Sell Your House in Detroit — As-Is, on Your Timeline

Selling a house in Detroit isn't always as simple as putting a sign in the yard and waiting for offers.

Maybe the house needs more work than you want to take on. Maybe you inherited it. Maybe it's vacant, occupied by tenants, behind on taxes, damaged by fire, or full of 30 years of stuff nobody wants to sort through.

Or maybe there's nothing terribly wrong with the house at all. You just don't want to spend the next few months getting it ready, showing it, negotiating repairs, and hoping the buyer's financing makes it to closing.

I buy houses throughout Detroit directly from homeowners. You can sell the property as-is, without making repairs or cleaning it out, and choose a closing date that works for you.

But selling to me isn't automatically the right choice for every homeowner. Sometimes listing with a good real estate agent will put more money in your pocket. Sometimes keeping the house makes more sense. And sometimes a direct sale solves a problem that a traditional sale doesn't solve very well.

My job is to look at the house, understand what's going on, explain what I can offer, and let you decide. No obligation. No pressure. Just a straightforward conversation about the property and your options.

In Detroit, a Few Blocks Can Change Everything

I've bought houses since 2004, and Detroit is unlike almost any other real estate market I've worked in.

You can have beautifully renovated homes selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars and, only a few blocks away, houses that are boarded up, stripped, fire damaged, or barely salvageable. Sometimes the difference isn't a few blocks. It's one block.

That's why I don't believe you can accurately evaluate a Detroit house by looking at a ZIP code, pulling a few automated estimates, and calling it good.

Detroit Has to Be Understood Block by Block

When I look at a Detroit property, I want to know what's happening immediately around it.

• What have houses actually sold for nearby?
• Were they renovated or sold as-is?
• Are buyers paying a premium for a particular pocket?
• Are renovated houses selling quickly, or sitting?
• What's happening on this particular block?
• Is the house functionally comparable to the properties being used to value it?

A beautifully renovated house six blocks away isn't necessarily a good comparable for a house needing $80,000 in work. And a distressed sale down the street doesn't necessarily define the value of a well-maintained house.

Your House Doesn't Have to Be Retail-Ready

A lot of the houses I look at aren't the houses you'd see featured on the front page of a real estate website. That's okay. In fact, that's often the point.

I Buy the Houses That Aren't Always Easy to Sell

I look at Detroit houses that are:

• Vacant
• In probate
• Inherited
• Behind on property taxes
• Behind on mortgage payments
• Facing foreclosure
• Occupied by problem tenants
• Fire damaged
• Mold damaged
• In need of major repairs
• Dealing with code violations
• Outdated
• Full of belongings
• Boarded up
• Missing mechanicals
• Dealing with title problems
• Rental properties the owner no longer wants

And sometimes I buy perfectly ordinary houses from people who simply prefer an easier sale.

You don't have to diagnose everything that's wrong with the property before contacting me. You also don't have to fix it first. Tell me what you know. I'll figure out the rest.

Selling Your Detroit House to Me Is Pretty Simple

I don't think selling a house needs a 17-step infographic. Here's basically how it works.

• 1
  Tell Me About the Property

  Start with the address. I'll want to know a little about the house, its condition, who's living there, and what you're hoping to accomplish. You don't need perfect information.

• 2
  I'll Do My Homework

  I'll look at property records, nearby sales, the immediate area, the house itself, likely repairs, and what I believe the property could realistically be worth after the necessary work. Detroit is where that block-by-block analysis really matters.

• 3
  We'll Talk

  I'll probably have questions. You should too. This isn't a situation where I'm supposed to know everything and you're supposed to nod. Ask me whatever you want to know.

• 4
  If It Makes Sense, I'll Make You an Offer

  I'll explain what I can pay and how I'm looking at the numbers. There shouldn't be anything mysterious about it.

• 5
  You Decide

  You can accept it. You can reject it. You can think about it. You can decide to list the house instead. I'm not interested in manufacturing urgency that doesn't exist.

• 6
  If You Accept, We Close Through a Title Company

  The title company researches ownership and liens, prepares the closing documents, coordinates payoffs, and handles the transfer of the property. Then we close. You get paid. I get the house. Pretty straightforward.

How Do I Determine What I Can Pay for a Detroit House?

This is something I think buyers should be willing to explain. I'm running a business, so yes, the numbers have to work for me too. But that doesn't mean the number should come out of a black box.

