How To Sell Your House With Code Violations in Minneapolis and St. Paul

Does your house have code violations?

It's often unexpected and frustrating when you get a notice from the city saying your property has a code violation, and if it's not fixed, you're going to get fined. Or maybe you own an older, run-down house and you already know it has problems the city wouldn't like.

We know what this is like. We've bought a lot of houses in the Twin Cities with code violations and had to deal with fixing those problems ourselves. Just because your house needs some work doesn't mean you have to feel stuck with it any longer.

First, a word about Truth in Sale of Housing

If your house is in Minneapolis, St. Paul or a number of other cities around the metro, there's one more thing to know about. These cities require a Truth in Sale of Housing evaluation (some people call it a point-of-sale or TISH inspection) before you can even list a house for sale.

A city-licensed evaluator walks through the house and writes up a report on its condition. In St. Paul the report is mostly just a disclosure for buyers. Minneapolis is stricter and has a list of items that have to be fixed if they're found to be unsafe. The rules are different in every city, so check with yours before you list.

This is where a lot of sellers get surprised. You go to list the house, and suddenly there's a report out there with every problem on it.

So... what are your options?

There are a few different things you can do if your property has code violations.

1) Fix it yourself

If it's something simple, like trimming trees or bushes, painting over graffiti, cleaning up the yard, or fixing a fence, this is probably the cheapest option.

2) Hire someone to fix it

This costs more than doing it yourself, but it saves you the time and headache and makes sure the repairs are done to code. For bigger things (electrical, plumbing, structural), you'll need licensed contractors and permits anyway.

Before you start, get a few estimates so you know what you're working with. If you don't know what it'll cost to fix, it's really hard to price the house or negotiate with a buyer.

3) Do nothing and hope it goes away

This is a BAD choice. It's not going to go away. Fines can keep adding up, and if it gets bad enough the city can condemn the house or put it in their vacant building program, which makes everything harder and more expensive. Oddly enough, it's still one that a lot of people choose!

4) Sell the house

This might be your best option if you don't want to deal with fixing it, can't afford to fix it, or the problems are just too big.

Selling a house with code violations the traditional way

If you want to list it with an agent, here are a few tips:

• Price it to sell. If the problems are serious, a lot of lenders won't finance the house, so you may only get cash offers anyway.
• Fix the small stuff. Patching holes, fresh paint and fixing cracked tile can make a big difference in how people see the house.
• Clean it. It might feel silly cleaning a house that has code violations, but a dirty house makes a horrible first impression.
• Disclose everything. Minnesota requires sellers to tell buyers about known problems that could significantly affect the property. Hiding something can come back to bite you with a lawsuit later.

Just know that not everyone is in the market for a fixer-upper. Finding the right buyer can take a while, and the whole time you're paying to hold onto the house.

Why you should sell your house directly

When you sell to Trademark Properties, we buy the house as-is... code violations and all.

• You don't have to fix anything.
• No showings, no marketing and no staging.
• No agent commissions, and we pay the closing costs.
• In a lot of cases we can take over the required repairs ourselves as the buyer.
• You know what you're getting and when, right from the start.

Our background and experience let us fix up houses more cheaply than most homeowners can, which is a big part of how we can make a fair offer on a house that needs a lot of work.

We're not attorneys and this isn't legal advice. Point-of-sale rules are different in every city, so check with your city about your house.

Have a house with code violations in the Twin Cities? Give us a call at Call us or fill out the form to get your no-obligation cash offer!