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Tips for Selling a House With Lead Paint

How to Sell a House With Lead Paint Lead has been banned in the United States since 1978 after health experts and professionals revealed its harmful effects on human health and wellness. Because of this ban, lead has no longer been used to legally produce materials such as toys, appliances, paint, and other objects. While small lead-made merchandise can easily be phased out and eliminated from the market, the same cannot be done for immovable properties like houses. There is a strong possibility that homes constructed before lead was banned in 1978 were painted with lead-based paint. Houses with lead paint create a dangerous environment for all their inhabitants. Lead-based paint easily deteriorates and chips off of walls and other surfaces. When these turn into fine dust and are inhaled, it can result in severe damage to a person’s brain and organs. In severe exposure, lead can cause seizures, mental disabilities, and death. With the rise of awareness of the negative health consequences of lead paint, it can be difficult to sell homes painted with toxic substances. In this article, learn how to test for lead paint in your property and what you can do to sell your house with lead paint. How to Test for Lead Paint in a House The best way to determine if your house has traces of lead-based paint is to engage a professional. Home inspectors have the tools and equipment needed to identify lead paint and can give you accurate and quick results. However, lead paint testing can be expensive owing to health concerns. If you don’t want to spend on professional lead inspection services, you can DIY your lead testing with the use of a testing kit. Some hardware stores offer lead paint test kits for sale that depend on chemical interactions to detect the toxic substance. If you opt to conduct the test yourself, make sure to practice care and follow the instructions in your testing kit. What You Can Do to Sell a House With Lead Paint? If you detect traces of lead-based paint on your property, you should do something about it before you put the house on the market for sale. This is to prevent legal consequences and also to protect the well-being of your potential buyers. Depending on how much lead-based paint was used in your home, you can either contain the lead paint or completely remove it. Small traces of lead can be contained with maintenance until it deteriorates. This process involves waiting for the lead to chip or flake off, with professionals inspecting and maintaining it frequently until the toxic substance is completely eliminated. The affected area can then be redone with lead-safe materials. However, if most of the house is painted with lead-based paint, it’s highly recommended that you completely remove it. For this method, you will need to engage a certified lead paint abatement specialist. Although this service is expensive, do note that it’s highly inadvisable to take on the task of removing lead paint yourself. Sell Your House With Lead Paint to Skye Homes Selling a house with lead paint is difficult considering the health concerns, as well as the large expenses of removing or containing the toxic substance. Instead of going through the expensive process, you can opt to sell your house to Skye Homes instead. We are direct buyers of properties across the United States and purchase homes as-is. We don’t require any repairs, renovations, or staging, which means fewer expenses and hassle on your part. Just tell us about your property and we can make you an all-cash offer.

