Do You Buy Hoarder Houses in Berks County, PA?
Yes. We Buy Hoarder Houses in Berks County — Even When a Home Is Packed From Floor to Ceiling.
If you own a hoarder house in Berks County, Pennsylvania, you may feel overwhelmed by the thought of selling it.
Maybe there are years of belongings throughout the house. Maybe rooms are difficult or impossible to access. Maybe there is trash, damaged furniture, old boxes or other items everywhere.
You may even be embarrassed to let someone see the property.
Please don’t be.
We’ve been buying houses for cash in Berks County for more than 12 years, and we’ve seen houses in all kinds of conditions.
One of the largest hoarder houses we’ve ever purchased was in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania.
The house was so severely hoarded that the people living there were actually sleeping in their car because they could no longer comfortably live inside the property.
And they didn’t have to clean it out before selling it to us.
A Real Sinking Spring, PA Hoarder House We Purchased
The house was approximately 1,100 square feet and two stories.
It had been filled with belongings from top to bottom.
The amount of stuff was so extensive that the second floor was essentially inaccessible.
The staircase was blocked.
The second floor had not been accessed in years — and that’s where the bathroom was located.
The homeowners were actually living in their car and using an outdoor bathroom area.
Inside the house, there was only a small pathway through the first floor. You had to squeeze and shuffle your way through because the belongings filled the rooms from floor to ceiling.
The basement was also completely blocked.
The kitchen was buried.
There was very little we could see other than portions of the walls and the basic structure of the property.
And the homeowners were understandably embarrassed.
We weren’t.
You Don’t Have to Be Embarrassed About a Hoarded House
Hoarding situations can be extremely difficult for homeowners and families.
People sometimes worry:
“What are they going to think when they see my house?”
We’ve seen a lot over the years.
Some hoarded homes contain mostly personal belongings.
Others contain unopened boxes and items that were purchased but never used.
Some properties contain significant amounts of garbage or trash.
Other houses may have problems with rodents, insects or other damage.
We understand that life happens.
Our job isn’t to judge you or your house.
Our job is to look at the property, understand your situation and determine whether we can help.
Every Hoarding Situation Is Different
There isn’t one type of hoarder house.
Some properties are filled with:
- Furniture
- Clothing
- Boxes
- Collectibles
- Household items
- Unopened packages
- Paper and personal belongings
- Garbage and trash
In some cases, pests such as mice, rodents, cockroaches, fleas or other insects may have damaged belongings inside the property.
That can make the cleanup even more difficult.
Items that might otherwise be donated or salvaged may be too damaged or contaminated to reuse.
What Happened to the Belongings in This Sinking Spring House?
The cleanup on this particular property was enormous.
It took eight 40-yard dumpsters to remove the contents from the house.
That’s eight very large dumpsters filled with material from the property.
Much of it was too damaged to donate or reuse because of the condition of the house and the presence of rodents and pests.
Once the property was emptied, additional cleaning and pest remediation could be performed.
The homeowners did not have to do that work themselves.
That’s one of the reasons selling a severely hoarded property directly to a cash home buyer can be worth considering.
Do I Have to Clean Out a Hoarder House Before Selling It?
Not necessarily.
This is one of the biggest questions we hear from homeowners with severely cluttered or hoarded properties.
If you list a house traditionally, you may need to prepare the property for the market, depending on your agent’s recommendations and the expectations of potential buyers.
That can mean cleaning, removing belongings, making repairs and making the house accessible for showings.
But a direct cash buyer may be willing to purchase the property as-is.
At Berks County House Buyers, we purchase houses with belongings, junk and other contents left behind.
You don’t necessarily have to clean everything out before contacting us.
What If I Want to Keep Some of My Belongings?
Selling a house as-is doesn’t necessarily mean you have to leave behind everything you own.
If there are belongings you want to take with you, let us know.
In our process, sellers can go back into the property and retrieve items they want to keep.
And because hoarded homes can contain things that haven’t been seen in years, our cleanout crews sometimes discover items that appear to be sentimental or important.
When that happens, we try to contact the homeowner so those belongings can be returned.
Sometimes a homeowner doesn’t even remember that something was in the house.
What If I Find Something Valuable or Sentimental During the Cleanout?
Hoarded houses can contain all kinds of forgotten belongings.
A photograph.
A family keepsake.
An old letter.
A piece of jewelry.
Something that belonged to a parent or grandparent.
Something that simply has sentimental value.
Not everything found during a cleanout will be valuable, but sentimental items can be extremely important to the person who owns them.
That’s why we try to stay in communication with sellers during the cleanout process when something appears to be personally meaningful.
What If There Are Mice, Rodents or Insects?
Severe hoarding conditions can create an environment where pests may become a problem.
Rodents can damage belongings and wiring.
Insects can infest furniture, clothing, boxes and other materials.
