Most houses that come up for sale have something wrong with them. But there’s a difference between a dripping faucet and a sagging floor, wiring that trips breakers, or a basement you’d rather not go into. If your house has real damage and you don’t have the cash or energy to fix it, you still have good options.
This guide covers the most common kinds of damage we see in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene and Tri-Cities homes, what you can do about each, and how selling as-is works.
Step 1: Know what you’re dealing with
Before you decide anything, get a clear picture. A pre-listing home inspection, or a visit from the right specialist, tells you how serious the problem is and gives you something to show buyers. It also protects you, because a buyer’s inspector will likely find the same things anyway.
Here’s what tends to come up, and what each usually means.
Structural and foundation problems
Signs include sagging floors, doors that stick or won’t latch, cracks in walls or the foundation, and uneven floors. Older Spokane homes and houses on sloped lots on the South Hill and in parts of Coeur d’Alene can see settling over time. A structural engineer can tell you whether it’s cosmetic or serious. Structural repairs are among the most expensive fixes a house can need, and most buyers using a mortgage will walk away from them. We cover this in more detail in our post on selling a house with a cracked foundation.
Plumbing problems
Leaks, slow drains, running toilets and old galvanized pipes are common in older homes. Plumbing problems tend to get worse the longer they sit, because water leads to rot and mold. Listen for drips, watch your water meter with everything turned off, and note which drains give you trouble. The more you can tell a plumber, the faster and cheaper the diagnosis. In our area, frozen and burst pipes after a cold snap are a big one, especially in vacant houses.
Electrical problems
Flickering lights, warm outlets, breakers that trip, two-prong outlets and older wiring like knob-and-tube are red flags. This is not a do-it-yourself job. Have a licensed electrician inspect the house and tell you what needs to be done. A full rewire is a big project, and some insurers and lenders won’t work with certain older wiring at all.
Basements and crawl spaces
These are where the furnace, water heater and main plumbing live, and they’re also where problems hide. Bring a bright light and look for moisture, standing water, cracks in the concrete, pest activity, dirty furnace filters and musty smells. If you don’t like what you see, a home inspector can do a thorough check.
Smells: pets, smoke, mold
Smell is one of the fastest ways to lose a buyer. Start by finding the source: carpet, walls, the kitchen, the HVAC system. Baking soda, white vinegar and professional carpet cleaning help with mild odors. An odor-blocking primer can seal smells in walls and ceilings. Strong pet or smoke odors often mean replacing carpet and pad, and mold needs to be fixed at its moisture source, not covered up.
Trash and junk
A house full of belongings or trash is hard to show and hard to inspect. You can clean it out yourself over a few weekends with friends, family and a borrowed truck, or hire a junk removal or cleaning service, which can get expensive on a big job.
An outdated house
Sometimes the “damage” is just age: original kitchen, worn carpet, old bathrooms. That isn’t a defect, but it does affect price and how long the house sits. If you’re deciding what’s worth updating, see our guide to what’s worth fixing before you sell.
Step 2: Decide whether to fix, list as-is or sell for cash
Once you know the problems, you have three basic paths.
Fix it, then list it
This usually brings the highest sale price, but only if you have the money, time and patience. Repairs take longer than expected, contractors in the Inland Northwest book up fast in spring and summer, and you’re carrying the mortgage, taxes, insurance and utilities the whole time. Focus on the problems that would stop a buyer’s loan or show up as big inspection items, not cosmetic upgrades.
List it as-is with an agent
You can list on the MLS and say the house is sold as-is, meaning you won’t make repairs. Be ready for a few realities:
- You still need to disclose known problems. Washington and Idaho both use seller disclosure forms, so check with your agent or attorney on what to include.
- Many buyers with FHA, VA or conventional loans can’t buy a house that has safety or structural issues, which shrinks your pool of buyers.
- Expect lower offers, and buyers who still ask for credits after their inspection.
- You’ll still pay commissions and the usual seller closing costs.
A little cleanup goes a long way here. Mow, pressure wash, clear clutter and paint where it makes sense, but don’t spend money improving an area that will get torn out during the real repair.
Sell directly to a local cash buyer
This is often the simplest route for a house with serious damage. There are no showings, no inspections for you to manage and no repairs. A cash buyer accounts for the repairs in the offer, so the price will typically be below what a fully fixed-up house would bring, but you skip the repair bills, commissions and months of holding costs. For many sellers, the numbers end up closer than they expected.
What “as-is” means when you sell to us
When Backyard Home Buyers says we buy as-is, here’s what that means:
- Current condition. We make an offer on the house the way it is today. Damaged, outdated, full of stuff or in great shape, you don’t fix or clean anything.
- Cash. No loan approval, no appraisal, no bank delays.
- Your timeline. We can close in as little as 7 days, or on the date you choose.
- No fees or commissions. And we pay the closing costs.
- Fast answer. You’ll usually have a fair cash offer within 24 hours.
Is the house even worth repairing?
It’s a fair question. Siding, foundation work, mold removal, roof replacement and rewiring are some of the most expensive repairs a house can need. When a house needs several of them, the repair bill can eat most of the profit from a higher sale price. Get written bids, add up the holding costs for the months the work will take, and compare that against a cash offer. If the math is close, the faster and simpler option often wins.
Local help in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene and the Tri-Cities
We’re a local, family-owned company, and both owners were born and raised in the Inland Northwest. Since 2019 we’ve done over 500 deals, many of them with the exact problems above. We buy homes in Spokane and Spokane Valley, Coeur d’Alene and North Idaho, and the Tri-Cities, where we can often work from photos.
Want to see what your house would bring as-is? Read how it works, send us the address, or call (509) 461-9079. There’s no obligation, and you’ll get a straight answer.