Are you looking to a sell a hoarder house? This blog helps you decide whether to sell as-is or fix up the house yourself.
Hoarder houses are hazardous since they pose a threat to not only the homeowners, but also to the neighboring communities. Incidents of fires may quickly spread and harm fellow homeowners. The dangers are even more heightened to resident in the hoarder house – as there will be blocks of exists and damages/poorly functions alarms. Cluttered spaces are also rife to the threat of vermin and bacteria that may cause an assortment of illnesses to those living in hoarded homes.
Selling a hoarder house is a solution to resolve the problem.
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What Is A Hoarder?
Take the time to understand “hoarding” before making a final decision on how to sell the house.
Hoarding refers to the incessant habit of stacking items at the home without discarding them once they become unnecessary. Hoarders place intrinsic value on possessions that they do not really need to have in the first place. When such items pile up overtime, they pose a threat to homeowners and those in the vicinity. Commonly hoarded items are food, photographs, clothes, newspapers, cardboard boxes, paper and plastic bags and magazines.
Hoarders characteristically exhibit symptoms of emotional turmoil. They are anxious about discarding items, indecisive about which items to keep or throw away, embarrassed about their possessions, and suspicious that others are trying to touch their property. Obsessive thoughts on how they might need certain items in future and difficulty in organizing possessions are common.
Since not much is known about the causes of hoarding, there is no surefire way to prevent it. Getting early treatment can however go a long way in preventing hoarding from taking root and complicating selling the property.
Should I Sell My Hoarder Home “As-Is” or Fix-it-Up?
To gain maximum profit from selling any home, making repairs is the best way to go. A fully functional and beautiful house will draw in more potential buyers eager to get themselves a new place of residence. This question remains: should you fix-up the hoarder house before selling, or “sell-is”?
There are several considerations when it comes to selling a hoarder house.
Home repairs typically include things like fixing the roof, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems, as well as re-modeled like paint, cabinets, and flooring. Time is of the essence when one contemplates getting repairs done. Given we’re all busy with work, family, and social demands, a started renovation project may be a distraction. Without adequate time and attention, renovations can go off the rails. You start repairs with the goal of netting more income, and by the end, have lost more money than gained due to on-going costs (taxes, utilities, insurance) and mis-management.
Due to time constraints, a good way to get repairs done is to hire contractors. Some homeowners fear going the contractor route due to inflated costs, incomplete renovations and low quality workmanship. In such situations, homeowners may opt to do the repairs on their own or by ensuring that they are present during the contractual repairs.
Cost is of course a major decider in determining just how much repair work homeowners can afford. Through the years, there has been a spike in the cost of items like paint and labor. By way of example, it costs about$1.5-$2 to paint a square foot of house interior. Painting exteriors is a bit more expensive and homeowners may find themselves coughing up about $3 per square foot. Replacing roofs can cost up to $4 per square foot.
To do a great repair job when repairing a hoarder house, a good contractor is the best bet. Do some thorough cost checking by shopping around and comparing prices. Although living in the hoarder house is not recommended, living near the site can be convenient since you can carefully monitor progress. Living further away could allow contractors to slack off and take longer to perform even the most mundane of tasks. This means greater costs incurred.
Having an emergency fund in place can prove to be the difference between a well-done repair job and a shoddy one. Emergency funds are wonderful because they can help cushion our financial situations in times of distress. For homeowners planning to put in some work on their houses before selling, they play a pivotal role in ensuring that any unforeseen calamites are well handled in time.
I Want to Sell “As-Is”! What should I do?
Selling a hoarder house ‘as-is’ is a great option for homeowners strapped for time and cash to transform the house. The best people to buy property “as-is” are real estate investors. Real estate investors buy property fast for cash, you make no repairs (even for a cluttered hoarder home), and afterwards re-sell for some profits. If you’re considering selling a house that needs work to a Florida real estate investor – give us a call at (954) 676-1846!
Selling to real estate investors can have added benefits compared to selling though the ‘traditional’ real estate agents. Investors don’t charge realtor commissions, perform fast closings, sell on cash terms and only need a small handful of showings/inspections of the house.
Professional cash buyers can easily be located on the internet, through direct mail and by local real estate agents. To ensure a smooth home sale, always vet real estate investors. Proper vetting can be done by meeting up in person with a local investor, check up on the business’ online presence (website and social media pages), have a look at video testimonials, and be sure to review their bank statements for proof of funds and checking out their online visibility (their websites and social media pages).
I Want To Fix My Hoarder House Before Selling! What Should I Do?
Deciding to fix up a hoarder house requires detailed plans (often called “scope of work”) to ensure an orderly clean-up and re-model. If you’re trying to “do it yourself” on a hoarder house renovation, you need equipment like gloves and face masks. Safety gear is critical to protect ourselves from harmful bio-hazardous contaminants that may spread in hoarder environments.
What should you do with hoarder items?
Separating items into 3 categories: things to keep, things to trash and items to donate. The clean-up job may prove to be a little too hard to handle. Make sure to ask for help when we are overwhelmed by responsibility.
Hiring a cleaning service can go a long way in ensuring that we are able to cover the usually labor intensive job in cleaning up a hoarder house. Cleaning services hire professionals committed to ensuring that the hoarder house is cleaned promptly.
In order to select a reliable cleaning service agency, homeowners should try get referrals by other clients. Good people to ask neighbors, friends and relatives. Another way to check trustworthiness would be calling the business to ascertain exactly what services they offer.
You should also factor in the number of laborers necessary, a walk through with the cleaning representatives and consulting with family members whether hiring a cleaning service is the best way to go. The average house cleaning rates are:
- Single family homes range between $120-150
- Window treatments repair range between $100-200
- Walls and ceilings range between $150-300
- For furniture and upholstery, the cost is between $100-150
Should I Hire A Realtor Sell My Hoarder House?
Hiring a realtor means putting the house on the “open market.” There are several problems with putting a hoarder house on the open market. Most people like to look at interior photos in order to have an idea what kind purchase they are making. Given the fact that hoarder houses are not picturesque sites, getting good clean photos may prove impossible.
To sell a hoarder house, a lot of time is necessary into get the house in order. Prospective buyers may be turned off by as they are not used to living or even seeing property in this condition. You may want to consider only showing property to investors or others that understand the condition and are willing to buy “as-is”. Real estate investors charge no real estate commissions.
Due to the numerous problems involved in selling a hoarder house, it can sometimes be effective to hire a realtor to manage the home sale selling business. Real estate agencies like to team up with professional organizers to help organize the home before putting the house up for sale. Although realtors will charge a hefty commission, they are motivated to present the house well so they are earn more on the sale.
We Buy Houses!
Just Fill Out This Form For Your FAIR Cash Offer.
