Sell a House That Needs Work
Deferred maintenance, failed inspections, permit problems, or a house nobody has touched in thirty years. We buy it in that condition and you fix nothing.
Quick answer
Garner Group buys San Diego houses in as-is condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no clearing out. We account for the condition in the offer rather than asking you to spend money getting the house ready, and we do not reduce the price after an inspection. Renovations after closing are done by licensed and bonded contractors and permitted to code.
7–10Days to closeEvery house.
Same terms.
We buy in our own name with our own funds. Your contract is not assigned to another buyer, and the number you accept is the number on the settlement statement.
- 1No repairs, no cleaning, no clearing the house out
- 2Foundation, roof, electrical, and permit issues priced in up front
- 3No inspection-contingency renegotiation
The problem with selling a house that needs work on the open market is that the repairs come due before the sale does. Buyers with financing need the house to appraise and often need it to pass lender conditions, so the roof or the electrical has to be dealt with by you, in advance, with money you may be selling the house to get.
We take that off the table by pricing the condition into the offer. That includes the things sellers usually dread: foundation movement, an old panel, galvanized plumbing, a roof at the end of its life, additions built without permits, fire or water damage, and houses that are simply full of forty years of belongings.
Unpermitted work is worth a specific mention because it stops conventional sales cold. We deal with it after closing — pulling permits retroactively where the work is sound, and rebuilding it properly where it is not. That is our cost and our problem once the house is ours.
What we will not do is use the inspection as leverage. Some buyers offer high, tie the house up, and then come back with a repair list once you have already made plans. Our offer is made on an as-is basis with the risk priced in, and it does not change.
Sell a House That Needs Work — FAQ
How bad is too bad?
We have not found a condition problem that rules a house out. Foundation, fire and water damage, mould, hoarding, unpermitted additions, and houses that have been vacant for years are all normal for us. The condition changes the number, not whether we buy.
Do I need to clean or clear it out?
No. Take what you want and leave the rest, including furniture and anything in the garage. Clearing the house is part of what we do after closing.
Will you do an inspection and then lower the price?
We look at the house before we make an offer, and that offer is the closing number. We do not use an inspection contingency to renegotiate. If something turns up afterwards that we did not catch, we absorb it.
What about unpermitted work?
It does not stop the sale. Unpermitted additions and conversions are one of the main reasons a house cannot sell conventionally, because lenders and appraisers will not count the square footage. We handle the permitting after closing.
When is selling as-is the wrong choice?
When the work needed is cosmetic and you can afford to do it. Paint, carpet, and landscaping usually return more than they cost on the open market. If that is all your house needs, list it — the as-is discount will cost you more than the repairs would.
Find out what we'd pay.
Tell us about the house. We'll come and look at it, explain how we got to the number, and tell you plainly if you would do better listing it instead.