarming like buzzards and making really high offers. They were very honest that they would never be able to get what the others were offering, but they asked me if the house had been through probate. It hadn’t.”

“They explained that entire process and even got me in touch with the right people to get it started. When it was done I called back, and they still were positive that if the other offers were legitimate I should take them. They explained to me exactly what language to look for. I even called and went over a few offers with them, and they showed me the red flag language that did not match the person’s words.”

“In the end they actually advised me to sell my house with an agent, which is what I did. We are still friends to this day.”

Sold to fund careMount Olive

“I needed to sell my mother’s house in Ensley to keep her in a care facility. Because of insurance requirements we had to get fair market value even though the home wasn’t in fair market condition. They showed me all my options — even that I could fix it up and get more for it if I sold it myself. Somehow they got me what I needed, and my mother gets the care she needs.”

Sold as it stoodThorsby

“I dealt with Shades Creek to sell my house in Thorsby. It was run down and could never pass an inspection, and I needed to move quickly. They didn’t lowball me. They didn’t try to pressure me because of my situation, and they ended up getting me more than what some listed comps sold for at the same time. I would recommend them to anyone.”

Where we buy

Jefferson and Shelby, and the edges of what borders them.

Outside it and you call anyway? We'll say so plainly rather than take the appointment.

Primary

Jefferson County

Birmingham · Hoover · Vestavia Hills · Mountain Brook · Homewood · Bessemer · Trussville · Gardendale · Fultondale · Irondale · Center Point · Pleasant Grove

Primary

Shelby County

Alabaster · Pelham · Helena · Calera · Chelsea · Columbiana · Montevallo · Indian Springs · Wilsonville

In part

Bordering

The portions of St. Clair, Blount, Walker, Bibb, Chilton and Talladega nearest the metro.

Before you sign

What we tell you, before you sign anything.

  1. We are not the deed holder

    Until closing we hold a contract to purchase, not the title.

  2. We may assign that contract

    A different buyer may be the party at closing. You'll know before you sign, not on the day.

  3. Take it to someone who works for you

    Run the contract past an attorney or an agent you trust. We'll hold the offer while you do.

  4. Our offer is below market, and we show why

    The repair estimate and the comparable sales come with it, so you can check the two numbers the offer is built on.

  5. You can stop before signing

    No fee, no penalty, and no follow-up campaign to unsubscribe from.

Start here

Tell us about the property.

Three minutes, no obligation, and a straight answer either way — including the answer that you would do better listing it.

Or call (205) 440-6513. We use this to reply and to prepare; it is not sold, shared, or added to a mailing list.