Whatever the reason for selling a property, it is always a difficult experience. However, some situations are more difficult than others, and perhaps the most difficult is selling a house or home in the face of declining health, particularly in the case of serious or terminal illness, especially if the sick person is living in the home that must be sold.
Advice For Selling a Home In Arkansas When Dealing With A Serious Illness
If a resident in the home is ill or disabled due to illness, this complicates most every aspect of selling a home. From preparing the property to showing it to potential buyers, the road ahead is hard. Here are some tips for you to consider.
1. Declutter And Pack Up As Much As Possible
Assign the responsibility of packing up most of the objects that will need to be moved when the property sells to family, friends, neighbors, and any other helpful people. Any objects that will not be used in the next 3-4 months should be packed away. This is also an excellent opportunity to donate or discard goods that will no longer be needed. It’s critical to declutter, even if you have to pay someone to do it. (There are companies that specialize in helping people downsize.) Here is some good advice on how to declutter and downsize.
Remove The Excess. Items should be boxed and taken to a pod (do not leave it on the driveway or otherwise “on site”), a Door-to-Door Storage company, or a storage facility. It’s tempting to just throw everything in the garage, but that’s just kicking the can down the road. It will make buyer inspections difficult, if not impossible, and that could make the home sale more difficult, the sale price lower, and the possibility of renegotiations higher as surprises are discovered once the items are finally out of the way.
2. Clean Up The Inside And Outside Of The Property
Hire a cleaning crew to thoroughly clean the premises. Make sure the carpets are cleaned, the windows are cleaned, and the bathrooms and kitchen are sparkling. You may also need to enlist the help of a yard crew to come in and trim hedges, get rid of weeds and overgrown bushes. You may or may not want to add some landscaping or some inexpensive plants to freshen up the front entry way. This can be an inexpensive way to add a little more curb appeal to your home. HGTV has some great ideas in this article about adding curb appeal on a tight budget.
3. Get An Inspection Done And Make Crucial Repairs
Before being able to sell the property, you will want to make sure there are no major problems with the property. If there are and they are not fixed, this could extend the time need for the property to sell. It may sit on the market for weeks, when finally, a potential buyer comes along and makes an offer only to discover in their inspection that something is majorly wrong. They walk away leaving you with lost time on your hands and repairs to be made. Note: Be sure the inspector you hire does not currently have a suspended license with the state. You can check the for inspectors with a suspended license in Arkansas here.
4. Get Great Photos And A Video Tour
If showing your property will be difficult due to a sick loved one who cannot leave the property, you will want to make sure you go the extra mile with photos and a video tour of the home so potential buyers and see the property and understand the layout. This will keep you from doing showings to buyers who are not really interested and will cut down on the traffic through your home.
5. Find The Right Realtor
Make sure to find a realtor who will fully understand the needs you have due to the serious illness. Find a realtor who will put you and your family at a priority and not be frustrated if a showing must be cancelled at the last minute due to medical needs. You may need to interview a few realtors before deciding. A good realtor may also be able to help with photos, video tours, and suggesting reliable paid help to spruce up or make needed repairs.
6. Retain A Good Lawyer
In the case of the owner of the home being extremely ill, dealing with dementia, mental health, or Alzheimer’s, you will want to make sure you are prepared legally when the homeowner needs to sign documents for the sale of the house. This can potentially cause a major roadblock if it is not handled properly, legally, and proactively.
7. If You Need To Sell Your House Quickly Due to Illness, Dementia, Alzheimer’s, Or Other Health Problems, Consider Selling To A Cash Home Buyer.
A professional cash home buyer like Little Rock Property Buyers can save you a lot of time and trouble. When selling your home for cash, there are no repairs or inspections needed. There is no clean up needed. You do not have to have multiple showings to strangers, no realtor or fees are required, and best of all it is very quick and easy. Often closing can be within a week or so.
Here is how the process works. One of our professional and courteous team at Little Rock Property Buyers will make an appointment to come and look at the property. Once they have evaluated the condition of the property, they will make you a no-pressure cash offer within 24 hours. You can decide to take the offer or not. There is really nothing to lose.
One note of caution, make sure the professional home buyers have a great reputation in the community. Little Rock Property Buyers has a reputation for being kind and fair. You can see our Google Reviews here. You can read some of our reviews here. We would be happy to schedule a time to come out and evaluate your property. If you are interested in speeding up the sale of your home due to health issues, please do not hesitate to give us a call at 501-580-3035.