How to sell a house that was once a drug house

Written by Posted On Tuesday, 10 November 2020 06:26
How to sell a house that was once a drug house https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-grey-and-red-wooden-house-164522/

Real estate can be a great investment and one that will offer you a good return on investment. In most markets, houses are and will continue to be in demand, but some circumstances can make them far less marketable to the average buyer, such as the physical condition of the property, a poor local real estate market, or contamination. 

One such factor that makes selling a home far more challenging is if it was once a drug house, particularly one where methamphetamine was manufactured, used, or sold. 

Here are several tips that you should follow that could make you more successful when it comes to marketing and selling the property. 

Have the Home Inspected First

The home inspection process continues to be extremely important for any home purchaser. While home sellers typically will not order these reports before a sale, if you are selling a property that has a troubled past with drug abuse, you should have the property inspected first. 

The standard home inspection process examines the roof, foundation, electrical system, and other important features of a home. For a former drug house, however, you should also test whether the home is contaminated and unsafe to live in. 

While there is little to no evidence that trace amounts of meth use can cause health problems, the meth manufacturing process can. Fumes and residue from cooking meth can permeate furnishings, carpets, walls, and ceilings.

If there is contamination, you will need to go through a more substantial repair and decontamination process before selling the home.

Make Necessary Repairs and Clean It Up

Once you know that the house is contaminated, you must make the necessary repairs and clean, repair, and replace where needed. The extent may depend on your state’s health department regulations. Be sure to ask for certification from the cleaning service provider as it could help to provide potential buyers with peace of mind.

Disclose and Keep Records

While disclosing your property’s past as a drug house and the site of criminal activity may make selling it more difficult, you must disclose this information. In virtually all locations, you are going to be required to notify potential buyers of the history of the property, the earlier the better. 

Ideally, you should start the disclosure process when you are marketing the home, at the same time you are extolling its virtues. Including information about the remediation and inspection efforts that you went through may mitigate the history. Keep records of all communication with the buyers so they cannot later claim you never told them. 

Get Proper Insurance Under Ownership

You must have proper home liability insurance, and your insurer must know the relevant history, whether you plan to own, manage, or sell the home. Even after inspecting, maintaining, and improving the home, something could still go wrong. Insurance could be all that protects you. 

Market the Home Properly

Finally, once the home is cleaned up and ready for sale, you should focus on marketing the home as well as you can. Be honest with disclosures but don’t neglect the amenities the home offers. These can include the location of the home, the recent renovations and improvements, and any other factors that could appeal to buyers. 

While you need to be honest about the negatives, focusing on the positives should convince the prospective buyer that they are moving into a home that will provide a safe and secure residence for a long time.

Selling real estate that used to be a drug house will pose a variety of challenges. Potential buyers may be turned off by the risks associated with contamination, reputational issues, and even structural damage, but these marketing tips still can help you sell it quickly. 

 

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Patrick Bailey

Author Bio: Patrick Bailey is a professional writer mainly in the fields of mental health, addiction, and living in recovery. He attempts to stay on top of the latest news in the addiction and the mental health world and enjoy writing about these topics to break the stigma associated with them. If you want to find more articles by Patrick, you can find them on his personal blog or in Sunshine Behavioral Health.

https://www.sunshinebehavioralhealth.com/

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