We Buy Houses in Appleton — Cash Offer, No Repairs, Your Timeline

Selling Your Appleton Home Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated

I’m Carter Crowley. My dad Bryan and I run CB Home Solutions — we’ve been buying and renovating houses across Wisconsin since 2015. Appleton is one of our most active markets. In the past year, we’ve purchased four homes here — from a place on Viola Street on the north side that was full of half-finished projects, to an inherited home on Rexford Street where the family was settling an estate from out of state.

If you’ve been going back and forth about what to do with a house that needs work, or a property you inherited, or a place you just need to move on from — we can probably help. We buy houses in any condition, and we pay cash. No showings, no repairs, no waiting around for a buyer’s financing to fall through.

But I want to be honest about something up front: a cash sale isn’t always the right move. If your home is in good shape and you’re not in a time crunch, listing it on the open market will usually get you more money. Because I hold an active Wisconsin real estate license (License #81027-94), I can walk you through both options and tell you which one actually makes sense for your situation. We’d rather lose a deal than have you feel like you got a bad one.

We’re Carter and Bryan Crowley — father and son. We started CB Home Solutions in 2015 out of Oshkosh, and over the past decade we’ve expanded across Wisconsin, including a strong presence in Appleton.

Carter handles acquisitions and seller relationships. He holds Wisconsin Real Estate License #81027-94 with Realty One Group Haven, which means he can advise you on both cash and traditional sale options — not just the one that benefits us. Bryan manages our renovation crews and oversees every project from demo to final walkthrough.

Between the two of us, we’ve been involved in over 300 transactions across the state. We’re not a faceless corporation or a call center — when you call us, you’re talking to the people who actually buy and renovate the houses. You can verify our BBB accreditation here, or visit our About page to learn more about how we got started.

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4 Steps To Sell Your Home For Cash

Step 1: Tell Us About the Property

Fill out the form at the top of this page or call us directly at (920) 215-4201. We’ll ask a few questions about the house — where it is, what kind of shape it’s in, and what timeline you’re working with. Five-minute conversation. No pressure, no commitment.

Step 2: We Come See It in Person

We schedule a walkthrough at a time that works for you. We look at the structure, the mechanicals, the overall scope of work — and we don’t charge a dime for it. We’ve seen houses with mold in the basement, pet damage in every room, kitchens that haven’t been touched in 40 years. Nothing surprises us. We’re just figuring out what it’ll take to renovate and what the property is worth once it’s fixed up.

Step 3: You Get a Written Cash Offer

Usually the same day we walk the house, sometimes the next morning. It’s a real number on paper — not a “we’ll get back to you.” We’ll also explain what we think the home could sell for if you listed it traditionally, so you can compare and make a confident decision. Take all the time you need. No expiration dates, no high-pressure follow-ups.

Step 4: Close When You’re Ready

Since we buy with cash, there’s no bank underwriting, no appraisal contingency, and no financing that might fall through at the last minute. We’ve closed in as little as two weeks, and we’ve also waited months for sellers who needed more time to get their affairs in order. We work around your schedule — not the other way around. We handle the title work and closing costs.

Recent Appleton Home Purchases

Every house we buy has a different story behind it. Here are two recent purchases right here in Appleton that show how we work.

1520 N Viola St, Appleton, WI

Eric’s Story — 15 Years of Half-Finished Projects

The Situation

Eric had owned this house on Viola Street for 15 years. He was moving in with his girlfriend and wanted to sell — but the home had accumulated years of half-finished renovation projects. A bathroom that was started but never completed, a kitchen that was partially updated, drywall patches that never got painted.

The Challenge

Eric didn’t want to deal with a realtor. He knew the house needed a lot of work before it could show well for traditional buyers, and he didn’t want strangers walking through his place for weeks on end. He just wanted to sell it as-is and move on to his next chapter.

Our Solution

We walked the property with Eric, assessed the scope of all the unfinished projects, and gave him a cash offer that reflected what the home was worth in its current condition. No need to finish the bathroom. No need to touch the kitchen. Just sign and go.

