Is Laurel Buys Houses a Man or a Woman? Who Laurel Is
Laurel is a woman. The company is named after its founder, Laurel Sagen, who started buying houses in Sacramento in 1999. On the company's website she introduces herself as a licensed contractor born and raised in Sacramento, and her title there is Founder & CFO.
Selling a house in Sacramento?
Get a second cash offer before you sign with anyone.
We're Pacific Home Buyers, a local, family-run team. Send the address and we'll call you back within minutes, 8am to 8pm, seven days a week. Your written offer, with the math shown, follows within 24 hours.Local, family-run team. Send the address and we'll call back within minutes, 8am to 8pm, every day.
- No fees or commissions
- We pay closing costs
- You pick the closing date
Before you read on: we're Pacific Home Buyers, another Sacramento cash buyer, which makes us a competitor. Everything here about Laurel Buys Houses comes from the company's own website as we read it in October 2026, and we've left our opinions about them out.
Is Laurel a real person?
Yes. The website has a page that introduces Laurel Sagen and her team by name. Dan, the chief operating officer, has worked alongside her for over 30 years, according to that page. The homepage says she has written four books, including Your Next Move, HOARDING and The Inheritance Puzzle.
The company says it has been featured on HGTV, FOX40, Good Day Sacramento and INSIDE Magazine, and that it has helped more than 5,000 Sacramento homeowners. We're repeating those as their claims. We haven't checked them.
What services does Laurel Buys Houses offer?
Laurel Buys Houses buys houses for cash in as-is condition. Here's what the website lists:
- A cash offer made in person, right after they walk the property with you. The site says the offer is guaranteed and won't change.
- Closing usually in 7 to 14 days, sometimes faster if the title is clear.
- No agent commissions. The company says it covers closing costs.
- No repairs or cleaning. Belongings you leave go to veterans and church groups, according to the site.
- Help with moving arrangements.
The situations they list are the usual ones for a cash buyer: inherited and probate houses, an aging relative, foreclosure and late payments, tax liens, fire or structural damage, rentals with tenants, hoarder homes, divorce, bankruptcy and relocation. Their city pages cover Sacramento and towns out to Napa, Fairfield, Davis, Placerville, Auburn, Lodi, Stockton and Tracy.
Laurel Buys Houses and Pacific Home Buyers, side by side
When you're weighing offers, it helps to see two buyers next to each other. Each row below uses that company's own published terms.
| Laurel Buys Houses | Pacific Home Buyers | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Laurel Sagen, founder (1999) | A family-run Northern California business, 25+ years buying houses |
| How you get the offer | In person, right after the walkthrough | In writing within 24 hours, with the math shown: after-repair value, repair estimate and our margin |
| Can the price drop later? | They say the offer is guaranteed and won't change | We don't lower the price after the inspection |
| Time to close | Usually 7 to 14 days | You pick: 7, 21 or 60 days |
| Fees and closing costs | No commissions, they cover closing costs | No commissions, we pay all closing costs |
| What you leave behind | Donated to veterans and church groups | Donated to local charities: veterans, shelters, family services |
| Extras | Help with moving arrangements | Rent-back if you need a few weeks after closing, video walkthrough if you can't meet in person |
| Where they buy | Sacramento region, out to Napa, Placerville and Stockton | Sacramento Valley and the SF Bay Area |
Sources: each company's website, October 2026.
Should you get more than one cash offer?
Yes, and a good buyer won't mind. Get each offer in writing and compare what you'd walk away with, not the headline price. Who pays the closing costs and whether the buyer can back out after an inspection matter more than the first number you hear.
Want a second number to compare?
Start with the address. We call back within minutes during office hours, and your written offer comes within 24 hours. Hold it up against any other offer, Laurel's included, and say no if it doesn't work for you.
You can also call us at (916) 885-0510, seven days a week from 8am to 8pm.
How to check any cash buyer before you sign
These checks take a few minutes, and they work on every buyer, us included.
| What to check | Where | What you want to see |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate license | DRE license lookup | If they or their agent hold a license, it's active with no discipline |
| Contractor license | CSLB license check | For a buyer who says they're a licensed contractor, an active license |
| Business registration | California Secretary of State business search | The company exists and is active |
| Complaints | Better Business Bureau | How complaints were answered, not just the letter grade |
| The contract | Your own copy, before you sign | The buyer's legal name, the price, the closing date, and no clause that lets them assign the contract without telling you |
Close through a title or escrow company, and never sign the deed over directly. Our guide to cash buyer scams in California covers the warning signs.
Questions people ask about Laurel Buys Houses
Is Laurel Buys Houses a man or a woman?
A woman. The company is named after its founder, Laurel Sagen.
Who is the woman in the Laurel Buys Houses commercial?
The commercials are built around Laurel Sagen, the founder the company is named after. Some spots also feature sellers talking about their sale. In a March 2026 Instagram post the company answered viewers directly: Laurel was born and raised in Sacramento, and no, she isn't an AI.
Who owns Laurel Buys Houses?
The company's website names Laurel Sagen as its founder and lists her title as CFO.
What does Laurel Buys Houses do?
It buys houses in the Sacramento area for cash, as-is, and says it usually closes in 7 to 14 days.
Is Pacific Home Buyers connected to Laurel Buys Houses?
No. We're a separate company and a competitor.
Can I get an offer from both?
Yes. Nothing stops you from comparing written offers before you sign anything.