Nov 14, 2022 - 10m read
How to Sell a Hoarder’s House: Sell As-is or Fix it Up
If you’re in a situation where you need to sell a hoarder house or have inherited one of these houses, it may be challenging for you to know where to start when getting the home ready for sale. A hoarding disorder is a serious mental condition that results in affected individuals having difficulties getting rid of items because of an obsessive-compulsive attachment to the items in question.
Anthony Reinoehl
Co-Founder
If you’re in a situation where you need to sell a hoarder house or have inherited one of these houses, it may be challenging for you to know where to start when getting the home ready for sale. A hoarding disorder is a serious mental condition that results in affected individuals having difficulties getting rid of items because of an obsessive-compulsive attachment to the items in question.
Even if conditions become unhealthy and unsafe for the person who lives there, he or she will likely be unable to stop hoarding. There are times when hoarder homes turn into condemned homes. When you inherit one of these homes, you’ll have several options on how to sell the property. However, there are some things you should know beforehand to ensure the process is completed without complication. In this guide, you’ll find out how to effectively sell a hoarder’s house.
What is the Hoarder Phenomenon?
Before you take steps to sell your home, you should know more about hoarding and what it entails. A hoarder is someone who has a compulsive need to gather objects they don’t necessarily need or even use. Many of these individuals have a severe lack of control in this regard.
Keep in mind that hoarders rarely every throw something away, which can result in entire rooms being filled with all of the items that these individuals have gathered over the years. In the event that the hoarder is unable to find room for their belongings in their home, they could begin to use the yard, garage, and storage shed for storage. Your ability to sell a hoarder’s house largely depends on how long the owner was hoarding items.
Decide if You Want a Good Deal or a Quick Sale
The first decision you should make when you decide to sell a hoarder’s house involves how the property will be sold. Do you want to sell the property quickly or get as much money as possible? Once you answer this question, you’ll know what your next step should be.
If you make the decision to sell the house as-is, the process for doing so is much different when compared to fixing the property for the max sale price. To sell the home in as-is condition, get in touch with CC Capital to begin the process. We’ll purchase the home even if extensive repairs are needed. By taking this route, you’ll be able to get rid of your home immediately instead of waiting for all of the repairs to be completed. If you want as much money as possible, a comprehensive clean-up must be performed.
Preparing a Hoarder House For Sale
When you decide to fix a hoarder home, getting it ready for sale will take some time. All of the useless items and junk in the home will need to be discarded, which is a task that can be handled by a junk removal company.
Even though hiring a junk removal company can be expensive, the alternative is for you to spend a considerable amount of your time attempting to perform the job yourself, which might not be feasible. If you hire a junk removal company, look through the home for any valuable items before they arrive.
Clean It
If want to sell a hoarder house on the market, you’ll almost certainly need to fix it up beforehand. These homes rarely ever sell on the open market in as-is condition. If you’re able to find a buyer for the home, this individual will be tasked with cleaning it out, which few buyers are willing to take on.
Cleaning the home of all items that were hoarded will make it much easier for you to sell the property. Once all of the possessions have been removed, a deep clean is still required, which gets rid of any unsanitary conditions that have built up over the years. You may encounter pest and mold issues in a hoarder home.
Perform Repairs
Once the home has been cleaned, it’s likely that repairs will need to be made if you want to sell the property at a high price. It’s common for hoarder homes to be damaged from pet, food, vermin, and mold issues. These factors could create problems with the property’s structure, plumbing, and finishes. The floors and walls of the home could also be damaged.
Many of these issues are difficult to detect without obtaining a professional home inspection. The inspector you hire can identify anything in the home that has been damaged. Buyers will perform an inspection as well, which is why you should schedule one of your own before you decide to list the property. Detecting problems early on gives you time to make repairs.
Update the House to Modern Standards
One of the more common issues with hoarder homes is that the number of items in the home makes it almost impossible for anyone to enter. Along with repairs not being made, most systems in the home likely haven’t been upgraded since the hoarder first purchased the home. If you want to modernize the property, numerous upgrades will likely be required.
Try to Get a Cash Offer
Instead of spending thousands of dollars cleaning and upgrading the home, consider selling it as-is to a cash buyer like CC Capital. We provide clear cash offers on all types of homes. If the idea of cleaning, repairing, and updating the home seems daunting, selling the property as-is allows you to avoid these frustrations altogether. Companies like CC Capital have the experience and skill-set needed to clean and restore hoarder properties while also handling any unforeseen problems.
What Does It Cost to Clean-up a Hoarder Home?
The costs associated with cleaning a hoarder home vary depending on the severity of the damage as well as the location of the property. Cleaning costs are usually higher in cities like San Francisco and NYC. Hiring a company to perform mild hoarding cleanup can cost you around $50-$75 for every cubic yard as well as $50-$125 for each hour of labor. Some costs that can add to the project include:
- Biohazard services – $25 for every bag
- Animal feces removal – As much as $600 per hour
- Sewage backup – Upwards of $10,000
- Crime scene cleanup – As much as $600 per hour
Do Real Estate Agents Specialize in Selling Hoarder Homes?
The majority of real estate agents don’t have the experience or training that they would need to help someone sell a hoarder house. In most cases, hoarder homes need to be cleaned and repaired before they are ready to be placed on the market, which means that a real estate agent wouldn’t be helpful until the hard work has already been done.
While it’s possible to sell a hoarder home as-is on the market, potential buyers will be able to see detailed photos of every item that has yet to be removed from the home, which makes it difficult to be discrete about your family or loved one. Even though the act of hoarding is a mental health condition, you might still be uncomfortable displaying photos of your home to the world.
Since most potential buyers will automatically avoid a hoarder house that’s been listed on the market, it’s likely that you’ll only receive offers from different real estate investors. While a real estate investor may provide you with a fair offer, the process of selling a home to an investor is much different than selling to a family or couple that wants to fix and repair the property.
Where Do You Find Potential Buyers?
If you want to sell your home as-is but are having difficulties finding a buyer, sell the home directly to CC Capital. We handle all types of real estate transactions and understand situations that result in a hoarder home needing to be sold.
We can complete the entire sale process in three simple steps, the first of which is to get in touch with our real estate professionals. Once you contact us, we’ll perform a visual or in-person inspection to determine the true value of your home.
In next to no time, we’ll make a fair offer. If you agree to this offer, we can complete the closing process on your timeline. There’s no lender to deal with, which means that we don’t need to wait for a loan to be approved.
By selling your home as-is, you can avoid the cleanup and extensive repairs that would otherwise be necessary. We’re able to close in a week or less if you need to move quickly.
Selling a hoarder’s house is always going to be challenging because of the high volume of items that have been collected over the years and the damage that has been done by keeping the home in unsanitary conditions for a lengthy period of time. Avoid the expenses and time investment of listing the property on the market by selling it in as-is condition to CC Capital.
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