Vacant Homes Are Work
If you own a vacant home, you have probably faced your unfair share of real estate challenges. Vacant homes often attract vandalism, trespassers, and unwanted attention from neighbors who get fed up with the often-unruly landscaping and occasionally fallen gutters that become the eyesore of the neighborhood. Of course, the winter months here in Long Island are especially challenging. You are likely spending more than you’d like on utilities and repairs to keep things in working order, or you might even be shutting off your utilities during those months, ignoring any needed repairs, and just hoping everything works out.
Things to Think About When Selling a Vacant Home
A common problem that tends to sneak up on people with vacant homes is their homeowner’s policy- which often requires the home to be occupied. It’s important to update the policy in a timely manner, or you may lose your insurance coverage if your property is damaged after being vacant for over 30 days.
You should notify the local police department that the home is vacant- this helps their situational awareness as they patrol your neighborhood, and they’ll know to look for any damage or signs of forced entry as they make their rounds. It’s also a good idea to install security cameras, motion sensor lighting, and security systems to prevent break-ins and vandalism.
Landscaping is often easy to neglect, especially if the house is far away from the home you live in. You don’t want to upset your neighbors, and you don’t want to signal that the property is vacant and therefore attractive to squatters, criminals and vandals. You can always hire a trusted landscaper if you know of one, or you can use one of the new “gig-economy” websites like TaskRabbit.
You will also need to make sure you are regularly checking for problems like water damage or mold, which can become expensive problems and difficult to remediate if they go ignored for too long.
We Can Help Sell your Vacant Home
There’s no doubt about it, vacant homes can be a lot of work and a lot of stress. If you’re tired of spending all that time and money on your vacant home, contact us today at (631) 944-5252 to get your free, no obligation cash offer so you can sell your vacant home as is.