Realtor question

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
VERY short version. We are trying to help a friend of the family sell his condo. He has moved near us now.
Previously, we lived 45 minutes apart.

He is older and having some on and off health problems. He has no children. Relatives have either passed or live in another country.

He has asked for our help.

To our semi surprise, he is a hoarder. We had figured that. But to our BIG surprise, the place has bed bugs.

He moved to a place near us. The Condo was left as it was.

Now, he wants to spray the old place (his Condo that he no longer habitats). Take a few things. