How To Sell A Hoarder House
Selling a Hoarder House can be tricky, most homeowners these days are looking for beautiful, move-in-ready homes that they can picture their family in. However, when dealing with a hoarder house, it can be difficult to find interested buyers. Here are some tips on how to sell a hoarder house in your market.
What Is A Hoarder House?
Before we go into how to sell a hoarder house fast let's define our terms. A Hoarder house is, first and foremost, a home in which the owner has accumulated an excessive amount of belongings and has trouble getting rid of them. This can be anything from old clothes to pieces of furniture to stacks of newspapers. In some cases, the hoarder house may also have animal hoarders living in it, which can make the situation even more difficult. Hoarding can be as simple as a lot of stuff all the way to so much extra stuff you can barely walk through the house.
Dangers Of A Hoarder House
There are some dangers associated with owning and/or living in a hoarder's house. One of the most common dangers is fire. With all of the extra stuff, there are more things that can catch fire and cause serious damage. There is also the danger of being injured by all of the stuff.
If you have to climb over a pile of stuff to get to something else, you run the risk of falling and getting hurt. Finally, there is the danger of illness. If you are living in a hoarder's house, chances are the house is not clean and this can lead to you getting sick. The hoarder houses we have looked at and bought often have hidden mold beneath the piles of belongings.
Cost Of A Hoarder House
There is a hidden cost associated with owning a hoarder house and that is the cost of your health. If you are living in a hoarder's house, chances are the house is not clean and this can lead to you getting sick. The hoarder houses we have looked at and bought often have hidden mold beneath the piles of belongings. Not only is there a cost to your health, but also the cost of your time. If you are constantly cleaning up a hoarder's house, you are not able to use that time to do other things like work or spend time with your family.
These houses often times can have city violations that need to be fixed in order for the city to consider the house inhabitable. This can be anything from the electricity not being up to code to there being mold in the house. These things will need to be fixed before you can even think about selling the property as well as the fines will need to be paid before transferring the house.
How To Sell A Hoarder House By Rehabbing
Many times people who are asking us how to sell a hoarder house, consider fixing up a hoarder house in order to sell it on the open market. Rehabbing a house is always tricky and expensive, add to that the hoarder situation and you may be in over your head. We recommend you consult with a professional before taking on such a task. If you do decide to go down that road here are some steps and tips to help you get a hoarder house ready to sell.
Trash Out
The first step to fixing up the house is to do a trash out. This means removing all of the extra stuff from the house. This can be done by hiring a company to come in and do it for you or you can do it yourself. If you decide to do it yourself, make sure you have a plan for where all of the stuff is going to go. You will need to rent a dumpster or two and have a place to put all of the stuff. This process can be long and difficult, but it is necessary in order to move on to the next step which is cleaning.
Cleaning
Once you have removed all of the extra stuff, it is time to start cleaning. This means scrubbing the floors, walls, and ceilings. It also means getting rid of any mold or mildew that may be present. This is a time-consuming process, but it is necessary in order to make the house presentable. Once you have done the basic cleaning you will now be able to see the house as it is and can start looking at what needs to be fixed and updated.
Repairs
After the house is clean, you will need to start making repairs. This can be anything from fixing holes in the walls to repairing the plumbing. These repairs need to be made in order to make the house livable and sellable. Make sure everything is up to code and done with a licensed contractor who can pull permits. Skipping this step may seem temping to help you save money when selling a hoarder house but be warned, failure to order permits can kill the sale of the house and cost you a lot more in the long term.
Major Repairs
We have often times seen hoarder houses that have major foundation issues. Although it may seem crazy, all that excess stuff can cause strain and damage the foundation and support beams. These types of repairs are expensive and can oftentimes be a deal breaker when trying to sell the house. If you find yourself in this situation, you may want to consider hiring a professional to come in and give you an estimate of the repairs that need to be made. Check with a local foundation expert or a structural engineer to certify your foundation is in good standing. Make sure to check out our other blog post, Can You Sell A House With A Foundation Issue?
Updates
After the repairs have been made, it is time to start making updates. This can be anything from painting the walls to updating the kitchen. These updates will help to increase the value of the house and make it more appealing to potential buyers. Consider hiring a local designer to help you pick out colors and textures for your house.
How To Sell A Hoarder House As Is
If the thought of fixing up and going through all this work to sell a hoarder house sounds daunting don't worry you can always sell a hoarder house as-is. There are many investor cash buyers who are willing to buy hoarder houses as-is. This means you don't have to do any of the work, you can simply sell the house and move on. This is a great option if you are short on time or money. If you are interested in how to sell a hoarder house as-is read on.
How To Sell A Hoarder House With An Agent
One option for how to sell a hoarder house is by paying a real estate agent to sell your hoarder house. This is a good option if you have the time and money to do some of the work to get the house ready for showings. You will still need to do a trash out, cleaning, and repairs but you won't have to do any of the major repairs or updates. This is an option if you want to sell quickly but don't want to deal with the hassle of finding a cash buyer. Many agents may not want to take on this type of listing as they are not well equipped to sell properties that are not in stellar condition. If you would like to discuss this option you can always contact us and we can connect you with a local agent.
Remember, if you sell your house with an agent you will have to pay a commission, closing costs, it will take longer to sell, you risk buyers backing out during the inspection period or attorney review, and you will likely have to put pictures of your house online for strangers. For more information about this check out our other blog post "cost to sell a house".
How To Sell A Hoarder House By Owner
If you want to save time and money when selling a hoarder house consider just selling your hoarder house for sale by owner (fsbo). If that's an option you are considering check out our other blog post "how to sell your house in a week" it can show you how to sell a hoarder house fast.
Remember selling your hoarder house fsbo will have many of the same challenges as with an agent, you will just save some money on the commissions. The better option on how to sell a hoarder house by owner is to just sell it to an experienced cash home buyer like us, Illinois Real Estate Buyers. An investor buyer can typically buy the house in just 1-2 showings as-is. You don't have to do any of the work, we will take care of it all for you. This is the quickest and easiest way how to sell a hoarder's house. You don't have to trash out the house, pay commissions, or any of that other headache. We will buy your house as-is for cash and even pay for the closing costs.
Wrap Up- How To Sell A Hoarder House
If you have an unwanted hoarder house, contact us today to sell it as is fast. Our company specializes in buying and selling hoarder houses and we can help you through the entire process quickly and easily by showing you the straight line way on how to sell a hoarder house. We understand that selling a hoarder house can be a lot of work, but with our help, it doesn't have to be. Plus, by selling your hoarder house to an investor instead of trying to list it on the open market, you'll avoid all of the risks associated with listing it yourself. So don't wait any longer – contact us today for a risk-free cash offer!