When I'm evaluating a Detroit house, I typically consider:

• Recent nearby sales
• The immediate block and surrounding area
• Current condition
• Size and layout
• Bedrooms and bathrooms
• Garage and basement
• Major mechanical systems
• Roof and structural condition
• Renovation required
• What renovated properties are actually selling for
• How quickly comparable houses are selling
• Property taxes and title issues when relevant
• Holding and resale costs
• The amount of uncertainty and risk involved

From there, I work backward. What could the house realistically sell for after it's renovated? What will it realistically cost to get there? What other expenses will I have? And is there enough left for the deal to make sense?

That's essentially how a professional investor looks at a property. There's no secret percentage that works for every Detroit house. And there shouldn't be.

If you'd like to understand the process in more depth, see How Cash Home Buyers Work and What Affects a Cash Offer?

Sometimes You Should List the House

Yes, I'm a cash home buyer telling you that. Because it's true.

If your Detroit house is in good condition, you have plenty of time, you don't mind preparing it for sale, and your primary objective is getting the highest possible price, talking to a good real estate agent may be your best option.

A retail buyer will often pay more than an investor. They can because they're buying the house to live in. I'm buying it as a business investment. Those are two completely different calculations.

So Why Would Someone Sell Directly to Me?

Usually because they're trading some potential upside for some combination of: speed, certainty, convenience, simplicity.

A direct sale can make more sense when:

• The house needs substantial repairs
• You don't want to put more money into it
• You need a predictable closing
• The property is difficult to finance
• You don't want showings
• Tenants complicate the sale
• You live somewhere else
• The house needs a major cleanout
• You're dealing with an estate
• There are tax or title issues
• You're working against a deadline
• You simply don't want another project

Neither method is universally better. They're different tools for different situations. My job isn't to convince you that selling to me is always better. It isn't. My job is to give you another option and let you decide which tradeoff works for you.

What Does Selling Your Detroit House As-Is Really Mean?

It means I'm making my offer based on the house the way it sits today. You don't need to make it prettier for me. You don't need to:

• Paint the walls
• Replace old carpet
• Remodel the kitchen
• Update the bathroom
• Fix the roof
• Replace the furnace
• Repair drywall
• Clean the basement
• Empty the garage
• Remove old furniture
• Landscape the yard
• Stage the house

If there's stuff in the house you don't want, we can usually deal with that too. Take what you want. Leave what you don't.

That doesn't mean condition doesn't matter. Of course it matters. A house needing $75,000 in repairs isn't worth the same amount as an identical house that's completely renovated. "As-is" simply means you don't have to do the work before selling it. I take responsibility for that after closing.

For a deeper explanation, see What Does Selling a House As-Is Mean?

Detroit Houses I've Seen Over the Years

After more than two decades in this business, I've seen just about every version of "this house might be difficult to sell." The details change. The basic problems usually don't.

The Inherited House Nobody Wants to Clean Out

A parent or relative dies and leaves behind a house containing decades of belongings. The family may live elsewhere. Nobody wants to spend six weekends sorting a basement. And spending tens of thousands renovating the property before selling it doesn't make sense.

In a direct as-is sale, the family can take the things that matter and leave the rest.

The Rental That Finally Became One Problem Too Many

The owner didn't wake up one morning hating real estate. Usually it's cumulative. Repairs. Turnover. Late rent. Another furnace. Another tenant issue. Another city notice. Eventually the owner decides the return isn't worth the aggravation anymore.

An occupied rental isn't necessarily a problem for me. I want to understand the lease, tenant situation and condition before deciding what makes sense.

The House That Needs Everything

Roof. Furnace. Electrical. Plumbing. Kitchen. Bathroom. Windows. And somehow the basement still has water in it.

At some point, you're not talking about "doing a few repairs before listing." You're talking about a renovation project. Some homeowners want to take that on. Some don't. I'm interested in the second group.

You're Not Calling a National Call Center

I'm Dennis Fassett. I've been buying houses since 2004 and have participated in more than 3,000 transactions with my partners over the years. Dennis Buys Houses isn't a national franchise pretending to be local because somebody created a Detroit landing page. This is my business. My name is on it. And that matters to me.

I've always believed that this isn't just a transaction — it's a relationship. That doesn't mean we're going to become best friends because I bought your house. It means I want you to understand what we're doing, why we're doing it, and what you're agreeing to.

I want the deal to work for me. I expect you to want it to work for you. We all win or nobody does. That's a pretty simple way to do business.

Sometimes It's About the House. Sometimes It's About Life.

