A home with significant code violations can be a huge eyesore as well as a drain on your finances. If you want to sell it, though, you’re looking at significant challenges. Very few buyers are looking for a fixer-upper, and the listing process can be much more complicated for a home in disrepair. If you live in Los Angeles and you want to sell your house with code violations, there are a number of steps you’ll need to take.
1. Have a Formal Home Inspection Conducted
Before you can even know what you’re working with, you must have a formal inspection conducted on your home. You might think you already know what’s wrong, but some of the most common code violations aren’t visible or obvious.
For instance, you may be aware of the broken roof shingles but unaware of the mold growth in the drywall behind your kitchen sink. And then there are common violations that many homeowners aren’t aware of, such as:
- Staircases without handrails
- Basement bedrooms without an egress window
- Improper bathroom ventilation
- Improper fence height
- Missing or improperly located smoke alarms
- Missing ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) in the bathroom, kitchen, or garage
The only way to get a complete picture is to have a professional home inspector provide you with a full report.
2. Make As Many Repairs As Possible
Once you have a complete idea of your home code violations, you have to decide whether to make the repairs or just sell the home as-is.
Certain repairs are simple. For example, if your home was built before 1992, you may not be required to have hardwired smoke detectors installed. So you can simply install battery-operated detectors where needed.
Other repairs are infinitely more complex. For example, professional mold remediation may run $10,000 or more and involve cutting away sections of the home, dehumidifying and disinfecting the affected area, installing new wall materials, and restoring the room to its original condition. This type of job must be completed by trained professionals.
You can pay for the repairs and consider it an investment toward your home sale, or you can skip the repairs and disclose the code violations once the home is listed.
3. Focus on Making Your Home as Desirable as Possible
Maybe you can’t afford the $12,000 mold remediation or the $5,000 electrical repairs. You can still take steps to make your home desirable to a buyer. Consider a new paint job that brightens and modernizes your Los Angeles home. You might install new carpeting or refresh the landscaping in the front yard. Even something as simple as cleaning the house from top to bottom can make a difference.
The key is to do whatever you can to make a good first impression with buyers. They might be more forgiving of certain code violations if they can walk into the home and still fall in love with the overall atmosphere.
4. Disclose All Code Violations
If you decide to sell your home as-is, you’ll be required to disclose not only the code violations but any other details that might make the property undesirable to a prospective buyer. Failure to do so constitutes fraud. You can then be legally liable for any costs that the buyer has to pay to bring the home up to code—even if the problems were overlooked during the buyer’s home inspection.
To ensure a smooth, legal transaction, make sure to disclose all violations to your Realtor as well as any prospective buyers. You may earn less on the home, but it will save you more significant headaches down the road.
5. Temper Your Expectations
Given that the home is in disrepair, it’s fair to assume that you’re not going to get the maximum property value when you sell. You’ll need to sit down with your real estate agent and agree on an amount that can reasonably be expected—typically the market value of the home minus the cost of any essential repairs or upgrades. Once you know what to expect and you feel good about your prospective earnings, you can proceed with the sale with a benchmark in place.
Though some buyers will try to low-ball you in light of the code violations, it’s important to stick close to the price that you and your agent agreed upon. The whole reason for doing your homework ahead of time is so that you can set clear expectations and not get taken advantage of. So keep your expectations realistic, but be firm in your resolve.
6. Know That Other Options Are Available
In some cases, selling your home in the traditional sense might not be in your best interest. For instance, if you’re trying to unload a damaged property quickly, or if you don’t have time to spend months battling and negotiating with prospective buyers, you can sell to a reputable real estate investor.
There are certain key advantages to selling to an investment company like Get Fair Home Offers. For example:
- We don’t care what condition the house is in. We’ll make a fair, competitive offer based on the value of your home minus the repairs, and we’ll make sure you get paid in as little as 7 to 10 days.
- We take care of the inspections and repairs, so you never have to worry about bringing your home up to code.
- We take no commission fees. Sometimes we can even pay the closing costs on your behalf. That’s more money in your pocket.
- The whole process is no-hassle and no-obligation. If you don’t like the offer you receive, you’re free to pursue all other options at your disposal.
We buy Los Angeles houses for cash and we will buy your house with code violations! Contact us today at (626) 817-3351 for more information.