June 26, 2023 No Comments

How to Sell a Hoarder House

We cover the issues one might encounter selling a hoarder house and how to overcome those challenges. Hoarding disorder is a mental condition that is associated with the excessive accumulation of items. It creates a perceived need to acquire and keep countless amount of things regardless of their actual value or usage with a persistent difficulty to discard or get rid of them. This often leads to cramped living conditions as the house is sometimes filled to capacity. According to RisMedia, 2% to 5% of the US population are considered hoarders. This makes hoarding more common than you might think. Yet, no less damaging as it often creates unsafe conditions for both the hoarder and other neighbors around the hoarding home. Trying to rid themselves of masses amounts of clutter can be stressful, hoarders are often indecisive and emotionally paralyzed at the prospect of doing so due to obsessive thoughts on how they might still need certain items in their home. Even at the risk of losing everything, including their homes, and the well-being and health of their families, and their own. Eventually, hoarder homes must be sold. This can just be a part of life, needing to relocate to another home, at the passing down of an estate, or due to local laws and condemnation of the property, and legal orders to vacate and sell the hoarder house. What Are The Issues With Selling A Hoarder Home? While there may often be no choice but to sell a hoarder house, except to allow it to be seized in foreclosure, that doesn’t mean it will be easy to sell. Selling hoarder’s house is definitely preferable to just allowing the property to be taken away, and the owner still potentially owing all debts that were attached to it, but there can be challenges. Emotional Distress Trying to sell a hoarder home like this can be stressful and create an emotional turmoil for the hoarder, and family members. If it is your house, it can be smart to enroll the help of a family member to help you through it. If you are helping a family member who is suffering from hoarding disorder, your job is to both be there to empathize, yet help them get through it, and swiftly. When you help a hoarder to find a prospective buyer for their home, you are helping them achieve a sale. They may not be appreciative during the process, but can be very grateful afterwards. It can take some tough love. Stick it out. Logistical Difficulties Selling a hoarder home, or even preparing one for sale can be a logistical challenge. Even if you live locally to the property and do not have to deal with travel and expenses, it can mean time out of work, and a lot of time in coordination. Even if you can afford to spend weekend and after weekend, and week after week dealing with it, it may well cost you in your other relationships and responsibilities. What do you do with all the stuff when selling a hoarder’s house? You may need to coordinate with cleaners, charities, waste disposal firms, the city, and agents and potential buyers. It can be a full-time job trying to sell a hoarder house. Sifting Through the Stuff Whether the hoarder themselves is helping you or not, you’ll typically be tempted to sift through the items in the hoarding house as much as possible. You’d think there may be something of value there. Often there may not be much, given age of the belongings, and certainly in contrast with the cost of losing the property or the house. Still, you may want to look out for paperwork and personal items which may have some meaning, or donate many items in the home to nonprofits which can put them to use. If they are safe. Hiring Cleaners & Contractors Every home seller needs to do some cleaning and repairs before putting their property on the housing market. However, in many hoarding house situations, you will need a lot more than a quick cleaning, a fresh coat of paint, and getting rid of old appliances. You may required to bring in professional biohazard level services, similar to those used after a crime scene investigation. This is not a cheap, fast, or simple clean-up job in a regular house. Hoarding can create serious healthcare concerns and dangers lurking in homes with lots of clutter as there might be heavy odors from biological wastes such as dead animals, animal feces, rotten walls and floorboards, and sewage backup. There can also be dangerous chemicals, hazardous materials, or infectious diseases in hoarder houses. This requires extreme cleaning to make the house sell-ready. If a lower level of cleanout is needed, you can hire a senior move manager to help declutter. Our sister organization, My Move Project, helps hoarders in the Sacramento area. If you’re outside of that area, visit NASMM.org to find a move manager near you. If you’ve ever moved, or tried to do a deep cleaning and organizing of your own home, you know that the job can notoriously grow larger and larger as you dig in. What looks manageable can turn into a massive undertaking, that just keeps becoming a larger burden as you dig deeper. All while the clock is ticking away to sell the property, expenses are rising, and the risk of loss grows. Once the hoarder’s home is completely cleared out, and made safe (if possible), then you’ll typically need to begin bringing in trustworthy contractors and inspectors to assess the situation of the house, provide quotes on necessary repairs such as electrical systems, plumbing, and even structural problems, and begin laying out a scope of work and timeline. This may be a lengthy process, though code enforcement fines and violation penalties can add up by the day. Sometimes this is as high as $1,000 per day. The Complexity of a Sale The common method of finding a real estate agent, listing a