In some situations, professional pest control and remediation may be necessary after the property has been cleared.
If you’re dealing with this in your home, don’t assume that the condition of the property means you can’t sell it.
A severely damaged or hoarded house is still a property that can have value.
Can I Sell a Hoarder House As-Is?
Yes, depending on the buyer.
Selling a house as-is means you’re selling the property in its current condition rather than agreeing to make it perfect before the sale.
For someone dealing with a severe hoarding situation, this can eliminate a tremendous amount of work.
You may not have to:
- Empty every room
- Rent dumpsters
- Sort through years of belongings
- Hire a cleaning crew
- Make the house presentable
- Remodel the property
- Make repairs before selling
Instead, you can find out whether a buyer is willing to purchase the property in its current condition.
Why Sell a Hoarder House for Cash?
For some homeowners, the biggest benefit isn’t simply the offer.
It’s getting the problem off their plate.
A severe hoarding situation can feel impossible to tackle.
Eight dumpsters worth of belongings is a lot for anyone to deal with.
If you’re already overwhelmed, the thought of spending weeks or months cleaning out the house may prevent you from even considering selling it.
A cash sale may provide an alternative.
The buyer takes the property in its current condition, and the homeowner doesn’t have to complete the entire cleanup before the sale.
What If I Can’t Even Walk Through My House?
You don’t have to make the house look normal before asking whether someone will buy it.
The Sinking Spring property we purchased is a perfect example.
We couldn’t see the kitchen.
We couldn’t access the basement.
We couldn’t get upstairs.
The rooms were packed.
Yet we were still able to evaluate the property based on what we could determine and purchase it as-is.
You don’t have to be embarrassed about what we’ll find when we walk through the door.
We Buy Hoarder Houses in Berks County
Berks County House Buyers purchases houses throughout Berks County, Pennsylvania.
We’ve worked with homeowners in:
- Reading
- Sinking Spring
- Shillington
- Wyomissing
- West Reading
- West Lawn
- Exeter
- Mohnton
- Wernersville
- Fleetwood
- Boyertown
- Hamburg
- Leesport
- And surrounding Berks County communities
Whether the property is clean and updated or packed from floor to ceiling, we’re willing to take a look.
Watch the Video: We Buy Hoarder Houses in Berks County
[KEEP YOUR EXISTING YOUTUBE VIDEO HERE]
In this video, we tell the story of one of the largest hoarder houses we’ve purchased in Berks County and explain how selling the property as-is allowed the homeowners to avoid the massive cleanup themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions About Selling a Hoarder House
Can I sell a hoarder house?
Yes. A hoarded or severely cluttered house can still be sold. The property’s condition may affect its value, but it doesn’t automatically prevent you from selling it.
Do I have to clean out a hoarder house before selling?
Not necessarily. Some cash home buyers purchase houses as-is and handle the cleanup themselves.
Can I sell a house with belongings still inside?
Yes. Depending on the buyer and the terms of the sale, a house can potentially be sold with belongings, furniture, junk or other items still inside.
What if my hoarder house has mice or other pests?
Pests can complicate the cleanup, but they don’t necessarily make the house impossible to sell. Professional pest control or remediation may be needed depending on the circumstances.
What if I am embarrassed about the condition of my house?
You aren’t alone. Severe clutter and hoarding can happen for many reasons. A professional home buyer should be focused on evaluating the property and determining whether they can help, not judging you.
Can I sell an inherited hoarder house?
Yes. Inherited properties can potentially be sold even when they contain significant belongings. However, make sure the person selling the property has the legal authority to do so, particularly when multiple heirs are involved.
Can I sell a hoarder house without making repairs?
Potentially. Cash home buyers may purchase properties in their current condition, including houses that need significant repairs and cleanup.
What happens to everything inside the house?
It depends on the agreement with the buyer. If there are belongings you want to keep, make arrangements before closing. With our cleanout process, we also try to identify potentially sentimental items and contact the homeowner when appropriate.
You Don’t Have to Clean Out the House Before Asking for Help
If you’re looking at a house packed with belongings and thinking:
“There is no way I can clean this place out.”
You don’t necessarily have to.
We’ve seen houses that were packed from floor to ceiling.
We’ve seen houses where rooms couldn’t be accessed.
We’ve seen properties where homeowners were embarrassed to let us inside.
And we’ve purchased them.
You don’t have to clean it up for us.
Tell us about the property and we’ll take a look.
Get a Fair Cash Offer for Your Berks County Hoarder House
If you own a hoarded, severely cluttered or otherwise difficult-to-sell property in Berks County, we’d be happy to talk with you.
We’ll look at the property, explain what we may be able to offer and answer your questions.
There’s no obligation to accept an offer.
You can compare our offer with your other options and decide what’s right for you.
Call 610-816-6205 or fill out the form on this page to get started.