Sections: Expert take | Full analysis | Top competitors | Reviews | Is it legit? | FAQs
Christopher Ellyn Homes
Overall rating
| Customer score |
4.0 |
|---|---|
| Credibility |
4.8 |
| Track record |
4.8 |
| Recent activity |
4.0 |
Christopher Ellyn Homes is a cash home buyer in Indianapolis, IN. Christopher Ellyn Homes buys homes in Beech Grove, Broad Ripple, Carmel, Columbus, Fishers, Fort Wayne, Fountain Square, Franklin, Greenwood, Hamilton County, Indianapolis, Lawrence, Lebanon, Noblesville, Shelbyville, South Bend, Speedway, Warren Township, and Zionsville, Indiana; Honolulu and Kaneohe, Hawaii; Emporia, Kansas; Louisville, Kentucky; St. Louis, Missouri; and Las Vegas, Nevada. It's been in business since 2016.
Highlights
- 80% of 49 total reviewers would likely recommend to others.
- Verified activity dating back at least 10 years.
- Responds to 86% of reviews, indicating company cares about reputation
Where Christopher Ellyn Homes buys homes📍
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Overall rating for Christopher Ellyn Homes
📊 Our Overall Rating is based on a variety of data including customer reviews, credibility, service quality, and activity level. Learn more.
Our expert take:
We recommend contacting Christopher Ellyn Homes to request a cash offer if you need to sell a house fast that also needs repairs or has other complicating factors. We feel confident that Christopher Ellyn Homes is a safe and legitimate operation, with strong scores in most of the areas we evaluated. We have high confidence they'll provide a good offer or experience for most sellers.
Christopher Ellyn Homes has a 4.0 customer score, which is decent (top 20% compared to similar companies). We calculated a weighted average customer rating of 4.0 based on 49 verified reviews, signaling that most people who sell to Christopher Ellyn Homes are generally satisfied with their experience and outcome. Additionally, 79% of reviewers would likely recommend the company to others. Christopher Ellyn Homes's customer ratings haven't changed much over the past 6 months, indicating it's been maintaining its general standard of customer service.
Christopher Ellyn Homes has a great 4.8 credibility score (top 10% compared to similar companies). It's accredited with the BBB, has an A+ rating, and 0 complaints. Christopher Ellyn Homes's website features most of the credibility signals we look for when evaluating cash investors, like team member names and team member photos. It responds to 86% of customer reviews online, which signals the company cares about its online reputation and customer satisfaction.
Christopher Ellyn Homes has a very strong 4.8 track record score (bottom 5% compared to similar companies). We were able to verify activity dating back at least 2016, which is about five years less than the typical cash home buyer where it operates. Christopher Ellyn Homes has had somewhat inconsistent online activity, month-to-month, over its lifespan. This may indicate it's a smaller or less active operation, but it's likely a stable and legitimate business.
Christopher Ellyn Homes has a solid 4.0 recent activity score (bottom 5% vs competitors, which likely due to limited or missing data). It's had 3 new reviews in the past eighteen months, but none within the past six months. The most recent verified review was posted 16 months ago. This could be due to missing data or indicate the business is no longer active.
Christopher Ellyn Homes vs. similar cash investors
Customer reviews for Christopher Ellyn Homes
| Rating | Total reviews | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 4.1 | 49 |
| 4.2 | 48 | |
| BBB | 1.0 | 1 |
Is Christopher Ellyn Homes legit?
Yes, we think Christopher Ellyn Homes is legit. Christopher Ellyn Homes's TrustScore is Very Strong (100%). We have high confidence that companies with TrustScores above 90% are very safe and legitimate, far exceeding the baseline criteria we look for when evaluating brand credibility.
Verification status as of 04/21/2025:
- Advertises cash offers online: Yes
- Active website: Yes
- At least 1 year verified activity: Yes, 10+ years of verified activity
- At least 20 verified customer reviews: Yes, 49 reviews
- At least 4.0 average customer rating: Yes, 4.1 average rating
- At least 1 new review in past 6 months: No, 0 recent reviews
- Evenly distributed review activity: Yes, relatively consistent review activity over past 103 months
- Responds to customer reviews online: Almost always, 86% of the time
- Has BBB profile: Yes
- Active BBB accreditation: Yes
- BBB accredited for at least 12 months: Unverified
- BBB rating of at least B+: Yes, BBB rating is A+
- Verified name of owner(s): Yes, Ryan Dossey
- Verified business address: Yes, 342 N 17th Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46107
- Names of team members and/or owners on website: Yes
- Photos team members and/or owners on website: Yes
- Video testimonials from past customers on website: No
FAQs about cash home investors
Most companies that buy houses for cash in are professional real estate investors who purchase properties, fix them up, then resell or rent them out for a profit.
