When you hear the term, “estate sale” you probably think someone died. But don’t let the term fool you, it just means selling en masse, most of a person’s possessions. Often, this occurs when a person has passed, and family members are left with handling an estate cleanout, but there can be other reasons for them as well. Someone might want to transition to a smaller home or they may be retiring. One that is particularly challenging is an estate cleanout for hoarding houses.
Handling an Estate Clean-out for Hoarder Houses
If you inherited a hoarder house or you’ve just been asked to help sell a hoarder house, you may be faced with the task of an estate sale. There are professional estate sale companies, but they often refuse handling an estate cleanout. It is certain that an estate cleanout for hoarding houses is a huge job. Everything item has to be gone through and this can easily take weeks depending on how long the person has been hoarding. All the belongings in each of the rooms will need to be brought out and assessed. Many items may need to be tossed and you’ll want to keep truly sellable items for the estate sale.
Phases of an Estate Sale for Hoarding House
Since an estate sale for a hoarder house is not typical, it can be very difficult to manage, and it can take a lot longer than in a normal situation. One option you may need to consider is handling it in phases. This gives you time to go through rooms and isolate items that might bring in money. It can also be difficult for a hoarder to let go of items, so conducting it over time might help them manage their emotions easier. There are typically boxes, bags, and stacks of stuff that no one has a clue what’s in them.
Preparing a Hoarder House for Sale
Sometimes an estate sale for hoarding house is a way of readying the hoarder house for sale. It might also be an option when you want to renovate a hoarding house. These are options that may take more planning time. Of course, the first step is to go through the rooms of the house removing all the items. Most of them will likely be sold in the estate sale, some trashed and leftovers donated. After the event, if you want to sale a hoarding house, there will need to be lots of cleaning, repairing and renovations to get it presentable and safe to put back on the market. After all the items have been removed the house will need to be disinfected. Every area including ceilings, cabinets, fan blades, baseboards, toilets, sinks, floors, windowsills, and literally everything in the house. Sometimes once you clean one room it has to be recleaned. In extreme cases, it’s best to hire a professional cleaner who can ensure no hazards such as mold remain on the premises.
Dangers You May Face when You Renovate a Hoarding House
Hosting an estate sale for hoarder house is the first step to putting it back on the market. During the process and when cleaning up a hoarder house for sale, there may be potential dangers. Some of the dangers you may face when you renovate a hoarder house include:
- Rodent droppings which can carry disease
- dead animal carcasses (some hoarders hoard animals)
- household chemicals which can leak, explode or present toxic conditions
- structural hazards like rotting floors, falling ceilings, bugs in the wall, lighting problems, gas leaks, etc.
These are dangers you may face even if you inherited a hoarder house, handling an estate cleanout or readying a hoarder house for sale. These are potentially dangerous situations. You may be out the extra expense of hiring professionals who are trained to handle biohazards. This can make it take a lot longer to renovate a hoarding house whether or not you manage an estate cleanout for hoarding houses. It can also add an enormous expense.
Challenges of Estate Sale for Hoarding House
Even if you’ve been doing this for awhile hosting an estate sale for hoarding house or trying to sell a hoarding house can be riddled with challenges. If it’s not an extreme case, you might opt for a “picker” sale. This kind of estate sale for hoarding house allows people to pick through and find their own treasures. However, in extreme cases like when someone inherited a hoarding house, it’s just not safe and you would be held liable for any injuries that occurred. Taking on an estate sale for hoarding house is risky and can be dangerous. Finding dead animals is not for the faint of heart! Getting everyone organized, hiring extra help, and ensuring everyone’s safety are all expensive and time-consuming.
A Better Option if You Inherited a Hoarding House or Want to Sell a Hoarding House
There is a better option if you inherited a hoarding house and just can’t afford time, money and effort to clean it up and get it ready to sale. You can sell it to a cash buyer. This is an investor who will buy it as-is. You won’t have to touch a thing. They will make you an offer, and pay you cash if you accept it. They will handle the paperwork and closing costs. There’s no long wait for closing, it’s all done in a very short time. You’ll have cash in hand and not have to host an estate sale for hoarding house and won’t have to worry about any cleanup. It can be a huge load off your mind and save you money, time and effort.
Ready to Sell Your Hoarding House?
Getting a hoarding house ready to sell takes time if you do it traditionally. If you’re ready to get rid of the stress of having a hoarding house then look no further than Arbor View Properties. We’re a cash buying company in Metro Atlanta, GA that specializes in quick closing. The best part? We’ll buy your house as-is. Meaning you don’t have to spend the time or money cleaning out the house or repairing it to get it ready for the market. Don’t waste your time renovating a hoarding house, get it sold and out of your way in as soon as 2 days. Have a question about the process? Give us a call at 770-810-5715. We’d be more than happy to answer any questions you might have!