Do you have a house that was lived in by a hoarder? Are you looking to sell the house fast in Houston Texas? Then you need to consider some important steps in order to make sure that happens. The hard truth is that trying to sell a hoarders house in Houston on the open market is much harder than trying to sell a house in good condition. All of the extra steps, extra cleaning, and extra considerations need to be accounted for and that can be difficult. This isn’t the kind of sale that can be accomplished just with some fancy photos and quick cleaning. Market buyers are going to be extremely cautious around a house in this kind of condition and if they find out that a hoarder lived there it could become somewhat impossible. You always have the option to sell your Houston house as-is to a real estate investor like Very Fast Home Buyers and get cash for it fast. But if you are really adamant about trying to sell the house on the housing market, here are some tips to consider in order to find a Houston, Texas buyer.
How To Sell A Hoarder’s House In Houston Texas
First, Understand Hoarding
Before you list a hoarder’s house in Houston and try to sell it, you should take some time to learn about hoarding and what exactly it means to be someone who hoards items in their home. Pop culture has brought hoarding into the spotlight in recent years but that’s often led to mean jokes and misplaced fascination that doesn’t take into account the mental and physical tolls.
Hoarding is defined as a situation where someone has legitimate difficulty getting rid of any possessions, even if those possessions are “worthless.” The misconception is that hoarding is something people do for the heck of it or because they’re lazy. In reality, it’s a psychological issue that impacts people emotionally as well as physically. It can also have a major impact on the way they interact with family, friends, neighbors, and their community. Either hoarder’s become embarrassed and insular or they are shunned by others who don’t understand what’s happening or how to help.
Hoarding also isn’t as rare as you might think. Researchers have said that one in 50 people have compulsive hoarding issues and that could actually be as many as one in 20 people.
How do you know if you have a hoarder in your house? Are they unable to throw away their possessions? Do they get anxiety whenever they consider getting rid of items? Do they have difficulty categorizing things? Do they get embarrassed over the number of their possessions? Do they have a suspicion of others around their possessions? Do they get obsessive thoughts about the things they own or want to own? If the answer to many of these questions is yes, then you’re likely dealing with a potential or current hoarder.
The items that a hoarder collects can be wide and varied. It can be expensive items but it’s likely to also include things that are normally considered disposable. Items in a hoarder house can include old magazines and newspapers, old boxes, leftover food, dirty clothing, and even animals, living or dead.
Remove the Hoarder if Needed
When trying to sell a hoarder’s house in Houston, there’s a time for being mindful and respectful, and then there’s a time to consider the health of the human in the center of the situation. If they have already passed away or moved out, this isn’t as much of an issue. However, if the hoarder still lives in the house and it’s gotten dangerous for their health and the health of anyone who visits, it is time for someone to step in and remove them from a situation they likely can’t do themselves.
You may be able to get a hoarder to leave the house of their own accord. However, you might need to involve mental health officials or local law enforcement if you’re unable to get them to leave on your own. Speak with an expert before doing anything in order to figure out the ideal way to remove the hoarder from your Houston house.
Confirm the Home’s Ownership
Anytime you sell a house, you want to be very clear about who’s name is on the title and who is the legal owner of the property. That is especially true in a hoarder house situation because you could be dealing with someone who has lived in the house for a long time. The details can get murky over time, especially if the house was left to them or left to multiple people. It’s also a little confusing if the hoarder has been a longtime rental tenant.
The important thing to remember is that if you want to clean the house, you have to be able to get in and do what you need. You can’t do that if the hoarder can claim some kind of ownership of the property. So make sure you have access to the title and any other legal documents that prove the rightful owner. You don’t want to start going down the road of removal only to find out the hoarder is legally allowed to stay there.
Get the House Cleaned By Professionals
Once the hoarder has left or been removed from your Houston house, it’s time for the most important thing of all if you plan on selling the house on the open market. You need to clean the house, and you need to get it done by professionals who understand the special circumstances involved. This is not a job for your family or the local cleaning company. This is a job for pros who specialize in dealing with hoarders. Depending on the situation, we’re talking about bacterias, molds, hazardous materials, dead animals, and stagnant pools of water.
Of course, you could avoid all of this by selling the house as-is to a cash buyer like Very Fast Home Buyers. We won’t ask you to clean anything and we’ll be happy to be the ones to handle everything. Hiring a specialized cleaning service is going to cost a lot of money and while that’s necessary for you to sell on the open market, you can avoid all those costs and just get cash for your house fast.
Consider Selling As-Is to a Houston Home Investor
Let’s be honest. Selling a hoarder’s house on the open market in Houston, Texas is hard, costly, takes a lot of time and effort. While these tips can be helpful, they won’t provide any guarantee that you’ll be able to get market buyers to buy your hoarder’s house. And while we’ve discussed extensive cleaning and repair costs, we haven’t even gotten into real estate commissions, seller concessions, and closing costs that come with a market sale.
What you may want to consider instead is selling your hoarder’s house as-is to a home investor like Very Fast Home Buyers. We can eliminate almost every cost involved in the sale process and cut the time down to a matter of days. You don’t need to clean anything, make any repairs, or remove anything from the property. You let us know about the house, we’ll make you a no-obligation offer within hours, and then if you agree we can take the house off your hands and pay you cash for it. Contact us and we’ll work on your schedule because we want to buy your hoarder’s house in Houston for cash.