In the United States, real estate properties are required to be up to code, which means owners need to follow a set of rules that will help ensure the safety and health of residents of the property, as well as the local community.
While Building Codes will vary from municipality to municipality, there are some basic standards that must be met everywhere. If not met, you will incur a Code Violation, and that may be a bump on the road when trying to sell your property.
What is a code violation?
A code violation is a non-compliance to the building code standards established by local, state, and/or federal law. Some common code violations are:
Overloaded electric panel
Add-on rooms or new sections of the house
Remodeling rooms without permits
Debris on the property
Home maintenance issues
High weeds
There’s a tendency to think that only run-down homes get code violations, however, many homes are not up to code, especially if they are not recently built. As time passes, codes get updated and changed, and this may represent an issue when selling the property.
How to sell my house with code violations?
It is possible to sell a house that has code violations, but this must be fully disclosed to the prospective new owner before the sale happens. In Florida, the seller must deliver a copy of the pleadings, notices, and other materials that relate to code enforcement to the prospective buyer. The current owner should also disclose, in writing, that the new homeowner will now become responsible for bringing the property up to code.
Because many violations generate more responsibility, including financial burdens, many prospective homeowners will not want to buy a house with code violations, or they might want to buy it for a severely discounted price.
An alternative for that would be hiring a contractor to fix these issues. This way you would get closer to the asking price you really want for the property. The downside of it is having to wait for weeks or months before having everything solved, and some of the costs to bring the house up to code are not cheap.
A better alternative to selling a house with violations would be selling it to an experienced investment company, such as Homeinc. These investment companies are able to pay cash, skip heavy inspections usually required by financing institutions, and, since there’s a wide experience in dealing with code violations, investment companies will not see them as rocket science, but instead as something that can be fixed. Homeinc also has its own contractors that work exclusively with us, which will bring some of the costs down, which reflects in the offer we make on your property.
To learn more, give us a call at 888-850-2636 and get a fair, instant cash offer for your house.
