How to Sell a Hoarder’s House
Every home gets cluttered at times, but some homes end up full of things the owner has no use for. Hoarding is a rare but serious situation in which a home or apartment’s occupant ends up overwhelmed with things and refuses to part with them. Not sure how to sell a hoarder house, or what it even means?
Hoarding is a complex predicament that can have wide-ranging effects on family members. If you’re intervening in a hoarding situation or have inherited one, you don’t have to handle the sale alone. Here are some possible scenarios for how to sell a hoarder house.
Recognizing Hoarding
It’s important to remember that not all highly-cluttered homes are irreparable hoarding situations. If the owner or occupant can clean the clutter, you may be able to get the property to a saleable state.
Hoarding behaviors alone may be considered a mental illness, but can also be tied to anxiety, depression, or OCD. This often makes it more challenging for the individual to tackle the situation or make a change. Even having the help of family or friends isn’t always enough.
Hoarding usually results in unclean conditions around the home that can cause long-term damage to the carpets and walls. This is exacerbated if the hoarder had pets that were not properly cleaned up after. In most cases, hoarding houses are not attractive to traditional buyers because of the level of repairs they require.
Option 1: Intensive Clean-Up
When the occupant has passed away or has consented to selling their home and moving out, the most obvious option is to clean up the house and try to sell it. This may seem like a reasonable choice for low-level hoarders, but the expenses of a thorough cleanup can accumulate quickly, especially if minor repairs are also necessary. Selling a hoarder house can take months or even years if you take on all the tasks yourself.
You will need to enlist the help of a junk removal team and professional cleaners. Junk removal teams look inexpensive at first glance, but they often charge based on the number of items removed. This can add up fast in a hoarding situation.
After that, you may need to enlist a home repair expert to thoroughly inspect the home for damages related to rot and mildew. Many homes require carpet replacement at a minimum, and others need more substantial repairs to drywall, closets, and window frames.
The problem with attempting an intensive clean-up on your own is that the most expensive issues usually don’t come to light until well after decluttering has begun. Renovating a hoarder house can drive up original cleaning and repair estimates by tens of thousands of dollars. When you’re the owner of the house, you’re on the hook for these repairs, even if they end up outweighing the market value of the home.
If there are significant amounts of black mold or rot that have caused structural damage, a home inspector may deem the house unsafe, which will impact your ability to sell a hoarder house.
Option 2: Selling As-Is
If you don’t have the time or means to clean it, it may be time to figure out how to sell the hoarder house. Your second option is to sell the property as-is, leaving any damages for the buyer to deal with. This is not a common option for properties with moderate wear and tear but is worth considering for sellers dealing with a hoarder’s house.
As-is means that the buyer accepts the property with only a basic inspection and walkthrough and cannot back out of the deal in most cases. The buyer has the intention of cleaning up and even significantly improving the property. In dire situations, they could demolish the existing home and rebuild a new house in its place.
When you sell the property as-is, most banks and mortgage providers won’t provide any loans for the purchase. This is because the property is a potential liability, with substantial damage deeply affecting the home’s value.
However, a home can be sold as-is to a cash buyer in many cases. This relieves you of the stress of dealing with the property and allows you to start fresh elsewhere. It also means the sale will be completed more quickly since there’s no waiting time for inspections or mortgage approval processes. For homeowners with a distressed property, an as-is sale to a cash buyer is an excellent solution.
Navigating Potential Buyers
Not everyone has the financial and logistical capability to buy a home in poor shape due to hoarding. A hoarder situation is often far more than the typical fixer-upper that the average DIY enthusiast can handle.
The best buyers for hoarder homes are companies with long-standing relationships with contractors who can handle the cleaning and renovations. A company specializing in purchasing distressed and damaged homes for cash will know exactly who to turn to for repairing the home.
Companies specializing in buying hoarder homes will also know how to cut through the red tape to buy them quickly. In many cases, Meli can close on your home in 30 days or less, allowing you to unload your distressed property fast.
The process with Meli Homes relieves pressure from the seller with a few easy steps. Call us today to answer questions about your home, then schedule a walkthrough so we can get a better look. We can make you an offer the same day, and if accepted, we can close in 7 to 30 days.
If you’re struggling with how to sell a hoarder house in probate or similar circumstances in Kissimmee, Melbourne, or Winter Park and the surrounding areas, reach out to Meli. We are a reputable, local home buying company with excellent reviews and a long list of satisfied sellers.
Meli’s Commitment to You
At Meli Homes, we understand that selling distressed property can be stressful. Our goal is to ease that burden on the seller by handling the paperwork and providing you with a simple process for a cash sale that starts with a phone call.
We work with families facing complex financial situations due to inheritances, hoarding, liens, divorce disputes, and much more. Our compassionate and knowledgeable team can offer you cash for your home and close within weeks. Call us at (407) 338-4183 for a no-obligation consultation to get started.
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