What's the take on a realtor offering to buy a house for the buyer and then resell it to them?

In most markets we do not see a clear need for it, and you pay for the middleman on both ends. Outside of family, where a parent or grandparent buys a home and the buyer purchases it from them later, this mostly shows up as companies that buy a house on your behalf so you can make a cash-style, non-contingent offer while you sell your current home, then sell it back to you with a markup. Layering a cash purchase with a markup on both the buy and the resell adds transaction costs at both steps, and you are paying to solve a problem that is often smaller than it looks. Contrary to popular belief, a cash offer is not automatically the strongest one a seller receives. Sellers weigh net proceeds, certainty, and timing, and a well-qualified financed buyer can absolutely win, so a buyer using a mortgage should not assume they need an expensive cash-conversion product to compete. Before paying for a two-sided markup, try the simpler path: a solid pre-approval, a clean offer with tight timelines, and a lender who can move fast. Get clear on the problem you are actually solving first.