How to sell a house with hoarding tendencies.
Approximately 1 in 50 people suffer from the tendency to collect “STUFF”. Many of them can no longer use their home or parts of their home for it’s intended purpose.
Does your home have so much clutter that you can no longer use your kitchen or bedrooms? Do you have paths created through your house that weave through piles of stuff you have collected?
Do you have a loved one that suffers from these tendencies?
Maybe you inherited a house that is overwhelmed by trash and old relics. Whatever the case, we can help!
What You Need to Know.
- The house is likely dangerous. Many of these houses suffer structurally due to the weight of the accumulated debris alone. Many more have environmental hazards such as dead insects, rat droppings, cat feces, dead animals or even just years of accumulated pet dander that can pose real health risks such as respiratory diseases, as well as various worm and parasite infections.
- It is likely not worth going through all the STUFF. We find that most of the time, the bulk of the “collection” is destroyed and it is not worth risking getting sick.
- The person who lives or lived there is likely immune to the diseases due to the slow accumulation which gave their immune system a chance to adapt. Do not think that someone else can safely enter the space.
- These houses DO NOT sell on the MLS. Unless you plan on doing the clean-up and rehab yourself, the home will likely not sell on the open market as it is. Conventional buyers cannot even get loans for them.
- If selling the house, contact a professional and have them sign a waiver (hold harmless) that does not hold you accountable if someone gets sick or hurt after the property is sold.
Our Experience
Our very first property flip was a house in this condition. We did not know at the time what we were getting ourselves into but we aggressively took on the project and the opportunity to help the seller get out of the situation. Sally had lived in her home for 15 years and allowed her home to be a shelter for feral cats. As she got older, she could no longer lift the litter boxes and little by little, her house was overrun by the cats, trash, and feces. We helped her to find homes for 8 of 10 cats that lived inside the house, she kept just 2 of the cats and we got her moved into a smaller apartment that she could manage on her own. We are still friends with Sally to this day and ever since, helping people out of these overwhelming situations has been a cornerstone of our business and accounts for roughly 40% of the flips that we do each year.