Houses are covered by plenty of residential building codes. From requirements in fence height to ventilation, your old house may be violating one or two building codes set forth by your local authorities.
And let’s face it. Keeping up with residential building codes can get overwhelming and costly. Sometimes, the best solution is to sell the property. This can be more difficult than selling a perfectly compliant house — but it’s not impossible.
5 Tips When Selling a House With Code Violations
If you are trying to sell a house with code violations, keeping these tips and best practices in mind can help you find a buyer and make a sale!
Set Your Expectations
Every seller is after getting the best price for their old houses, but don’t let yourself get blinded by all those high selling prices on listing sites. Because your house is old and has a couple of code violations, you need to set your expectations straight and understand that you may not be able to get the highest value for your property.
If you want to put the house on the market with a high asking price, you can opt to have some damages repaired and remedy the code violations. However, the expenses for this will come from your own pocket. It might be a good investment, however, considering that you can receive a higher offer for your newly repaired property.
Stage the House
Your buyers are going to judge their next potential home very seriously, so you want to make the property presentable. Even with damages and code violations, there are things you can do to make the house look worthy of a sale.
Some things you can do to make the property look more appealing are the following:
- Highlight the best features of the house and leverage them as your main selling point.
- Clean up both the interior and exterior
- Mow the lawn and get rid of weeds and debris
- Move furniture around and position them in the best manner
No matter how damaged the property is, there are things you can do to make it look more appealing to your potential buyers. Your goal is to show your buyers that the house can really be something after the repairs or renovations have been made.
Find the Right Buyer
Let’s face it. Not everyone will want to buy a damaged house with code violations. But there are a select number of people who don’t look for perfect houses and instead want something that they can build or repair to make their own.
You need to find the right buyer — someone who is up for handling the repairs and is willing to pay a fair price for your piece of property. Finding the right audience to market your listing to will help you make a sale easier and much faster than just putting it in a market where it has to compete with perfectly good houses.
Disclose All Damages and Issues
Some sellers make the big mistake of hiding certain issues and violations when selling their properties. But you are required by law to make accurate and complete disclosures about the condition of the home you are selling. Not doing so will expose you to liability and even lawsuits.
Be transparent with your potential buyers and let them know all the damages present, the repairs that you made, documentation of all types of work done on the property, etc. Inspect the house and make a comprehensive list of everything your buyer should know so you don’t miss anything.
Being honest about damages and issues will not only protect you from future headaches but also makes you confident that you are selling legally and ethically.
You Don’t Need to Settle for Less
You might have the wrong impression that your house, just because it has code violations, is now worth nothing. But that’s not true! You can still get a fair value for the current condition of the property.
It’s important that you know how much your home is worth so that you can sell it at a price that is fair to both you and your potential buyers. After the renovations and repairs have been made, the house you are selling may have a lot of potential. So don’t give it away and settle for less just yet.
Skye Homes Can Help You Sell Your House With Code Violations
Selling a house with code violations is no doubt a difficult endeavor. We’re here so that you don’t have to go through the hassle. Skye Homes is an independent and direct buyer of houses in the Bay Area. We purchase your home as-is, without the need for you to do any repairs or renovations. We can offer you a no-obligation, all-cash offer within a few days and if you accept, we can close the sale.
Turn your house with code violations into liquidated assets. Get started with us today by requesting an offer or scheduling a free home analysis.