- Many property investors look to buy “distressed” homes (properties that need major repairs, have complex title or tax issues, or whose owners are under pressure to sell fast).
- Because investors usually pay with cash, they can close faster than retail buyers who need approval from a lender. Some can close in as few as 2-3 days after making an offer.
- Buying complicated properties fast carries a lot of risk, so investors typically pay less than you'd net on the open market to ensure they don't end up losing money on the deal.
- This tradeoff can be worth it if you need speed and certainty or can't sell your home on the open market.
- But cash investors aren't always your best or only option. We suggest trying an offers marketplace like Clever Offers, which brings you competing cash offers and other sell-fast solutions to compare so you get the best price and sale outcome.
Consider a cash home buyer company if you're selling a house that needs major repairs, has complicating factors (e.g., title problems, liens, tax issues), or are under pressure to sell your house fast because of pre-foreclosure, financial issues, or unexpected life changes.
If you need to sell fast and have a newer, well-maintained house, you may want to look into an iBuyer or Buy-Before-You-Sell (aka bridge loan) service, if they're available in your area. iBuyer and Bridge Loan services may help you get a higher price without sacrificing speed and certainty.
If you have a more flexible selling timeline, it’s worth finding a real estate agent to get a free comparative market analysis so you know what you could get for your home on the open market. Listing with an agent means less control over timing, but will generally net you the most money in the end — even if you're selling a house as-is.
Most "We Buy Houses for Cash" companies are legit. But there are definitely bad actors and frauds to watch out for. Here are some quick tips that can help you avoid potential scams or predatory buyers.
- Look for an established online presence. E.g., BBB accreditation with a high letter grade; excellent customer ratings and lots of reviews (including recent ones) on third-party platforms like Google; a legitimate-looking website with info about owners, customer testimonials, and other credibility signals.
- Always request offers from more than one cash buyer. This will help ensure, at minimum, that you get a fair price and, ideally, help you net the most possible cash in the end. (Note: Clever Offers makes this process fast, safe, and easy).
- Ask for a proof of funds letter along with the cash offer. Legit and experienced cash investors should be happy to provide this to you.
- Make sure all the key details are in the contract. The earnest money deposit, sale price, closing date, and other key terms should be clearly stated in the purchase agreement. If it’s not in writing, the buyer can make last minute changes or back out of the deal and you have zero recourse.
- ⚠️ DON’T call the phone numbers on those generic “Cash for Houses” signs posted by the side of the road, especially when there are no details about the company.
- ⚠️ WALK AWAY if the cash investor or company representative is getting aggressive, pushy, or making you uncomfortable in any way.
- ⚠️ NEVER wire anyone money or give out your personal financial information without professional representation or a licensed third-party (like an attorney or title company) involved.
🚨 Important: If you or someone you know has been in contact with or possibly taken advantage of by a company you think is a scam or fraud, please (a) report it to your local police via 911 and (b) all relevant government protection agencies online:
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Methodology
If you’re under pressure to sell a house fast — especially one in need of major repairs — cash home buyer companies may be your best (or only) option. But in these situations, it can be hard to know who to trust.
Clever evaluates thousands of we buy houses for cash companies across the country to help you smoothly and successfully navigate what can often be a confusing and stressful process.
Our editorial team manually reviews, vets, and analyzes each cash home buyer company for key credibility and quality signals, including customer ratings, online profiles and reputation, track record, and recent activity.
We assign a weight to each of these factors carefully based on their relative importance. We then roll them up into an overall rating to efficiently convey a given company’s balance of trustworthiness, service quality, and likelihood of making a viable offer if you reach out.
We are continually adding more companies to our review library and update all of our data regularly. Our goal is to help you quickly identify all of the local options worth considering, request multiple offers, and get the best outcome for your specific situation or needs.