The truth is there are people (like us) who buy houses In Any Condition, no matter how old they are or how much repair they need—we specialize in giving these types of properties new life. Our suggestion to you: if you are feeling stressed about the condition of your home, do not be; you can sell a hoarder house for cash as-is, and just let the new owner handle all the cleaning and renovation work. It’s an easy real estate deal for you, a super straightforward transaction. No stress. No drama. No spending thousands of dollars trying to fix it. And You Don’t Even Need To Clean Up, or Pay a contractor a couple thousand bucks to do it, so they can do a half-bum job anyway!
The Benefits of Selling a Hoarder House As-Is
For many, selling your home as-is is a game-changer. You won’t need to make repairs or renovations, saving you both time and money. The roofing, plumbing, and drywall professionals (and the rest) can stay far away from your home and wallet. Not to mention the time it takes (often weeks or even months) to coordinate, oversee, and inspect these repairs. You can also skip the weeks of “cleaner than normal” living while your home is on the market. That means no…
Mortifying midnight panic attacks brought on by a split second of doubt—”Did I remember to vacuum the lint pouch in the laundry room? I’m almost positive I didn’t! God, I probably didn’t, I’m sure of it!” (You may manage to find the strength to get out of bed and double-check.)
Surprise drop-ins by realtors who happen to be “in the neighborhood.”
Hours spent moving the same items around in the hope that they’ll finally, suddenly look “effortlessly” stylish.
Having to explain what an item is, why it’s there, or why it’s so important to you, to your listing agent or visitors to your home.
How to Prepare for Selling a Hoarder House
Both sellers and buyers need to know exactly what condition a property is in. Assess the property from top to bottom. Check the foundation, the roof, and everything in between.
Look for any costly issues like water damage or termite damage. Check for problem spots like older electrical panels and wires, as well as inefficient heating and HVAC systems. Check for any foundational or structural damage. This could include issues with the roof.
Also, take a lot of pictures and notes. If you are doing a walkthrough, take pictures of each room. Include snapshots of areas you might have concerns about. Photos give you a timestamp of when you completed the assessment—this will be good to give to potential buyers as you document the property.
In some cases, it may be best to consult with local real estate agents or house buying companies. If the property needs significant repairs, it may not make sense to list the house as FSBO because you will sink more money into a listing that may only stay on the MLS for a longer period of time.
Choosing the Right Buyer
Companies that buy houses for cash are just what they sound like—businesses that offer homeowners cash for their houses! They’re typically marketed toward people who need to get rid of the property quickly, such as those who recently inherited a house or need to downsize, ASAP, due to financial issues.
We Buy Ugly Houses is top-of-mind among house-buying companies, after kicking around what feels like forever. The company essentially invented this industry model—and stuck with it!
The company has successfully completed a long list of deals and, as the name blatantly calls out, they buy houses “as-is.” There’s no need to spend time and money improving your home for a final sale. Instead, work with what you’ve got and wash your hands of any prior regrets.
There is a toll-free number you can call to reach a franchisee and schedule a walkthrough. (Or, as we prefer to call it, “show off the shiplap appointment.”) From your initial contact, you should receive an offer in two to three business days. And, closing at We Buy Ugly Houses generally takes between three to four weeks.
The Selling Process
Reaching out to home buying services that are not traditional is a simple process that starts with an inquiry. There are many companies out there that say, “We Buy Houses As Is” so you may want to contact a few first. You can contact them directly on their website, call them, or message them on Facebook. Whatever makes you feel most comfortable. A little form will pop up and ask a few questions to get the process started such as; location, basic information about the house, what size it is and in what kind of condition is.
After you make first contact with the company, they will look up the property to see the overall condition of the house. This might seem a bit uneasy and unsure because maybe things need to get fixed in order for the company to purchase the house, but all “We Buy Houses As Is” companies says just that in their name. They are companies that purchase houses in order for the seller to not have to worry about repairs. This is how they succeed and the first step is crucial.
After the analysis of each company that you inquired with, they will state a cash offer as a final amount for the property. This has absolutely nothing to do with the home owners. This is completely their formula of coming up with the latest number, then they subtract the worst case of repairs to come up with the final number. As they finish the purchase of the house, they will repair the house then put it back on the market to sell the house all over again. This is their business so all homeowners have to worry about is selling the house as-is and to think of this whole experience as stress free.
Understanding Hoarder Houses
What is a hoarder house? A hoarder house contains so many items that the rooms cannot be used for their intended purpose, which is the definition of hoarding common to most professionals. If you thought that sounded like clutter, it’s more than that! Many hoarder houses are so filled with clutter that the structure of the house is compromised, weakened, or otherwise damaged because the house is overfilled. Hoarder houses are UNSAFE.
What are in hoarder houses? Newspapers, clothing, and other items (more or less useless) fill the house, and sometimes obstruct the house. Everyday houses in Marysville and your neighborhood that look NORMAL from the outside are piled up with useless items up to the top like human-sized hamster homes where the normal routes are blocked! Not all pathways and exits are blocked, but many are, and know that about 8% of the friends, relatives, and neighbors that you know here in the Snoho or Skagit area are HOARDERS.
Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression go hand in hand with hoarders. The items make the hoarders feel safe, and because the house is overfilled with “stuff,” the items damage and pull and push a box of hostess twinkies that have been in that pantry for over 9 1/2 years that was only meant to be eaten for one to three minutes. Your favorite celebrity modified a new “link and build” recipe that this married woman hoarder (that her son does not even know how to cook food software because he chooses not to cook) downloaded, printed, and connected to the office’s network to make the printer print out a recipe that she is never going to cook. Instead, keep pushing (hopefully, you’ve been out there at least once, friend-line) friends! Ask your friend’s “I’m fine.”
Finally
Give us a call on: 206-291-6117, right now, so we can get to know your property. There’s no obligation as to what you should do at that point. Just get some expert advice on how you should navigate through this situation. Let’s see if we would be a good fit to work together on your real estate situation. Let us show you how we can support you to get to your final destination. What do you have to lose! Call us up or simply fill out the contact form!