Selling Fast When You Are Moving
A job transfer, a PCS from Nellis Air Force Base, a family move — the date is set by someone else, and the house in Summerlin, Henderson or wherever you live now has to fit around it. The good news is that you have more choices than “sell before I leave”, and you do not need to be here to close.
We are a property solutions company. Buying houses for cash is one of the things we do, and when there is time to list, we will say that listing is likely to net you more. What follows is how to work the decision back from your move date, with the Nevada rules and federal tax points that affect it.
Working back from your move date
None of these steps is on a legal clock. The clock is yours, which is why the order matters.
- 1
Pin down the date you actually have
Start from the report date on your orders or the first day at the new job, then work backwards. The question is not only when you leave but whether you can keep paying for this house after you do — two mortgages, or rent plus a mortgage, is what turns a relocation into a deadline.
- 2
Decide: sell, rent it out, or keep it empty for a while
Each has a cost. Renting it out means a property manager and landlord obligations from a distance, and the depreciation you claim is taxed when you eventually sell. Leaving it empty means insurance and security questions (below). Selling ends both — but decide with the tax picture in view, because the rules on the home-sale exclusion reward some timings over others.
- 3
Check the tax timing before you pick a date
The home-sale exclusion normally needs two years of owning and living in the house within the five years before the sale. A work move can qualify you for a partial exclusion if you have not reached two years — for example, a new work location at least 50 miles farther from the home than the old one. Service members on qualified official extended duty can suspend the five-year period for up to 10 years (IRS Publication 523). A tax professional, or the free MilTax consultants through Military OneSource, can run your numbers.
- 4
Fill in the disclosure form while you can still walk the house
In a Nevada residential sale the seller generally has to complete a disclosure form and serve it on the buyer at least 10 days before closing, and update the buyer in writing if a new defect turns up before then (NRS 113.130; the form is the Real Estate Division’s Form 547). It is far easier to fill in accurately while you are still living there than from another state.
- 5
Arrange how you will sign
You do not need to fly back to close. A notary in the state you move to can notarize your documents, and Nevada gives that the same effect as a Nevada notarization (NRS 240.164). A Nevada electronic notary can also notarize by live audio-video for a signer anywhere in the United States (NRS 240.1993), after verifying identity (NRS 240.1997). Whether a given sale can use remote notarization is up to the title company, so ask them early.
If the house will sit empty
A vacant house is where relocations go wrong. Three things to settle before you hand over the keys to the movers:
Insurance
The Nevada Division of Insurance warns that a policy may exclude losses once a home has been vacant for a certain number of days — usually 30 or more — unless you can show someone was regularly visiting, and that an insurer may narrow your coverage while you live elsewhere waiting for a sale. Call your insurer before you move, not after something happens.
Someone local
A neighbor, friend or paid service who walks through regularly gives you the visits your insurer may ask about, and a chance to catch a leak or a break-in early.
The carrying costs
Mortgage, HOA dues, utilities, insurance and upkeep continue every month it sits. Put a monthly figure on it; that number is what a faster sale is really buying you.
Your options, by how much time you have
Months of runway
List it. A listing usually nets more than a cash sale, and you have time for preparation, showings and a buyer’s financing. We will tell you which agents we have had good experiences with, and we take nothing for the referral.
Leaving, but not selling yet
Rent it out through a property manager, or hold it while the tax timing works in your favor. Just be honest with yourself about managing a house from another state.
Weeks, or a house that needs work
A cash sale as-is, closed on a date you pick, with no showings to manage from afar and no buyer loan that can fall through after you have gone.
Where we come in
Our part is that third column, when it is genuinely the right one. We can see the house before you leave or after, with a neighbor or property manager letting us in, make a no-obligation cash offer, and close through a licensed Nevada title and escrow company — with you signing wherever you are, subject to the signed agreement and the title company’s requirements. You can leave behind what you do not want to move. If a listing fits your timeline better, we will say so. The steps of a sale with us are laid out on how our purchases work, and if the house came to you through an estate rather than a purchase, our guide to Nevada probate sales is the better starting point.
