Sell a Hoarder House in Ohio: 2025 Complete Guide

Approximately 2% to 6% of people in the U.S. have hoarding disorder, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Hoarding disorder is a mental illness charactierized by a strong need to save items and experiencing stress when attempting to discard them. Often in a hoarding situation clutter has accumulated enough so that the floor is no longer visible. This accumulation of items creates a safety risk and many times is also a health hazard.

If you own a hoarder house or have inherited a hoarder’s house recently, you may be overwhelmed by the idea of selling it. We have put together a complete guide to walk you through the options you have.

What is a Hoarder House?

A hoarder house is a property that is extremely cluttered due to the owner’s compulsive hoarding behavior. This means the home is filled with excessive amounts of items such as, trash, food, collectibles or even human waste, that make it difficult to move through or use the house as intended.

Options to Sell a Hoarder House

There are two main options when selling a hoarder house: sell with a real estate agent or sell to a cash buyer. The option you pick will likely be dictated by how bad the hoarding situation is. If it’s a mild hoarder house, you may get away with decluttering and cleaning. Unfortuantely, cleaning a hoarder house is usually not enough and significant repairs or renovations are required.

Cleaning a Hoarder House

If you’re going to sell a hoarder house the traditional way, you’ll need to spend a significant amount of time and money getting the property market ready. The obvious first hurdle is removing all of the clutter and junk from the house. You’ll need to rent a dumpster, then you can either remove the items yourself or hire a crew to help you. If you do it yourself, make sure to wear protective equipment. The cost to trash out a hoarded house in Ohio is typically $2,000 to $6,000 for the dumpsters and crew, depending on the severity of the hoarding situation and if there’s a need for biohazard cleanup.

Repairing a Hoarder House

After you’ve decluttered the house, you’ll need to check it for any structural damage. Because hoarding can go on for years without maintenance, the home’s plumbing, electrical systems, HVAC, and structure might be damaged. Leaks may have gone unnoticed and pests such as termites may be present and causing damage. Repairs for these issues are expensive but are required to sell to a traditional buyer.

The last challenge with a hoarder house is removing any bad odors that are common with hoarding situations. Depending on how bad the hoarding situation was, you may get away with applying one or two coats of an odor blocking paint, hiring a cleaning service, and even running ozone machines. However, odors from hoarded houses often saturate the house and can be more expensive to completely remove. You may need to replace materials inside of the house such as the drywall, insulation, and the carpet.

Selling a Hoarder House to a Cash Buyer

If cleaning and fixing a hoarded house is not practical for you, then your best option is to sell to a company that buys homes for cash. A cash home buyer will buy your hoarder home as-is, without you doing any clean up or making any repairs. Typically they will do a quick walkthrough of the house and provide you with a cash offer in as little as 24 hours. A cash offer allows you to sell your hoarder house fast.

Common Questions for Selling a Hoarder House in Ohio

Can you sell a cluttered house?

You can sell a house without cleaning or decluttering if you find a buyer who is willing to purchase the property as-is.

Can you sell a hoarded house with a real estate agent?

You can use a realtor to sell a hoarded home. You’ll need to declutter the house in order to show it to potential buyers and so that inspectors have complete access to the property. Many realtors are only experienced with traditional home sales, so you’ll want to make sure you find an agent who has experience with hoarding situations.

Can a hoarder’s house be condemned?

In severe hoarding cases, a property may be condemned due to unresolved structural damage, dangerous substances, or serious health and safety hazards.

How to get rid of a hoarder house?

Many owners of hoarder homes do not want to deal with the hassle of cleaning and repairing a hoarder house. A fast and easy way is to sell to a cash home buyer who will buy the property as-is.

How much does hoarding devalue a house?

Hoarding can decrease the value of a home by tens of thousands of dollars and even over a hundred thousand dollars for the worst hoarding conditions that require a house to be gutted down to the studs.

How much does it cost to clear out a hoarder’s house?

Anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000 for a crew and dumpsters depending on how much needs to be removed from the property and if biohazards are present.

What do you need to disclose when selling a house in Ohio?

In Ohio, sellers are required by law to disclose any known material defects in a house, including those associated with hoarding.

Contact Us to Sell A Hoader House for Cash Today

We know how much of a burden it can be if you own or have inherited a hoarder house. We’d love to speak with you about selling your hoarder house as-is for cash. At Snap Sell Homebuyers, we buy houses for cash and make the process fast and hassle-free.