We all go through a house renovation at least once in our life. Some people do it a few times. Renovating a home is both complex and fun, and it definitely costs a lot of money. Nevertheless, the idea is to create a living space that you love and improve the quality of your life. However, if you decide you want to sell your home, you might run into some problems if you never acquired a permit to make the changes in your house. Obtaining a permit also costs money, and it is not uncommon for people to do things on their own. If this is your case, do not despair! Here are the best five tips for selling a house with unpermitted work!
What is considered unpermitted work?
Depending on the local state laws, any changes made on a home need to be first approved by the Building and Safety department. If you made any changes, like adding or removing a wall, changing radiators, etc., but you didn’t get a permit for those changes, you might have problems when deciding to sell the house.
Now that you understand what unpermitted work is, let’s explore the best solution for this situation.
1. Try to get necessary permits retroactively
The number one thing that comes to mind is, why not get a permit for the work already done? While this is a possibility, the outcome is not always the positive one. If you bought a home in that condition, that is, if it wasn’t you who did the unpermitted work, you might be able to get the permit. However, if you made the changes before getting a permit, you might get rejected. Still, this is a good option if you want to get an accurate evaluation of your home.
2. Remove the work
The most frustrating and difficult solution is removing all the work done and reversing your home into its previous state. You will also need to spend more money on reworking what was previously done. It is a good strategy only if you need to make small changes. However, if you are trying to sell your home and you need to tear down a few walls, this is not the most optimal solution.
3. Offer to pay for the removal of unpermitted improvements
The buyer might agree to purchase a home with unpermitted work if you offer to pay for the rework. Even though this is the same as removing the work yourself and selling the house, it is an option that might get you a better price. If the buyer knows that you will pay for the rework, it might seem they will save some money. This way, you can ask for a little bit more since you are the one who will be paying for the cleanup.
4. Hire a real estate agency to sell the home for you
The most common way to sell a house is to go through a real estate agent. They list the home for you, search for buyers, and get you a realistic price. Still, have in mind that if a real estate agent is selling this home, they are also going through the same issues as you are.
They cannot operate outside of the law, and they need to provide full disclosure to the buyer. Furthermore, you will also need to pay for the real estate commission.
5. Sell your home as-is with unpermitted improvements
Why are we talking about different options if you can still sell your home as-is, even though it has unpermitted improvements? Well, you can sell your house as-is, but not to everyone. Furthermore, the contract needs to disclose to everyone the current state of the home, and the responsibility needs to transfer to the buyer. A lot of buyers will not agree on this, and that’s the real catch.
So, who can buy homes with unpermitted improvements?
Sell your home to a real estate group
The best way to sell your home as-is is to contact a real estate group. Keep in mind that this is different from selling your home via a real estate agent. The difference is that the real estate group is not the middle man here. They are the buyer.
These groups purchase homes in any condition, and they deal with potential problems instead of you. If you have any questions about this process, it is best to ask them on time and know where you stand.
When to sell your home
Florida is now a good place for both selling and buying homes. One of the main factors of selling a home is to choose the timing wisely. Everything affects the market, and you don’t want to sell when the prices are low or buy when they are high. If you choose to sell your home as-is to a real estate group, this solves the problem of timing for you. They are not individuals who have to deal with financial issues and hunt for the cheapest offers on the market. Furthermore, they will probably end up reselling the home at one point and still make a profit on it. That’s why this seems to be the best solution.
Considering the situation, how much can you get?
Here is where we answer the most critical question. Considering everything, what is the cash offer that you can expect? The most important factors that determine the price are:
- the amount of unpermitted work;
- house insurance;
- the overall condition of the house and the property;
- your expected amount.
It is best to ask the company and see what their offer is. Nevertheless, one thing is certain. They work fast and release you from any obligations of dealing with the work permits you don’t have.
Selling a house with unpermitted work made simple
As you can see, selling a house with unpermitted work comes with some consequences. It is not ideal, but you can still get a fair price and save yourself a lot of trouble. By far, the best solution is to sell to a real estate group. They will deal with the work permits and help you sell the home fast and get the best possible price!