A relocation we helped with
Moving north to be near the grandkids, on a fixed date
Las Vegas
A homeowner with a paid-off house was moving into an assisted-living community in Reno, near his son and grandchildren, with a move-in date already set. He had a pile of mailers and several offers, and said he cared more about a clean, dependable sale than squeezing out the highest number.
We met him at the house and agreed on terms within a couple of days. We set the closing just before his move, with a short holdback so he could stay in the house until his move-in date. Our transaction coordinator walked him through closing day, and the sale closed on schedule.
From our deal records, reviewed by Alex Wentland, CEO — September 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Relocation questions we hear a lot
Can I sell my Las Vegas house after I have already moved?
Yes. A notary where you live can notarize your closing documents, and Nevada treats that the same as a Nevada notarization (NRS 240.164). A Nevada electronic notary can also notarize remotely by audio-video for a signer elsewhere in the United States (NRS 240.1993). When we buy, we arrange the signing for you, with a mobile notary where you are, through the title company handling the sale.
Is it better to list the house or sell it for cash when I am relocating?
It depends mostly on how much time you have. With months of runway and a house that shows well, a listing usually nets more than a cash sale, and we will tell you so. When the move date is weeks away, the house needs work, or you do not want to carry and insure an empty house from another state, a cash sale trades some of that price for a fixed closing date and no buyer financing to fall through.
I am at Nellis and just got PCS orders. Should I sell or rent?
Both can be right. Renting keeps the house but makes you a long-distance landlord, and the depreciation is taxed when you sell. Selling ends the obligation. Service members on qualified official extended duty can suspend the five-year test period for the home-sale exclusion for up to 10 years (IRS Publication 523), which matters if you rent first and sell later. MilTax, through Military OneSource, offers free tax consultants who can check your situation.
What happens to my homeowners insurance if the house sits empty?
Read your policy. The Nevada Division of Insurance notes that a policy may contain a vacancy clause: if the home is vacant for a certain number of days, usually 30 or more, and you cannot show it was regularly visited, a loss may not be covered. While you live elsewhere waiting for a sale, an insurer may also switch the policy to a narrower specified-perils form. Tell your insurer your plans and arrange regular visits.
Do I have to fill out a seller disclosure if I am selling as-is?
Generally, yes. Nevada requires the seller of residential property to complete a disclosure form and serve it on the buyer at least 10 days before the sale closes (NRS 113.130), and “as-is” does not remove that. The statute has exemptions, so if you think one applies, ask a Nevada real estate attorney.
Can you close on my moving date?
We can work toward a date you choose, sooner or later, subject to the signed agreement and the title and escrow timeline. If we cannot realistically hit it, we will say so at the start rather than a week before you leave.
What does it cost to find out?
Nothing. Looking at the house and giving you an offer is free and carries no obligation, and when we buy, we cover the standard closing costs. If a listing fits your timeline better, we will tell you and point you to agents we have had good experiences with — we take no referral fee for it.
About this guide
Written by the team at Alex Buys Vegas Houses, a Henderson-based property solutions company that buys houses across the Las Vegas Valley and Boulder City. We buy houses across the Las Vegas Valley from owners on fixed moving dates, including sellers who have already left the state — and we tell them plainly when there is time to list and a listing will serve them better.
Last reviewed September 2026. This is general information about Nevada's process, not legal advice — for advice about your specific situation, talk to a Nevada attorney or a HUD-approved housing counselor.
When we do buy, here is what that means
As-is, any condition
No repairs, no cleaning, no staging. Leave behind what you do not want.
No agent fees or commissions
You are selling directly to us, so there is no listing side to pay for.
We cover standard closing costs
The usual closing costs come out of our side of the table, not yours.
Close on your timeline
Days or months — you pick the date that actually works for you.
A local buyer, based in Henderson
We work across the Las Vegas Valley and Boulder City, and we come to the house. Not a national iBuyer, not an out-of-state fund.
No pressure, either way
The offer is free and carries no obligation. Decline it and we do not chase you.
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Tell us your address and your move date
Those two things are enough to start. We will tell you honestly whether a cash sale or a listing fits your timeline. If you would rather talk it through, call (702) 793-2582.