People rarely wake up thinking, "You know what sounds fun today? Selling a house to an investor." Usually something happened. Maybe the house became a burden. Maybe life changed. Maybe both happened at once.

I've created detailed resources for these situations because sometimes selling is the answer — and sometimes understanding the situation first is more important.

See Common Homeowner Situations →

What Does It Cost to Sell a House to Me?

Requesting an offer costs nothing. There is no obligation to accept it.

If I buy the property directly, there is no real estate agent representing me who needs a traditional seller-paid listing commission. You also aren't required to spend money getting the house retail-ready for me. That can eliminate expenses such as:

• Repairs
• Renovation
• Painting
• Cleaning
• Staging
• Landscaping
• Seller preparation
• Months of additional carrying costs

The title company will identify the actual financial obligations associated with the property and transaction. Those might include an existing mortgage payoff, taxes, liens or other amounts that have to be addressed at closing.

Compare Net Proceeds, Not Just Prices

Suppose someone says: "I could list this house for $150,000, but Dennis only offered $130,000." Maybe listing is better. But those two numbers alone don't answer the question.

You'd want to know: How much repair work is required to get $150,000? What are the selling expenses? Will the buyer ask for concessions after inspection? How long will you carry the property? What happens if the appraisal comes in low? What if the first buyer doesn't close?

Maybe $150,000 still wins easily. If so, great. But compare what you actually walk away with and what you have to do to get there. That's the useful comparison.

See Understanding Closing Costs and Traditional Sale vs. Cash Sale for a deeper look.

What If I Can't Buy Your House?

Then I'll tell you. Not every house works for me. And not every homeowner should sell to me.

Maybe the numbers don't make sense. Maybe you can clearly do better listing it. Maybe a title issue has to be resolved first. Maybe selling isn't actually the best solution to the problem you're trying to solve.

I would much rather tell you that than try to shoehorn every homeowner into the same answer. If I know a better direction to point you, I will. You don't owe me a house because I spent some time looking at it.

I Buy Houses Throughout Detroit

I look at properties across the city — East Side, West Side, Northwest Detroit and Southwest Detroit. That includes neighborhoods and areas around:

And plenty of places that don't fit neatly into a neighborhood label. That's important because Detroit isn't one homogeneous housing market. Two houses with the same square footage and bedroom count can have dramatically different values depending on their location, block and condition.

If it has a Detroit address, I'll take a look at it.

Detroit Properties Come With Detroit Problems

Detroit's housing stock and real estate history create issues you don't encounter as frequently in newer suburban markets. I've learned not to be surprised by much.

Delinquent Property Taxes

Tax balances can affect both your proceeds and your ability to transfer clear title. The important thing is to find out what's actually owed rather than assume the problem makes the house unsellable.

Water and Municipal Issues

Outstanding municipal matters sometimes surface during the title and closing process. They need to be identified and handled appropriately.

Code and Blight Issues

A property may have outstanding violations or other municipal issues. Depending on the situation, those may not require you to complete every repair personally before selling.

Vacant and Boarded Properties

Vacancy introduces its own problems. Security. Weather. Insurance. Mechanical theft. Water intrusion. Deterioration. The longer a distressed Detroit house sits empty, the less predictable the situation becomes.

Fire-Damaged Houses

A serious fire can turn a normal house into a complicated combination of structural damage, smoke damage, mechanical replacement, insurance questions and rebuilding costs. You don't necessarily have to rebuild it before selling.

Title Problems

Old ownership interests, deceased owners, mortgages that weren't properly discharged, judgments and other title defects can appear when the title company researches the property. A title problem doesn't automatically mean the house can't be sold. It means we need to figure out what the problem actually is.

What Happens After You Accept My Offer?

This part should be boring. I mean that as a compliment.

Once we've agreed on the price and terms, we sign a purchase agreement and send the transaction to a title company. The title company researches the property's ownership and identifies items that need to be addressed before title can transfer. That may include:

• Existing mortgages
• Property taxes
• Liens
• Judgments
• Ownership issues
• Probate or estate documentation
• Other recorded interests

If something turns up, we figure out what it is. Sometimes it's easy. Sometimes it takes some work.

Once title is ready, the closing documents are prepared. You review the final numbers. Documents are signed. The transaction funds. You receive the proceeds you're entitled to receive. Ownership transfers. Done.

If you'd like to understand that process before making any decisions, read What Happens at Closing? and Understanding Title Problems.

What Detroit Homeowners Have to Say

Frequently Asked Questions About Selling a House in Detroit