Questions about selling your house as-is

The fastest way to sell a house in Chattanooga is to sell it as-is to a local cash buyer. You skip repairs, showings and the buyer's mortgage approval, and you can close in 7–30 days. Southern Home Offers makes written as-is offers in Hamilton, Bradley, Sequatchie, Catoosa and Walker counties.

Yes. Houses that need work are what we focus on: major repairs, foundation, roof, fire or water damage, mold, hoarder houses, code violations, and dated houses nobody has touched in decades.

Usually 7–30 days from a signed contract, depending mostly on how quickly the title work clears. If you need more time to move, you pick the closing date.

There is no commission and no fee to get an offer. Who pays which closing costs is written into your contract before you sign, so you know your net number up front.

We start with what the house would sell for fully fixed up, then subtract the repairs, the costs to hold and resell it, and the margin a buyer needs. We show you each of those numbers — see How We Calculate Our Offer.

Usually the price is lower, because the buyer takes on the repairs, risk and resale costs. For a house that needs significant work, the gap after repairs, commissions and months of holding costs is often smaller than people expect. If listing would clearly net you more, we will tell you.

Sometimes we buy and close on the house ourselves; other times we assign our purchase contract to another investor buyer or partner with one. We tell you which, in writing, before you sign, and your price and closing terms in the contract do not change either way.

No — when we make an offer we are buying, not representing you. Our owner, Mike Burge, is a licensed real estate broker in Tennessee and Georgia, and we disclose that in every contract. You are always free to have your own agent or attorney review an offer.

Then you may get more with our Fix & List option: we partner with you, handle and pay for the updates, and the house is listed on the open market through an affiliated licensed brokerage. You get a higher price than a straight cash sale with no money out of pocket.

Hamilton, Bradley and Sequatchie counties in Tennessee, and Catoosa and Walker counties in Georgia — including Chattanooga, Hixson, East Ridge, Red Bank, Soddy-Daisy, Ooltewah, Cleveland, Dunlap, Ringgold, Fort Oglethorpe, Rossville, LaFayette and Chickamauga.

The ones a lender will not finance around: a roof at the end of its life, a failed HVAC system, active leaks, unsafe or outdated electrical (fuse boxes, knob-and-tube), sewer or septic failure, and structural movement. A cash buyer is not bound by those lender rules.

Only if the repair adds more to the sale price than it costs you, after your time and carrying costs. Cosmetic work often does; big-ticket systems usually do not. We will tell you honestly which side your house falls on.

No. Leave what you do not want — furniture, junk, the shed full of stuff. Clean-out is part of our cost, not yours.

Our goal is not to. We walk the house before we put our offer in writing, so the condition is already priced in. If we find something seriously wrong that neither of us could see, like hidden foundation failure, we will show it to you before anything changes.

Yes — in both Tennessee and Georgia you must not hide a known defect, and Tennessee sellers typically complete a disclosure form. Disclosing to us costs you nothing: we expect it and price for it.

No. If you have one, it helps us be precise. If you do not, we will assess it ourselves and price in the uncertainty.

It depends on the repair: piering a corner is very different from rebuilding a basement wall. A cash offer reflects the actual repair cost plus risk; we show that number to you instead of a vague discount.

Yes, we look at every house. Active sinkhole activity is priced more cautiously than ordinary settling, but it does not rule a house out.

Usually yes. Who keeps which insurance payments depends on your policy and the sale contract, so confirm with your adjuster — we will write the contract to match what they tell you.

Often that is the best outcome for owners who do not want to rebuild: you keep the payout your policy allows and sell the house in its damaged condition. Your adjuster and lender (if you have a mortgage) need to be part of that decision.

Yes. If the structure is gone, we are buying the lot and what can be saved, and we will price it that way.

Yes, if you know about it. Tennessee and Georgia both hold sellers responsible for concealing known defects. Telling us does not hurt you — it is part of how we price.

If you plan to list with an agent, usually yes. If you sell to a cash buyer as-is, no — the remediation cost is already in the offer, so spending it yourself rarely helps.

Yes. Flood damage is priced like other water damage, plus anything flood-zone insurance changes for the next owner.

It stops many financed sales, because lenders and insurers often require a roof with remaining life. It does not stop a cash sale.

Sometimes, if you are listing a house that is otherwise in good shape. If the house needs other work too, a new roof rarely returns its full cost — selling as-is is usually simpler.

No. Sell it to us as-is and leave whatever you do not want. The clean-out is our job.

Tell us before closing what you are looking for — documents, photos, keepsakes — and our crew will set aside anything that matches.

Yes. Many hoarder houses come to us through an estate; the personal representative signs once they have authority from the probate court.

Usually yes, once the court has appointed an executor or personal representative with authority to sell. In some cases the court must approve the sale first; the estate attorney will know which applies. We can sign a contract and wait for that approval.

We can make one offer and give everyone the same written numbers, which often helps. If an heir will not sign, the estate attorney is the right person to advise on next steps.

Inherited property generally gets a "stepped-up" basis to its value at the date of death, so many heirs who sell soon owe little or no capital-gains tax. Ask your CPA about your situation.

No. Take what the family wants and leave the rest.

It can be fast — Tennessee is mainly a non-judicial state, and after the lender sends the required notices, the sale notice is published starting at least 20 days before the sale. Call your lender or an attorney for your exact date.

Georgia foreclosures are also non-judicial. Sales happen on the first Tuesday of the month at the county courthouse after the notice runs in the paper for four weeks.

Then a cash sale may not cover the loan, and a short sale (with lender approval), a loan modification or legal advice may be the better path. We will say so plainly.

Usually, yes. A sale pays off the loan and lets you keep any equity, while a foreclosure stays on your credit report for seven years.

No. The lease transfers with the house. Security deposits are credited to the buyer at closing.

Yes. Tell us where things stand, including any eviction already filed, and we will price and plan around it.

Rental sales can trigger capital-gains and depreciation-recapture tax; a 1031 exchange can defer it. Talk to your CPA before closing — we can set the closing date to fit an exchange.

The duty to fix the property does once we own it, and we take that on. Recorded fines or liens are paid from your proceeds at closing so the title is clear.

Yes. A condemned house can be sold; the new owner must repair it to code or demolish it before anyone lives there.

Yes. Tell us what was done without a permit and we will price the cost of bringing it up to code or removing it.

The seller does, out of the sale proceeds. The title company pays each lienholder at closing so the buyer receives clear title.

Usually yes, as long as the sale closes and the taxes are paid before the tax sale date. Do not wait — closings need time to clear title.

Yes. We can walk the house using a lockbox, and most title companies can handle remote or mail-away signing.

Many standard homeowner policies limit coverage after a house sits empty for 30–60 days. Check your policy — it is one more reason vacant houses get expensive.