How to Sell a Hoarder House in California
By Nancy Chillag
If you own a hoarder house, have just inherited one, or are uncertain if a house you own should be considered one, then I have prepared this guide just for you.
Hoarding is a serious mental illness, and “hoarder house” is the consequence of this illness. Hoarding behavior can strain, and even break, family ties that were once warm and strong.
If the person with the hoarding disorder has died, then they may have left a physical and emotional burden for their surviving family members to carry. But a home overflowing with the things they have collected does not have to be your burden for much longer.
While it may be difficult to read about the specifics of a hoarder house, I am going to speak plainly about the issues involved so that you can be as well-prepared as possible.
What Is A Hoarder House?
A hoarder house is a home that has been filled with a very large quantity of possessions collected by its occupant. The house is so crowded with piles of things that getting through a doorway or walking from one room to another becomes a serious challenge. If this is what you are faced with, then the home’s occupant likely has a hoarding problem.
Hoarding is a mental disorder characterized by the excessive accumulation of possessions, often resulting in clutter that significantly impairs the functionality of living spaces and compromises the individual's quality of life.
The Psychiatry.org website gives this background:
“The overall prevalence of hoarding disorder is approximately 2.6%, with higher rates for people over 60 years old and people with other psychiatric diagnoses, especially anxiety and depression. The prevalence and features of hoarding appear to be similar across countries and cultures. The bulk of evidence suggests that hoarding occurs with equal frequency in men and women. Hoarding behavior begins relatively early in life and increases in severity with each decade.”
A Hoarder House is overwhelmed by clutter and discarded items, and is excessively crowded, dirty, and hazardous. The condition can have serious consequences for the occupant’s physical health, safety, and well-being, as well as for their relationships and ability to function in daily life.
When elderly hoarders die or need to relocate to a new living situation, their family members are often left to deal with the house and all its contents. This can be a huge financial burden as well as a health and safety risk.
Does a Hoarder House Present Any Dangers?
Hoarder houses pose a range of dangers that can affect the health, safety, and well-being of occupants, neighbors, and visitors. Here are some of the primary dangers associated with hoarder houses:
Fire Hazards: Accumulated clutter and hoarded items in hoarder houses significantly increase the risk of fire. Blocked exits, and the presence of flammable materials can fuel fires, obstruct the efforts of first responders, and hinder escape in the event of an emergency. The National Fire Protection Agency goes into this in greater detail here.
Structural Instability: Hoarder houses may experience structural damage or instability due to the weight of accumulated clutter and hoarded items. Piles of belongings can strain floors, walls, and ceilings, compromising the structural integrity of the property and posing risks of collapse.
Health Risks: Hoarding often leads to unsanitary living conditions, including mold growth, pest infestations, and exposure to harmful pathogens. Mold spores, allergens, and bacteria present in hoarder houses can trigger respiratory issues, allergic reactions, and other health problems among occupants.
Tripping and Falling Hazards: Cluttered pathways and obstructed living spaces in hoarder houses increase the risk of trips and falls for occupants and visitors. Piles of belongings, stacks of items, and narrow passages pose hazards that can result in injuries ranging from minor bruises to more severe fractures or head injuries.
Vermin Infestations: Hoarder houses provide ideal environments for pests such as rodents, insects, and other vermin to thrive and spread disease, cause property damage, and further exacerbate health and safety risks for occupants.
Biohazard Accumulation: Hoarding often involves the accumulation of biohazards such as human or animal waste, expired food, and decomposing organic matter. Exposure to biohazards in hoarder houses can pose serious health risks, including infections, respiratory illnesses, and exposure to harmful toxins.
Legal Risks: A hoarder house can be considered a neighborhood nuisance if it negatively impacts surrounding properties, which it usually does. Many hoarder houses are infested with rats and other rodents that make their way to neighboring properties. In addition, the smells usually permeate the walls and drift quite some distance. You may face legal actions from neighbors or homeowners' associations. You can also be held liable for any injuries someone suffers on the property.
Financial Risks: Ownership of a hoarder house can create financial hardships for you; paying taxes, insurance, and a mortgage on a property that may be uninhabitable. If there is a fire, or an injury accident on the property, your insurance premiums could increase.
Should I Fix Up My California Hoarder House?
Fixing up a hoarder house involves a significant investment of time, effort, and financial resources. You need to know what you’re getting into when you embark on cleaning up a hoarder house.
Hoarder houses almost always require rehabilitation work to be lived in or sold. You will need to engage professional services, including hiring clean-up crews, contractors, plumbers, electricians, and other specialists to assist with decluttering, cleaning, repairs, and renovations.
Hazard Mitigation Measures: One of the most significant expenses in fixing up a hoarder house is the cleanup and decontamination process. You may need to hire a professional hazard mitigation company to remove walls, insulation, and any other material that is contaminated.
Pest Control and Extermination: Pest control and extermination services are often necessary to eradicate pests such as rodents, rats, insects, and other vermin.
Structural Repairs and Renovations: Hoarder houses often require extensive structural repairs and renovations including repairing damaged walls, floors, and ceilings, and replacing HVAC ducts that have become contaminated. Often the clutter becomes infested with rodents and insects that cause extensive damage to the floors and walls. It can be difficult to know the total extent of the damage until all the clutter is removed.
Medical Risks: Fixing a hoarder house on your own could lead to serious medical issues for you and anyone who helps you. A professional should be used.