The Result

Eric accepted, we closed on his timeline, and he was able to focus on moving in with his girlfriend without the stress of managing contractors or coordinating showings. We took the house from where he left off and completed the renovation ourselves.

1412 N Rexford St, Appleton, WI

Inherited Home — Settling an Estate from Out of State

The Situation

A group of siblings inherited this house from their mother. None of them lived in Wisconsin anymore, and they needed to settle the estate. The home had been well-loved but hadn’t been updated in years — it needed work throughout, and managing a renovation from out of state wasn’t realistic.

The Challenge

Listing the property meant coordinating repairs, finding a local agent, scheduling showings they couldn’t attend, and waiting months for the right buyer. The siblings just wanted it handled — cleanly and quickly — so they could close the chapter and divide the proceeds.

Our Solution

We walked the property, assessed what it needed, and made the family a cash offer. Because Carter is a licensed agent, we also walked them through what the home might fetch on the open market so they could compare. They didn’t have to fly in for the closing — we coordinated a mobile notary and handled all the paperwork remotely. If you’re going through something similar, our guide to selling an inherited home in Wisconsin covers the process in detail.

The Result

The family accepted, we closed within a few weeks, and they were able to settle the estate without anyone needing to travel back to Wisconsin. No cleanout, no repairs, no listing agent commission.

More Appleton Homes We’ve Purchased Lately

• 1109 N Harriman St, Appleton — Couple going through a divorce. Home was outdated and needed TLC throughout. They didn’t want to deal with showings or repairs during an already difficult time.
• 1200 S Kernan Ave, Appleton — Homeowner couldn’t afford repairs — drywall damage, plumbing leaks, and pet-damaged flooring throughout. Sold as-is and bought something newer.

Cash Sale vs. Listing with an Agent — An Honest Comparison

We think you deserve the full picture. Here’s a straightforward look at how selling to us compares to listing your home on the MLS with a traditional agent:

If your home is in decent shape and you’re not in a hurry, listing it will usually get you more money at the end of the day. We’re upfront about that. A cash sale makes the most sense when the house needs significant repairs, when you’re dealing with a difficult situation like a divorce or back taxes, or when you simply want it done without months of uncertainty.

Not sure which route is right for you? Call us at (920) 215-4201. The good news is that we can help you with either option! We can buy your home for cash or list if for you on the MLS because Carter is also a licensed agent in Wisconsin.

What Appleton Homeowners Are Dealing With

A lot of the homes we buy in Appleton were built between the 1940s and 1970s — especially in the neighborhoods around Lawrence University, along College Avenue, and on the north side streets like Viola, Harriman, and Rexford. They’re solid houses, but after 50+ years, the same issues come up again and again: aging furnaces, original electrical that’s borderline unsafe, basements that leak every spring, and kitchens and bathrooms that haven’t been touched since the Carter administration.

We also see a lot of homes near the downtown and Oneida Street corridor that were once single-family and later converted to duplexes or rentals. Landlords who’ve been renting for years reach a point where they’d rather sell than sink more money into repairs — especially when tenants have been hard on the property. If that sounds familiar, we buy rental properties with tenants still in place.

And then there are the inherited homes. Appleton has a lot of longtime residents who raised families here, and when those homeowners pass away or move into assisted living, their kids are left with a house that needs more work than they can handle from wherever they live now. Estate sales, probate timelines, sibling disagreements about price — we’ve helped families navigate all of it. Our guide to navigating probate in Wisconsin walks through the legal side if you’re in that situation.

Ready to See What Your Appleton Home Is Worth?

Fill out the form above or call us directly at (920) 215-4201. We’ll give you an honest assessment — and if a cash offer isn’t the right fit, we’ll tell you that too. No obligation, no pressure, no hard feelings.

We also serve the surrounding Fox Cities communities — see our Fox Cities Communities page for Kaukauna, Kimberly, Little Chute, and other nearby areas.

More Resources for Appleton Homeowners

• Sell a Fire Damaged House in Wisconsin
• How to Sell a Home During Bankruptcy in Wisconsin
• Seller Resources — Full Library

CB Home Solutions
Serving Appleton, WI
(920) 215-4201 — carter@flipfoxvalley.com