Selling a Hoarder House in Massachusetts? Here are 4 Problems You May Have.

September 9, 2019

Are you trying to sell a hoarder house in Massachusetts? You may discovering how difficult a traditional sale process truly is when it comes to a hoarder house in Massachusetts.

Cleaning the house out and selling may be your ultimate goal, however, the process can be complicated due to the extenuating circumstances a hoarder home presents. You are not alone in this process. Hoarding is a common problem throughout the United States affecting around 19 million Americans, according to the Washington Post.

So, the big question: Why is a hoarder house so difficult to sell?

Owners of Hoarder Houses Struggle

If familiarize yourself with the Massachusetts real estate market, you may quickly notice that most homes listed for sale present themselves as spacious, clean and uncluttered. In addition, many homeowners have renovated and added upgrades to their homes when they put them up for sale.

Homes that are presented as clean and move-in ready are attractive to buyers because they can envision themselves in the home. With little to no work ahead of them, they are happy to purchase these types of homes.

Hoarder homes differ greatly from these other homes. An owner of a hoarder home has a lot to consider. They need to ask themselves if they should spend the money to clean the home out, add upgrades, remodel or to sell a home in as-is condition. The end results are a bit constricting.

An owner of a hoarder house will find themselves paying too much to manage such tasks and may also have to deal with the expense of cleaning up mold or rotting floors. In the end, they may be selling the home at a loss.

According to a survey from Trulia and The Harris Poll, 47% of buyers are willing to spend up to $5,000 to remodel a home, but only 20% are willing to spend over $10,000. In the case of a hoarder home, this may eliminate a large pool of buyers in the local market.

Here Are Some Common Reasons a Hoarder House is Difficult to Sell in Massachusetts:

Interior Photos for Listing Cannot be Included

Presentation is key when selling a home. When you list your home for sale, it’s important to use photographs that are attractive, crisp and clean. The photographs are used to entice potential buyers to want to view the home. Photos are a huge factor in selling a home.

Often, a homeowner will hire a professional photographer to capture the best imagery for the best impression. In today’s market, the percent of buyers searching for a home online is much larger than it was a few years ago. So, in the end, a hoarder house is difficult to attract buyers through current marketing techniques.

Taking photos with the current condition of a hoarder house does not help attract buyers. The appearance is too overwhelming in the case of a hoarder home. Unfortunately, without photos to effectively market the home, it will be a struggle to sell the home traditionally.

Open Houses Do Not Work

An open house is a common practice for most homes that are for sale. When you list your home for sale, open houses will be scheduled for specific days that will attract potential buyers to spend some time in the house for sale. This is an essential step in the traditional sale process.

Buyers like to feel themselves within the house after they have viewed online. During an open house, presentation is key, just as it is for photographs.

When you are selling a hoarder house, it may be best to gear your open houses to specific buyers. Otherwise, potential buyers, such as a new family will more than likely walk before they even get in the door of a hoarder home.

In addition, in some cases of hoarder homes in Massachusetts, the home is in an unsafe condition to welcome people in for viewing. For example, if the home contains mold, children should not be entering. Hoarder homes are crammed and navigating can be difficult causing tripping hazards throughout. If you sit back and think about it, you do not want potential injuries ruining the possibility of selling the hoarder home.

When you have a home that you cannot host open houses, such as a hoarder home, the likelihood of selling lessens greatly. It is essential for a homeowner of a hoarder house to find alternative routes for selling.

Clearing the Home is Time Consuming and Expensive

When you prepare a home for sale and then market it, you need photos and great presentation but with a hoarder home, this is a huge task. Clearing out the home will be a top priority, but certainly not an easy or inexpensive task.

In many cases a dumpster rental is necessary due to the amount of garbage and items within the rooms throughout the house. It will either take a very long time to clear out or it will cost to make it more convenient and less time consuming.

Homeowners may need to hire someone to assist them with the cleanout or even ask family members to assist. This can get costly and the cost varies depending on the size of the home and even the hazards that may be within the home. If there are hazardous materials found, often companies will charge a larger fee for disposal.

It’s one thing to have a cluttered home, but a hoarder home is often way too cluttered to sell traditionally with a cleanout. In addition, once the home is cleared out, more than likely there will be work that needs to be completed such as painting.

Embarrassment for the Homeowner

Hoarding is a serious problem and people who have issues with hoarding are often coping with other complex disorders such as anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Selling a hoarder home can be extremely overwhelming and embarrassing for the homeowner.

Hoarding is often misunderstood and people may make assumptions about the homeowner causing them discomfort, anxiety and even fear. Emotional stress can lead to the need to retreat instead of the homeowner facing the issues of cleaning out head on. For some, this task may not be possible without professional help.

Many homeowners in a hoarding house situation will continue to put off selling the property until they absolutely have to sell. If you are in this position or you know someone who is suffering over this type of situation, it is essential to understand you are not alone.

Solution: Sell Your Hoarder Home to a Direct Cash Buyer

You do not have to use a Realtor to sell your home. In many instances, a Realtor is a great way to get your home sold, but in the case of a hoarder home, an alternative route is often more successful. You don’t have to use photos, list on the local MLS or host open houses if you sell your home direct to a buyer for cash.

Benefits of Selling to a Direct Cash Buyer

No Clean Up: Unlike when selling your home traditionally, when you sell direct to a cash buyer, there is no need for cleaning up the property. No repairs are needed either as the direct cash buyer will handle all of this after the purchase.
Save Money: Selling your home to a direct cash buyer will save you money in the long run. There will be no need to pay anyone for repairs or cleanup.
Speedy Process: Cleaning out a hoarder home can take a significant length of time. When you sell to a direct cash buyer, you can eliminate a lot of steps, sell and move out quickly.
No Inspections: A direct cash buyer will not require inspections before purchasing the property. This will alleviate any costs related to repairs and will save time in the process.
No Real Estate Agent: Direct cash buyers often operate without Realtors, this saves you money as you will not have to pay any commissions which is a cost upward of 6%.
No Marketing: Save lots of time and expense when you sell directly to a cash buyer as you will not need to take the time to host open houses. This will save from embarrassment, hassle and overwhelming emotions.

Selling a hoarder home directly to a cash buyer eliminates a lot of varied concerns. Direct cash buyers are professionals and understand a variety of situations you may have found yourself in. A direct cash buyer will not judge you or treat you poorly.

Hoarder homes often need updates and significant repairs which direct cash buyers are used to seeing. Ideally, selling to a direct cash buyer is an all around helpful solution when you want to sell your hoarder house in Massachusetts.

How to Sell your Massachusetts Hoarder House

When you need to sell a hoarder home in Massachusetts, feel free to reach out to us. We purchase properties in a wide range of regions in Massachusetts. We purchase homes in as-is condition and we can purchase your hoarder home as well.

We make the process as easy and stress free as possible for homeowners. We save homeowners a lot of money because you do not have to pay for repairs, cleanout, closing fees or commissions. We can close quickly as well while accommodating dates that work for you.

When you have a hoarder house to sell in Massachusetts, you may feel overwhelmed and feel as though there are not a lot of options. However, there is a solution. A direct cash buyer is a great way to sell a hoarder house and do so quickly. We alleviate you from the stress of listing your home for sale, dealing with cleanout and any embarrassment the process may cause you.

If you have a hoarder house to sell, please reach out to us and we can help you navigate your options and there is no obligation to you. There is no risk when you reach out to us, we are here to help.

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