If a loved one or friend is a hoarder, it can be a touchy subject to discuss. Being a hoarder is a unique psychological disorder that, unfortunately, has negative effects on the hoarder and everyone around them. Television shows and the media have raised awareness about the issue in recent years, which has allowed the public to understand it better and seek help for those affected. But when you are involved in the process of preparing a hoarder’s house to sell, the task at hand can be pretty overwhelming, not to mention you want to be sympathetic to their disorder. If you are helping someone prepare their hoarder house in Lincoln to sell, we have compiled some great information to help you understand what to do in this situation.
How To Sell A Hoarder’s House In Lincoln
The Psychological Aspects Of Hoarding
Hoarding was officially labeled a mental disorder in 2013 by the American Psychiatric Association. Hoarding affects between 2 to 6 percent of the population and tends to be more common in males than females. Also, hoarding is more common among older adults between 55 and 94 years old. Figuring out the first step to help someone in this situation can be challenging.
Usually, people with a hoarding disorder collect items with no significant need and have trouble getting rid of them. This often stems from a previous trauma they have experienced and not dealt with. Some people collect items like furniture, clothes, household items, or even pets. Other people will collect items that seem to have no monetary value, such as disposable cups, magazines, or receipts. The things pile up throughout the house, creating cluttered, unsanitary conditions, and fire hazards. In an animal hoarding situation, the pets end up running the place, destroying the property.
Hoarding tends to be something people are embarrassed to share with others, even to the point that the problem is hidden for years before a loved one finds out. Once the hoarding has gone on for many years, it can severely affect the person and their home. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to sell a hoarder house, here are the steps you can take to prepare a hoarder house in Lincoln.
Steps to Prep A Hoarders House In Lincoln
Step 1: Clean
Selling a hoarder house in Lincoln usually won’t sell on the market as-is. If you were to find a regular buyer for it, they would need to take on the task of cleaning it. Typical buyers are looking for a turnkey property to move into. So the only way you can hope to sell the house is to clean out all the items. You probably will need to rent a dumpster and pull everything out. You could also hire people to come in and take all the hoarded possessions, but that will come at an increased cost.
Once you have removed all the possessions, there will be lots of cleaning to do. Deep cleaning is necessary to remove any unsanitary conditions that have accumulated due to the hoarding. It’s not uncommon to find pest problems and mold in hoarder houses, which needs to be treated professionally to ensure that it doesn’t come back.
Is there a way to clean a hoarder house fast? There isn’t any easy answer to how to clean a hoarder’s house fast. Cleaning something that took years to accumulate will take time to clean out properly, and the process can be slowed down if the person that was hoarding is involved. You may be tempted to take a shortcut by not doing any cleaning and only taking photos of the outside of the home. Unfortunately, for many potential homebuyers, this is a red flag. When they only see exterior images, they sense something is going on inside. Which, ultimately discourages prospective buyers from looking at the home.
Step 2: Do Repairs
When cleaning is finished, you will more than likely discover that you need to do some repairs. A hoarder house can suffer from a number of damages from leftover food, mold, vermin, and pet damage. This can lead to issues with the plumbing, finishes, and even structural problems. Flooring and walls may be damaged, and plumbing may be clogged or ruined.
Unfortunately, many of these problems can be missed and hard to see by doing a simple scan of the property. The best step you can take is to get a home inspection; that way, you know exactly what is wrong. Buyers will have a home inspection done anyway, so performing one before they do will let you know what you need to fix.
Once repairs are started, you will soon find out that it can lead to the discovery of other problems. For example, if you were to remove a baseboard, you might discover evidence of mold that a professional will need to take care of. When replacing flooring, you may find out there are structural issues. Prospective buyers will be very leery of purchasing a home without these repairs begin done, so, unfortunately, they are necessary.
Step 3: Update To Modern Standards
Usually, hoarder houses often get to the point where the number of items prevents anyone from entering. The home has probably been owned for a while, maybe even decades. Besides repairs not being completed, upgrades are an afterthought. The water heater or the air conditioner may be outdated. The homeowner may not have painted the house in years and the exterior of the home could be in bad shape too. It may be time for a new roof or siding. You will likely have to perform several upgrades to modernize the house and make it marketable.
Get A Cash Offer For Your Lincoln Home Instead
If you are feeling overwhelmed at the work involved in doing all these fixes, you’re not alone. To sell a hoarders house in Lincoln, you will need to remove all the accumulated stuff, clean it, complete necessary repairs, and update it to be more fit to live in. There is no way around that. If you try to sell the home as-is, you will find that there are not many buyers willing to take on that challenge. Hoarder houses in Lincoln can cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair. It is not uncommon for the total bill to exceed $100k to make the home liveable and desirable.
Furthermore, it likely will take longer to prepare the home than you have time to wait for. It can take months for the house to get to the point where improvements can even be made, making it a steep hill to climb.
At the end of the day, it might not make financial sense to spend the time, energy, and money to clean up a hoarder house. It will take long hours of hard work on a house you don’t plan on keeping.
Instead, it makes sense to find a company specializing in these types of property restorations. You could sell the hoarder home and get a cash offer. You wouldn’t need to spend thousands of dollars or, worse, take out a home equity line to cover the repairs. Instead, you could walk away with money and find a cash home buyer to take care of the rest. You will also get your cash much faster than if you took the time to finish all the necessary repairs and then list the home on the market.
Cash buyers like Element Home Buyers are equipped to handle clean up, restoring, or even unforeseen issues a hoarder house in Lincoln could bring. At Element Home Buyers, we can also offer you a quick and private solution to selling your hoarder home. We purchase homes in any condition with any challenge. And on top of that, we do not charge commissions, fees, or closing costs. There simply is no other way to sell your hoarder house in Lincoln so quickly and efficiently than with Element Home Buyers. Save yourself the money, energy, and time by getting a cash offer with Element Homebuyers today!
Want to find out more about how we can help you and how we would purchase a hoarders house in Lincoln, give us a call or visit our website at www.elementhomebuyers.com