June 11, 2023 No Comments

Your Top 15 Real Estate Questions Answered

We discuss the main questions around selling a house fast as well as working with investors to sell your home. How can I sell my house fast full of stuff? If you need to sell a house full of stuff (and you don’t want to remove it all yourself), then find an investor who is willing to buy the home and remove all your unwanted items after the sale. Make sure to take time going through everything so that you don’t miss valuable items that end up getting tossed. Alternatively, you can hire a junk removal company but make sure to get multiple bids and stay away from the national brands as they are typically quite expensive. Is it better to sell everything and move? Selling individual items can be extremely time-consuming and stressful. People who buy smaller items via neighborhood apps typically want to haggle or low-ball you. Do you really want to do this 20 times? How do I sell my cluttered house? The best way to sell a cluttered house is by working with a direct homebuyer (aka investor) who can do the cleaning or repairs once they buy the home. Alternatively, a real estate agent may be willing to help coordinate a decluttering service, however, these services cost money. How quickly do most houses sell? This depends on your market. The best way to find out how long houses take to sell is by looking at nearby recent sales on Zillow or Redfin and comparing the list date vs the sale date. In hotter markets a fully remodeled house might go under contract after the first weekend but if the home is outdated, during colder months, or in a less desirable location, it may take a few months to receive any offers. What is the fastest a home can be sold? The fastest a home can be sold depends on who the buyer is and how fast the title company can perform. Usually 7 days is the fastest a home can be sold. What time of year is best to sell a house? In most markets, spring to early Summer (January to June) is the best time to sell a home, although if you are selling to an investor, the time of year does not matter. After the winter blues wear off, many buyers are ready to go out and shop for a home. If you are thinking of selling in November or December, it is highly recommended that wait until your market warms up before selling. What months do houses sell the fastest in? In a lot of markets, the spring and early summer months are when houses sell the fastest. September and October also rank high in a lot of markets. How can I make my house look good to sell without spending a lot? You can make your house ready to sell by decluttering, painting (even just spot painting), trimming the yard down, and doing a deep cleaning. These are tasks that can be done inexpensively but add a lot of value to your resale. What is the quickest way to sell a house? The quickest way to sell a house is to work with a direct buyer (real estate investor). These buyers can be found online and usually offer to close in as little as 7 days. Simply search for “we buy houses companies near me” and you will get a list of results. Read our guide on what to know when selling to an investor here. What is a cash home buyer? A cash home buyer is simply a real estate investor. They are also known as direct homebuyers, “we buy houses” companies, or fix & flippers. All terms describe the same thing. How much do investors pay for houses? Most investors pay a percentage of the “after-repair value,” but that amount can vary greatly, and it usually depends on what condition the property is in. For homes that are very outdated or in poor condition the amount an investor can pay is closer to its actual value than if the home is already remodeled. This is because most investors’ business model relies on selling a home at a higher price-per-foot than repairs cost. For example, a 1,500 sqft home in poor shape is sold for $500,000 and the investor projects to spend $67 per foot on remodeling ($100,000). The investor sees that remodeled homes in this area sell for $430 per foot ($650,000). After holding costs, resale commissions, and renovations, the investor can ensure a safety margin and profit after remodeling the home. How do I know if a “we buy houses company” is reputable? First, check around the web for testimonials. We recommend starting with a Google search, but also check Facebook, Yelp, and less commonly the Better Business Bureau. Legitimate are usually spaced out over time, come from active users who review other businesses, and usually vary in writing style. You can also ask the company for past client references. Is it safe to sell a home to an investor? Yes, but you need to do the same due diligence you would do for any other large transaction. Make sure you check references and reviews, ask questions to get to know the buyer, and review the paperwork carefully so that you understand it. What are the disadvantages of selling a home off-market? The primary disadvantage of selling a home off-market is less exposure which means you may miss out on other offers. What are the advantages of selling a home off-market? The primary advantages of selling a home off-market are paying less (or no) commissions if you choose to sell without a real estate agent, privacy, it can be easier to find buyers, sell without doing repairs or cleaning, and solve complex problems that retail buyers are not capable of handling.

May 31, 2023 No Comments

Thinking Of Selling Your House To A Real Estate Investor? Here’s What You Need To Know

