Inexpensive house repairs?

[Steve B.]

No, but she can't carry on as she is. The house is a drain on their finances. Her husband is disabled. Selling the house would get them out of debt. I'd thought that it was better to make basic repairs to a dwelling before putting it on the market, that the cost of repairs would be more than recouped as opposed to selling it "as is", although Dan H and Tom B are giving me cause to reconsider. As she can't make the repairs herself, she'd have to find someone. And the cost of the repairs can vary considerably. If there are work programs connected with vocational schools, she could save some money. I'd suggest she get some estimates and consult with a real estate agent.

Thanks again for your comments.

Steve B.

[RB]

Any charity or school that provides a service such as this should loose its tax exempt status. It is not the role of a charity or school to enhance the market value of an asset so that the owner of that asset can obtain a larger profit from its sale. If she were to deed all or a portion of the property to them so that they would profit it would be a different situation.

To even think of doing this is absurd.

RB

Steve B. wrote:

[Gordon Reeder]

Dan Hartung [e-mail] wrote in news:2hdfp4Fbe2jjU1@uni- berlin.de:

Nobody reads shit anymore... To repeat my comment above... H-f-H may NOT WANT TO TAKE ON THE PROJECT, but they may be able to SUGGEST SOMEONE WHO WILL. I'm sure that H-f-H has lots of contacts within the building trades and contacts to charities and organizations that do this type of work. They should not be ignored as a source of info just because the project doesn't fall within their requirments.

[m Ransley]

Free work- money its as STUPID as letting welfare get steaks and PEANUT BUTTER while driving a 40000 $ SUV .... Bulshit for the ......

[twiedeman]

Is it really fair for your friend to have repairs done for free (or less than cost), and then turn around and sell the place for a profit

[Dan Hartung]

Touchy, aren't we?

I'm sorry my illumination of Habitat's mission stepped on your toes. I felt I had more complete information and personal experience (among other things, I have had a tour of some of the original Habitat program areas in Americus, GA courtesy of Millard Fuller, the founder); you seemed vague about what Habitat may or may not do, suggesting a lack of personal experience with them. If you were speaking of referrals only, you could certainly have been more clear about that. Personally, I felt the line about "a sizable donation" that would "soften them up" to be insulting toward HfH, and suggesting very little knowledge of Habitat's operations. Why would either be needed for a simple referral, from ANY reputable organization? Maybe you should review, yourself, what you write -- before sending.

[Gene Wirchenko]

In this situation, if a charity makes a profit, it is OK, but if they do not, it is bad?

[snip]

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

Computerese Irregular Verb Conjugation: I have preferences. You have biases. He/She has prejudices.

[v]

Those are really two separate things.

If the home needs extensive repairs, then it needs them even if she planned to keep it.

If she wants to sell it, sell it as-is (for a lower price).

Does she owe more than the home is worth in its present condition? That's actually a third problem, having borrowed too much. (That sort of thing is how people end up bankrupt.)

Why would she qualify for charitable programs, is she actually POOR or just has bad credit (not necessarily the same thing either). I don't think a charity would look kindly on fixing someone's house for free so that they could sell it for more $.

If she owes more than it is worth, she may need her attorney to talk to the bank about taking a short sale or she'll walk. She already has bad credit from bankruptcy so she doesn't have a lot else to lose.

-v.

[Zemedelec]

That's called an oxymoron down here. zemedelec

[Mark]

Contact Assabet Valley Vocational High School in Marlboro. The waiting list is long, but they will tackle stuff like this and their work has a very good reputation.

[EJ]

To comment on the original post:

- past bankruptcies don't rule out loans. We can talk about it off-line;

- any plumbing work in MA must be done by a licensed plumber. If the house is to be sold soon any serious plumbing work without permit means trouble;

- in general it is hard to recover the cost of repairs by increased sale price. In MA I have seen many houses otherwise described as "dumps" sell for minimal discounts. I purchased such a piece of art a couple of years ago. It may take longer, but the time to sell is now;

- doing a major DIY rehab under the best of circumstances is a headache. It is next to impossible when somebody in the household is recovering from an illness and needs peace and quiet. Also, it is usually the second or third rehab that comes out "right".