Can a House be Condemned for Hoarding?
California imposes strict regulations and ordinances to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of its residents. In cases where a hoarder house poses severe risks to occupants or the surrounding community, government authorities will take action.
They will conduct an inspection of the hoarder house, usually in response to neighbor complaints, to assess the existence and extent of hazardous conditions.
If hazardous conditions are identified during inspections, they will issue violation notices to the property owner, informing them of the specific code violations and the required corrective actions.
If the property owner fails to fix the conditions within the specified timeframe, enforcement action will take place to compel compliance. This may include fines, citations, orders to vacate the property, or initiation of condemnation proceedings.
Condemnation involves the formal declaration of a hoarder house as unfit for occupancy and orders to vacate the property. If the property owner still fails to take corrective actions, the property can be demolished. The property owner will then be liable for the cost of demolition along with penalties and fines.
If you don’t have the time or money to fix the property, or you don’t want to take a risk of personal injury, the best thing to do is get rid of the property.
If a code violation has been issued, the County of Sacramento gives some general advice here on how to respectfully deal with a person with a hoarding disorder, as well as some suggestions on what to do if you suspect a house has become a hazard due to hoarding.
Can I Sell a California Hoarder House Through a Realtor?
If you fix the property, then you can certainly sell the property through traditional means. But if you don’t want to fix the property, using a realtor for selling a hoarder house presents challenges.
Hoarder houses typically have limited market appeal due to their cluttered and potentially unsanitary, unsafe conditions. Most buyers are hesitant to consider properties that require extensive cleaning, decluttering, and repairs before they can be inhabited.
Real estate agents listing hoarder houses on the MLS must navigate disclosure requirements related to the property's condition. Failing to disclose known hoarding issues or related concerns can lead to legal liabilities and potential disputes with buyers after the sale.
Most lenders will not loan on a hoarder house, particularly if the property's condition poses safety or habitability concerns, which severely limits the number of buyers eligible to purchase the property.
Because of the above, hoarder houses often take longer to sell. And you don’t want to continue to own the property and face possible government fines, penalties, and condemnation, not to mention liability if anyone goes into the house and gets injured.
How Do I Sell a Hoarder House Fast in California?
The best way to sell a Hoarder House fast is to sell it to a cash buyer. Selling to a cash buyer is the quickest way to be free of the emotional and financial stress of owning a hoarder house.
Cash buyers are experienced in dealing with hoarder houses.
Here are some of the key benefits of selling a hoarder house to a cash buyer:
As-Is Sale: The biggest benefit of selling to a cash buyer is the ability to sell the hoarder house in its current condition, without the need for repairs, renovations, or cleanup. Cash buyers purchase properties as-is, saving sellers time, money, and effort. They can even buy it if you have code violations or a city order to clean up the house.
Quick Sale Process: Cash buyers can close on properties quickly, often within a matter of days or weeks. This expedited sale process can be especially advantageous for sellers who need to sell their hoarder house promptly due to financial constraints, threat of condemnation, or other urgent circumstances.
Cash Offer: Cash buyers buy with cash, eliminating the need to wait for mortgage approval or deal with financing contingencies that can delay the closing process. Cash offers facilitate a smooth and hassle-free transaction.
Avoidance of Listing and Showing Process: By selling to a cash buyer, sellers can bypass the listing and showing process, avoiding the inconvenience and potential danger associated with showing a hoarder house to potential buyers.
No Contingencies or Inspections: Cash buyers do not require contingencies or inspections, further simplifying the transaction process. This can provide peace of mind to sellers who are worried about the condition of their hoarder house and the potential for inspection-related issues to derail the sale.
Confidentiality and Privacy: Selling a hoarder house to a cash buyer offers the benefit of confidentiality and privacy. Cash buyers respect sellers' privacy and do not disclose details about the property or the selling process to the public. A hoarder usually doesn’t want the public to know about the condition of their home.
Finding the Right Cash Buyer to Buy Your California Hoarder House
When selling your Hoarder House, make sure you deal with a reputable and trustworthy cash buyer.
Review their experience. How long have they been in business and have they purchased houses like this in the past?
Review their testimonials. What do people think of them; are they easy to work with; are they trustworthy and reputable?
Make sure they have the cash to purchase your home.
Make sure that they visit the house in person before making their offer. This first-hand knowledge of the property allows them to make their most aggressive offer, and removes the risk of surprises that may cause them to lower or withdraw their offer later on.
Once you find the right cash buyer, you are ready to sell your hoarder house as-is and move on with your life.
We are Cash Buyers Ready to Buy Your California Hoarder House!
If you want to be free from the burden of owning a hoarder house, we can help. We have been buying houses for over 30 years and we have seen it all. You can learn more about us here.
We will buy your house as-is for cash and we can close quickly.
Even if the house is going through probate, we can still offer guidance and help you sell.
Just give us a call at 916-260-2040
or fill out this form to get your all cash offer started today. Free yourself from the costs and the legal liability. Begin to restore your peace of mind today.
About the Author:
Nancy Chillag is a real estate investor and has been buying and renovating homes for more than 30 years. She has purchased real estate all over the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, Central Valley and even out of state. She has worked with numerous homeowners dealing with foreclosures, inherited property, massive repairs, relocation, and bad tenants, to name a few. She is the president of Primary Home Solutions Inc.
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