When it comes time to sell your home, one inquiry to ask yourself is whether it is “up to code.” To put it another way, are there any current code violations on your property?
You may or may not be aware of any, but finding out for sure is important. Consider having your house inspected to see where you stand. It doesn’t imply you can’t sell your property if you discover code breaches or if you already know you have them. However, it does imply that you have a decision to make about how you want to proceed with the sale of your home.
What Are Code Violations?
Code violations are infractions of any part of the home’s existence that does not comply with either local or state legislation building codes. These building codes are in place to ensure the health and safety of the general public and property owners alike.
Your local city government will typically have a code enforcement department in charge of spotting visual building code violations throughout the city and residential areas. If your private property is not up to code standards you may receive a notice of non-compliance. Some common issues that are a visual blight, as well as a violation, may be a broken window, in the recreational vehicles in the yard, structural damage, pest infestation, or any other item that the city deems necessary for repair or as a safety risk.
Why Are Code Violations An Issue?
When a comes to selling a house, if there is a code violation present, buyers will shy away from buying your house for fear that they might have to fix these problems at their own expense. This will lower the overall value of your property which means you receive less money than you would have otherwise. Even if you do not plan on selling your property any time soon, having a code violation on your property for consecutive days can result in hefty fines from the code enforcement department or local city ordinances.
How To Bring A House Up To Code
It is possible to bring your property up to code with a little elbow grease and financial investment. You can resolve many smaller issues of non-compliance by doing the work yourself, but many should speak with an expert contractor about any projects that might be too difficult for do-it-yourselfers. For example electrical problems/electrical wiring, damage to swimming pools, issues, such as mold, that may cause health problems, will be better handled by a licensed professional.
You will have to pull building permits from your city in order to begin repairs to ensure you stay within any regulation guidelines. Once repairs are completed the building will need to pass code inspections.
What If I Don’t Make Repairs?
If you refuse to make repairs, then you will have a harder time selling your property until they are completed. Likewise, if you are not selling your property you will be facing fines from your city code enforcement department or other city agencies that handle these issues. Not only that, your pool of potential buyers will decrease as the traditional home buyer ideally is looking for a home that is move-in ready. If it is raining outside, buyers will walk away because what’s worse than having to fix a few small repairs? Not being able to sell your house for months because it’s raining inside.
A Code Violation Can Reduce Your Pool Of Buyers
As previously mentioned, if you are attempting to sell your house on the traditional real estate market, you run the chance of having a smaller amount of buyers actually interested in the property. When there is a code violation attached to a building or property the prospective buyer will have a much more difficult time obtaining financing and insurance for the home. Most buyers will stray away from this as it will pose a risk they might not be willing to take.
How Long Are Code Violations Valid?
Typically, code violations remain valid until they are fixed. This means that if you want to resell the house later down the road, you will need to deal with these items first or face potential legal action by both the city and the new owner of the property.
What Else Do I Have To Worry About?
Even after clearing up all of these issues, there is another obstacle that might prevent you from selling your home: location. If your neighborhood has gone downhill in recent years or if you live near an industrial area or highly trafficked road, then buyers will feel as though their investment might not be worth it. You can still list your home for sale, but you might have trouble finding a buyer.
How To Avoid Problems With Code Violations
The best way to prevent issues surrounding code violations is to keep up with them as they come up. If you live in an area that is prone to many repairs or where your neighbors are often making repairs, then it is wise that you invest in some sort of repair plan if possible. A monthly fee will go a long way toward preventing major damage from being done to your property so that when the time comes, you don’t have any work left to do before selling your house.
Can I Sell My House With Code Violations?
While it’s not impossible to sell a house with code violations the process of selling a house becomes a lot easier without them. If you rather not spend any extra time or effort to repair any of the code violations whether they be minor or major, you may consider selling the home to a cash buyer investor.
How To Sell Your House With Code Violations To A Cash Buyer
When the time comes that you need to sell your house fast, contact our local cash buyer team at (281) 640-0447. We buy homes throughout Texas and would be happy to look over your situation and give you a fair cash offer. If it is outside of normal working hours feel free to leave a message or send us an email with any questions or concerns you might have via this form here. We will get back in touch with you as soon as possible.
If there are code violations on your property, finding buyers can prove difficult if not impossible. As seen above there is a multitude of reasons for this where a prospective buyer may shy away from purchasing a home that has been damaged by fire, mold, weather, or another issue for the code violations.