Sell a house with foundation or roof problems

Foundation movement, pier and beam rot, a roof past its last season, sagging floors, cracked brickwork, failed retaining walls, rotten sill plates, damaged joists. All of it is work, and all of it is buyable.

Here is the part that catches sellers out: repairs of this size usually cannot be financed out of a sale that depends on a mortgage. A lender will not approve a loan on a house that fails its appraisal, and an insurer will not write a policy on a failing roof. The buyer who can still perform is a cash buyer, and the honest trade is a lower price in exchange for an unconditional purchase.

We will show you our assumptions if you want to see them, and we will not pretend the estimate is smaller than it is. If you have a contractor’s report or a structural engineer’s letter, send it — better information means a more accurate offer.

What we look at before quoting a number

• The specific defect and who diagnosed it
• Repair scope and cost, or our own estimate if none exists
• Whether the property is currently insurable
• Any related water, pest or drainage problems
• Whether the repair has to happen before occupancy

How a cash sale solves this

There is no listing period, no showings, no repair requests and no buyer whose mortgage can collapse three weeks in. You get one written number, a title company that handles the paperwork, and a closing date you choose — typically fourteen to thirty days from acceptance.

If getting a real number for the property would help you decide — even if you are months away from doing anything — ask for one. It costs nothing and there is no obligation.