You’ve decided to sell your house and need to figure out which avenue to use. Will you opt for a traditional market sale or work directly with one of the “we buy houses” people you’ve found online? My name is Jake Knight and as a full-time investor and Realtor I’m here to give you the insider scoop from both sides. Let’s start with the main question: what is the difference between selling with a Realtor vs. selling to an investor? Selling with a Realtor means publicly broadcasting your home with the primary goal of maximizing your exposure to obtain the highest price. Selling to an investor typically means trading a bit of the price for some other benefits such as privacy, not dealing with repairs, a guaranteed quick sale, more flexible time frame for moving, and leaving all your unwanted items behind. Selling on the market means buyers are ready to move in once they close and it can sometimes feel adversarial with the two agents fighting for your interests. Not always, but sometimes. This may be worth it for you. Pros And Cons Of Selling To A “We Buy Houses” Company Pros: less paperwork, private, no open houses, no need to clean or fix things, leave junk behind, flexible time frames, no commission. Cons: may sell for less, need to look out for yourself, paying commission. How To Find Direct Homebuyers If you haven’t already received postcards or letters simply do a web search for “we buy houses (city)” or “sell my house fast (city)” and you’ll get a long list of potential suitors. 5 Tips To Sell A Home On Your Own You’ve decided to call some investors and generate some interest. Follow these pointers to help protect yourself and walk away feeling good about your decision. Get references and read their reviews online Many direct buyers these days have websites and some have reviews from past clients. I recommend asking the buyer to provide a few references of either sellers they’ve worked with or Realtors they’ve closed deals with. Don’t be afraid to do a little digging to ensure your buyer is reputable and reliable. Fill out disclosures and be transparent about property defects Many sellers want to avoid more paperwork or disclosing all of the home’s little annoyances but I recommend against that. Filling out property disclosures can better protect from future liability. Disclose any material facts about the property, in writing, so that it doesn’t come back to haunt you. I also recommend being transparent to avoid a buyer later discovering the issues on their own and coming back with a price change. Research your state’s disclosure rules. Ask for proof of funds Any credible buyer will be able to provide this. Some buyers use “hard money” loans and these are loans for fixer-uppers. They’re simpler than mortgages and it doesn’t mean your sale has to be dependent on loan or appraisal contingencies. A preapproval letter from a hard money lender, or bank statements, should suffice. Ask if the buyer is going to close on the home or find another buyer A little industry secret is that some “buyers” are only looking to assign the purchase rights to another buyer for a slightly higher price (aka wholesaling). It’s legal in most states but adds a layer of complexity to your sale (e.g. what if the buyer’s buyer backs out at the last minute?). It’s not that you should outright reject this proposal, but it’s usually a little easier and cleaner if the buyer is the actual buyer. Work with an escrow company Always use an escrow company and connect with the escrow officer to ask for help ensuring the transaction goes smoothly. They’re an independent party but certainly can help facilitate a smooth, legal closing. You’ll also want to make sure the buyer’s earnest money deposit is submitted. A Hybrid Approach You can always ask a trusted Realtor to help you find an investor “off-market.” Selling your home to an investor does not automatically mean you can’t use a Realtor. Many Realtors have investors on speed dial and can quickly generate offers for you. This structure helps you with paperwork and due diligence but also allows you to stay private and not deal with the market pressure. Money-saving tip : I would ask your Realtor if you can pay only one side of the commission instead of the normal 5-6%. Most would be happy to oblige. Let’s Talk About Price Don’t sell unless you feel it’s a win for you. If your only goal is to maximize your price (and your home is clean and livable) consider selling on the market. It can be helpful to get multiple offers but even if you are selling “off-market,” multiple offers can function as a market itself. Are you trading convenience, privacy, or other goals for a bit of a discount? Is the price you’re getting worth the trade-offs? That’s the question only you can answer. If you’re in Northern California and would like to learn more about selling on the market or getting a direct offer, visit www.skyehomes.com or call Jake Knight at 866-207-1940.

May 19, 2023 No Comments

Reinvesting The Proceeds From The Sale Of Your House

Selling your home can be an overwhelming and difficult venture, but when closing phase with a buyer, you are rewarded with a large sum of money that you can use for a variety of things! Some people buy cars and other material objects, others use the money to pay for daily expenses, and there are those who set it aside for their life savings. While you are free to spend the money as you wish, did you know that there are things you can do with it that will benefit you in the future? Some reinvesting methods even allow you to multiply those earnings and create a steady cash flow! We lay down some ways you can reinvest the proceeds from your house sale and pave the way for more financial freedom. 1. Invest in a rental property. Selling your home will yield a lump sum of cash that you can use to purchase another property, but this time, you can use your purchased house as a rental property and put it out for lease. This can give you a steady passive income for years, with the renters’ market being continuously in demand. As a bonus, reinvesting in another property avoids capital gains taxes! By leasing out your property to tenants, you can earn an average of $50,000 a year as passive income, depending on where your property is located. Houses in prime areas and good neighborhoods are highly sought-after by couples and families. 2. Conduct home improvements in your primary residence. While spending on the home you live in seems like an expense more than an investment, home improvements can go a long way in increasing the value of your home. If you decide to sell your primary residence in the future, you can receive a huge percentage as returns and build equity. While you can enhance any part of your home, it’s ideal to focus on the things that matter to potential buyers. Some value-adding improvements you can make include repairing or replacing the roof, modernizing the design of your kitchen, refreshing your exteriors, landscaping, and more. 3. Invest in a real estate crowdfunding opportunity. Real estate crowdfunding involves collecting a pool of investors to generate the capital needed for a real estate project. It’s undertaken by people who want to buy homes, rental properties, or fund other projects. Investors who put their money into these opportunities become shareholders of the property and receive a share of its proceeds and income. Contributing to a real estate crowdfunding opportunity can become a good investment, as long as you do your research on viable options in the market. This can generate a stable passive income that you can enjoy both now and in the future. 4. Contribute to a 529 plan. Most home sellers use the proceeds of their sale to pay for present and future expenses. If they have children, some of the money is set aside for their college education. When creating a college fund, it’s recommended that parents create a 529 plan instead of keeping the money in a bank account or elsewhere. 529 plans grow tax-free and only get taxed when the money is withdrawn. These savings plans can help parents set aside money for their children’s future education more wisely without the risk of extra expenses or depleting the college savings for other things. 5. Pay off your high-interest debts. Debt can weigh you down for a long time, especially if they accumulate high-interest rates. The large sum of money that you receive from your home sale can be used to clear all your debts so that you can achieve financial freedom and become worry-free. Use the Proceeds of Your Sale Wisely! Instead of spending the money you earn from selling your house on material things, you can use it as an investment to benefit you in the future. If you haven’t sold your property yet, you can liquidate it quickly and for a good price with Skye Homes. We buy houses nationwide, directly transacting with the home seller. We eliminate all the bells and whistles of selling a property by investing in houses on your terms and simplifying the process. Tell us about your property and we can give you an all-cash offer!

