I had a Realtor over to my mom's house last week to see what we needed to do, and what we could leave alone. My folks' house is 90 years old and the kitchen hasn't been updated since we moved in in 1969.
The verdict -- 1. Refinish the floors so they all match. It has oak flooring throughout, and it'll look spectacular.
2. Leave the kitchen as it is, because buyers will do what they want with it.
3. Get a new garage door, because the existing aluminum one is 50+ years old and deadly if the springs decide to break. It'll add to the curb appeal.
That was it. No redoing the kitchen or roof, no concerns about painting, plumbing, or appliances. She suggested getting an inspection done so the potential buyers can see what might need to be done, but we would sell it as is and not agree to fix anything. As I'm the Trustee but haven't lived in the house in 30+ years, I can't make any representations as to its condition or its flaws, thank goodness, because I'm sure there are plenty.
It should be pretty easy once we decide to pull the trigger.
Contact realtors and ask if they deal with real estate investors. These are the folks that look for good buys, but to the best of my knowledge they do so through reputable realtors as opposed to wewannabuyyourhouse types.
I was fortunate after an extensive search to find two in this category: one is a veteran owned real estate company that for the first two weeks of listing prioritizes sales to veterans, first responders, medical professionals and educational people. The other sells to investors, of any category, but the sale stil goes through a legitimate realtor.
There are offices across the country for an outfit called We Buy Ugly Houses. However if a parent ends up needing Medicaid within the next five years, the house needs to be sold at FMV.
Sell it "as is". You won't get the best price for it but you won't have to do anything but get your stuff out of it. Call a realtor and talk to them about the market in your area and see what they say. My father lived in a very "hot" market and his buyer approached us as soon as they knew the house would be for sale. We didn't even have to move the junk out of it. They were will to do everything. That was a very very unusual situation but lots of older homes are purchased for the lot alone and will be torn down for a new home or for a complete remodel. Again, certainly not top dollar on the sale but it can get sold.
Start calling realtors in your area. A good realtor can recommend the bare minimum you need to do to get the house ready sell & probably has a handyman that can do the work for little money.
7 Answers
Helpful Newest
First Oldest
First
The verdict --
1. Refinish the floors so they all match. It has oak flooring throughout, and it'll look spectacular.
2. Leave the kitchen as it is, because buyers will do what they want with it.
3. Get a new garage door, because the existing aluminum one is 50+ years old and deadly if the springs decide to break. It'll add to the curb appeal.
That was it. No redoing the kitchen or roof, no concerns about painting, plumbing, or appliances. She suggested getting an inspection done so the potential buyers can see what might need to be done, but we would sell it as is and not agree to fix anything. As I'm the Trustee but haven't lived in the house in 30+ years, I can't make any representations as to its condition or its flaws, thank goodness, because I'm sure there are plenty.
It should be pretty easy once we decide to pull the trigger.
I was fortunate after an extensive search to find two in this category: one is a veteran owned real estate company that for the first two weeks of listing prioritizes sales to veterans, first responders, medical professionals and educational people. The other sells to investors, of any category, but the sale stil goes through a legitimate realtor.
ADVERTISEMENT