Is a crypto offer on a house legit?

It can be — crypto-funded purchases close every month — outright or with a traditional mortgage — with the buyer's crypto converted to dollars and escrow receiving a standard wire. Legitimacy turns on verification: a real buyer can produce a third-party-verifiable proof of funds. A buyer who offers only wallet screenshots, or who needs the seller to accept actual bitcoin, deserves the same skepticism as any unverified cash buyer.

How do I verify a buyer's crypto funds?

Ask for a proof of funds from a verification service, not a screenshot. A legitimate crypto proof of funds is backed by cryptographic wallet-ownership verification, states a USD value with a volatility adjustment, and carries an issuer and document ID that you (or the listing agent) can independently verify. RealOpen produces one in about 15 minutes, and any third party can check the document by ID.

Does the seller receive bitcoin or dollars?

Dollars, in the standard model. The buyer's crypto is converted to USD before or at closing and escrow disburses a normal wire — the seller never touches crypto, and no one on the listing side needs a wallet or an exchange account.

Does a crypto-funded purchase change the closing timeline?

Not materially, when handled properly. The transaction runs through standard escrow and title workflows with good funds wired to escrow; conversion is arranged so dollars arrive on schedule. The deals that slip are the ones where the buyer planned to cash out through a retail exchange at the last minute and discovered withdrawal limits.

Your buyer wants to pay with bitcoin. Here's the 10-minute version.

First, the part that matters: the seller gets dollars. The buyer's crypto converts to dollars before or at closing, escrow receives a standard wire, and the seller gets USD — your contract, your timeline, and your commission all work exactly the way they always do. RealOpen never represents buyers or sellers — your client stays your client. Your first question is the same one you'd ask any buyer: is the purchase all-cash or mortgage-financed? For a cash offer, get proof of funds for the full amount. For a financed offer, get lender preapproval plus evidence of the buyer's crypto-funded contribution — a dollar wire does not turn a financed offer into a cash offer. Either way, verify the funds are real before anyone writes an offer. The only new part is knowing what crypto verification looks like when it's done properly.

What a real crypto proof of funds shows

A lender- and listing-side-ready crypto proof of funds has three properties: verified wallet ownership (cryptographic verification — a signed message or confirmed test transfer — not a balance screenshot), a USD value with a volatility adjustment rather than a raw spot-price number, and an issuer and document ID that a third party can verify independently. A screenshot of a wallet or exchange balance proves none of these — anyone can screenshot anything.

Key Points

Ownership: proven cryptographically, not claimed
Value: volatility-adjusted USD, not a spot-price screenshot
Verifiability: document ID any third party can check with the issuer
Time to produce, done properly: about 15 minutes

Dollars at closing, with extra provenance

Escrow and title don't handle bitcoin, and they don't need to: conversion to USD happens upstream, and closing runs on received good funds like every other closing, cash or financed — the full mechanics are in the closing process explainer. What crypto changes is the provenance question before the offer: instead of a bank letter, you're looking at a verification document for assets that live on a blockchain.

How to verify the funds are real

Ask for a verifiable proof of funds and check it. With a RealOpen Proof of Funds letter, that means the document carries an ID you can verify directly — confirming it's authentic, unaltered, and current. One point that trips up agents new to this: verification doesn't require the buyer to move anything. Funds are verified where they sit — cold storage included — so "my bitcoin is in a hardware wallet" is not a red flag. An unverifiable screenshot is. So is a buyer who resists third-party verification, or one whose plan requires the seller to accept actual bitcoin.

The longer agent playbook — red flags, qualifying questions, timing — is in how to qualify crypto buyers.

What to tell the listing side

Keep it boring, because it is: "The buyer is funding with crypto. [Cash: This is a cash offer; here's third-party-verified proof of funds for the full price.] [Financed: Here's the lender preapproval, plus third-party verification of the buyer's down payment funds.] Here's where you can verify the document yourself. Escrow receives a standard wire; the seller receives dollars, and the contract states the financing accurately." If the listing agent wants more, the seller-side version of this page exists precisely so you don't have to explain custody models at a kitchen table: someone offered crypto for your house — how that actually works.

Send your buyer to get verified — Proof of Funds in 15 minutes