August 4, 2021 No Comments

Quick Hacks to Make Your Yard a Selling Point

First impressions matter when it comes to selling a home. So it’s important that the first thing your potential buyers see when they view your listing is appealing enough to generate their interest. That means having a yard that you can use as your main selling point. Having a well-maintained and eye-catching yard can get you more interested buyers and boost your home’s market value by 15% and perceived value by 12%. We let you in on our quick hacks to beautify your yard to sell your home fast and for a good price. 1. Focus on Intensifying Your Curb Appeal Especially if you’re posting photos of your house for sale on listing sites, your potential buyers will judge a book by its cover. It’s important that you grab their attention from that first photo. Otherwise, they’ll simply scroll on and ignore your listing. The same principle goes when holding open houses. If you don’t attract visitors before they even set foot in your home, they’ve already lost interest before they’ve even seen the indoors. That’s why your curb appeal is vital in helping you sell your home. Don’t deter your buyers from wanting to live in that piece of property. Instead, spark their interest by going the distance to make sure that your curb appeal makes a good impression. Some things you can do are: Touch up your exterior with a fresh coat of paint Trim bushes and trees Pull weeds Mow the grass Get rid of garbage and clutter 2. Clean and Maintain When buyers go to a walk-through of properties they are interested in calling home, they tend to get very particular to the point that even the slightest mess can deter them from purchasing a piece of property. After all, this is one of their biggest investments, so they want to make sure that everything is perfect. Make sure that all corners of your home are clean and well-maintained — from your yard to the attic. A neat, tidy, and well-presented home will also show your potential buyers how much care you put into maintaining the property, which is an impression that will go a long way to making a sale. As part of your maintenance efforts, conduct the following activities: Power wash your sidewalk, doorway, and porch Pull the weeds and edge the lawn Trim bushes and trees Eliminate clutter Give fences a fresh varnish Repair any damages on your porch, steps, fences, mailbox, etc. 3. Help Buyers Envision Their Life in Your Yard You’re not just showing off a house that you used to own. You’re showing off a property that someone will soon call home, so make sure that you are making efforts to help potential buyers envision what their life will be like if they decide to live there. Make your yard feel as homey as possible. Add seating areas, leisure items like a fire pit or hammock, grilling area, etc. When your buyers spot these in your yard, they will be able to see themselves relaxing and having gatherings there every weekend or watching their kids run around and enjoying the outdoors. If your buyers can imagine what their life will be like living in the property, they feel a sense of attachment and interest and almost always end up making the purchase. 4. Don’t Forget About Efficiency While you’re conducting all these improvements to make your house for sale more appealing to buyers, make sure that you’re staying efficient. Always crunch the numbers and avoid spending more than you can potentially earn. Remember that even the smallest and most budget-friendly fixes can make a huge difference. Sell Your Home to Skye Homes As Is There is a lot to do when selling your home. That includes making the necessary repairs, undertaking renovation efforts, maintaining your lawn, etc. Sometimes, we just don’t have the luxury of time and resources to do all these. If that’s the case for you, why don’t you consider selling to real estate investors like Skye Homes? We are real estate investors who are interested in all sorts of properties across the United States. We purchase homes directly from sellers as-is, without requiring any renovations, repairs, and all the nitty-gritty tasks usually involved in the home selling process. As long as we see potential in your home, we can make you an offer within a couple of days and close the sale immediately! No hassle, no hidden fees, no commissions — you get the value of your home in full. Ready to sell your home fast and for a good price? Request an offer today.

June 24, 2021 No Comments

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