How to Sell a Hoarder House

How to Sell a Hoarder House

We’ve all see the houses that look like this

For the record, that place looked better than it smelled… Plus, did you notice all that trash and those food bags… That didn’t have any food in them? That’s because the rats had already cleaned the place out! 

Maybe you have inherited your house from a family member or a friend. Let’s talk about your options when it comes to selling a house in this condition. 

But first, real quick, my name is Jeff Chubb and I am a recovering Investment banker, turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 properties. We get calls, texts and emails from folks just like you who are looking to sell a property and I absolutely love it! So whether you are looking to sell a property in the next 9 or 90 days… It doesn’t matter. Give us a call, shoot us an email or stop by YouTubeRealEstateAgent.com and fill in your information and we will reach out to you! 

So how do you sell a property that is like this. This is a 2 family where the first floor was completely filled with hoarding… JUNK. 

There are a couple ways. But It ultimately comes down to the easier the process then the bigger the discount. You essentially have three options when you are looking to sell a hoarder house. 

I would say that the most common way of selling a hoarder house is to sell it to an investor. This is the easiest way to sell a property. The investor will buy the property in as-is condition. All that junk sitting in there is now their junk. They will close on the property generally within 14 to 21 days. There are no home inspections. No Realtor fees. No surprises. Like I said, the easiest way to sell a house, but these investors will demand a discount. 

The in-between is what I call Wholetail. This is essentially where you clean the property out then list it on the retail market. This is the way to maximize a property's sales price in its current condition. You will have to arrange and pay for the clean out. I had one hoarder property where the lady started going to the bathroom on the floor… Watch out for this because this turns into a biohazard which is an entirely different animal to clean out. It will be absurdly more expensive. 

So selling Wholetail you will have the upfront cost of cleaning the property out, you could have a situation where you have to deal with a property inspection as well as a more traditional type of financing instead of cash. You will also have Realtor fees to pay. So there is more work and you will have to invest some upfront capital, but you will net a considerable amount more on the property. 

And then there is the third option. This option will take some work, a bunch of upfront capital but will also net you a lot more for your property… Provided that you do not over improve that is. When you do improvements to a property, you will have to do everything that you did in the Wholetail option, but will also need to improve the property. The best improvements are the ones that are cosmetic. Think paint, flooring, Kitchens and Baths. You will not make money on doing things like systems, windows or a roof as an example. But ultimately if those items are in need of repair or replacement, then a buyer will expect them to be done. 

But be careful to not over improve. And also look at how much more you would get going this route. You want to take the expected adjusted amount and subtract the costs of repairs and the fees. Is it worth it? That’s a question that only you can answer. For some people an extra $10 grand might be worth the work and the risk. But others may think that number needs to be $40 thousand. 

The important thing is that you need to know your numbers. You need to build in a “oh shoot” budget. There are always surprises. Another thing to think about is the amount of heirs. As an example, say if there are three heirs and the increase in value will be $30 thousand dollars. Then that means it's $10 thousand for each heir. Is that enough? Again, only you can decide if that is worth it. 

So if you have a house that looks like this, then know that first this isn’t a one off… I remember watching those hoarding shows and thinking to myself that… This is stupid. Just pick that up. But it took me selling this property to realize this is a serious disease. 

Also know that these houses are special situations. Which one of these three options will work best for you? Reach out should you have any questions. 

Again, my name is Jeff Chubb with the Chubb Homes Team. I hope you found this video helpful. Whether you have a hoarding home in Massachusetts or anywhere else in the country, then it would be a true pleasure to help. 

Yes, I personally can only help people in Massachusetts, but I do have expert agents that I work with all over the country. And it would be a true pleasure to make an introduction for you… At no cost to you obviously! 

And if you are looking for a cash offer, then I can help you with that as well. 

If you have questions, or are interested in selling your hoarder house, then give me a call, shoot me an email or visit us at YouTubeRealEstateAgent.com. You can also find my information in the description below. 

Until next time.