Public record · checked November 3, 2026
Laurel Buys Houses: who runs it and what the public record shows
Who publishes this: Pacific Home Buyers, a Sacramento cash home buyer. We compete with the companies on this site, so every fact here comes from a public record or the company's own site, and we say which.
Laurel Buys Houses is a Sacramento company that buys houses for cash, as-is. Laurel Sagen runs it, and the company's website says she started it in 1999. The Better Business Bureau files the business under the name Alcala Properties, with Laurel Sagen as owner. In early November 2026 it had 4.8 stars from 152 Google reviews and an A+ from the BBB.
Below is what you can confirm for yourself: who owns it, which license is on file, how the company says it makes offers, and how it lines up against Bobby Buys Homes, another local buyer with its owner's name on the sign.
Who owns Laurel Buys Houses?
Laurel Sagen. The BBB lists "Ms. Laurel Sagen, Owner" as the principal contact, and the company website calls her Founder & CFO. The site says she was born and raised in Sacramento and has been buying houses here since 1999.
The dates in the records don't match exactly. The BBB shows its file, Alcala Properties, as a business started in January 2015 and accredited since May 31, 2017. The 1999 date comes from the company. We don't know the reason, and it may mean nothing. It's still a good reason to ask any buyer which company will sign your contract.
According to the website, her chief operating officer, Dan, has worked with her for more than 30 years.
Is Laurel Buys Houses licensed?
Laurel Sagen holds a California contractor's license. The Contractors State License Board lists Laurel Ann Sagen on license 946821, issued on May 5, 2010 to Sagen Development, a sole ownership. It's a class B (general building) license, the board shows it as current and active, and it expires on May 31, 2028. You can pull the same record from the CSLB license check by searching her last name.
A contractor's license fits a buyer that fixes up what it buys. It is not a real estate license, though. If someone in your sale acts as an agent or broker, look them up on the DRE license lookup.
How does Laurel Buys Houses make an offer?
The company's website describes the process this way:
- Someone walks through the house with you and makes a cash offer in person right afterward.
- The company says the offer is guaranteed and won't change.
- Closing usually takes 7 to 14 days, sometimes less when the title is clear.
- There are no agent commissions, and the company says it covers closing costs.
- You can leave things behind. The site says they go to veterans and church groups.
- It offers help with the move.
Its city pages reach well past Sacramento, out to Davis, Woodland, Auburn, Placerville, Fairfield, Vacaville, Napa, Lodi, Stockton and Tracy.
The site also says the company has helped more than 5,000 homeowners and has been on HGTV, FOX40, Good Day Sacramento and INSIDE Magazine. Those are the company's numbers. We couldn't check them.
Laurel Buys Houses and Bobby Buys Homes, side by side
Both companies carry the owner's first name, and both lean on local TV. Laurel Buys Houses posts its commercials on YouTube, and Bobby Buys Homes says it has been featured on ABC10. Their records look like this.
| Company | Google reviews |
|---|---|
| Laurel Buys Houses, 4.8 stars | 152 |
| Bobby Buys Homes, 4.9 stars | 108 |
Source: Google business listings, checked Nov 2, 2026 (Laurel Buys Houses) and Oct 31, 2026 (Bobby Buys Homes).
| Laurel Buys Houses | Bobby Buys Homes | |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Laurel Sagen | Bobby (Robert) Peterson |
| Started | 1999, per the company | 2015, per the company and the BBB |
| State license | Contractor, CSLB class B, active | Real estate salesperson, DRE, active |
| Google rating | 4.8 from 152 reviews | 4.9 from 108 reviews |
| BBB | A+, accredited since 2017, no complaints in 3 years | A+, accredited since 2025, one complaint in 3 years, answered |
| Hours on Google | Open 24 hours | Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm |
| How the offer comes | In person, after the walkthrough | Within 24 hours of the first call |
| Typical close | 7 to 14 days | 10 to 14 days, as fast as 7 |
Sources: Google listings (Nov 2 and Oct 31, 2026), BBB, CSLB, DRE and each company's website.
On paper the two are close. Both have strong Google ratings and an A+ from the BBB. Where they differ is whose license is on file and how you get the number. We wrote longer pieces on each, covering Laurel Buys Houses reviews and Bobby Buys Homes reviews.
Before you sign with any cash buyer
- Get the offer on paper, with the price, the closing date and who pays escrow and title.
- Check every license the buyer mentions on the CSLB or DRE site.
- Search the legal name in the California Secretary of State business search. The brand on the TV ad and the name on the contract can differ.
- Open the BBB file and read the complaints, if there are any, along with the replies.
- Get a second written offer. Without one, you can't tell whether the first is fair.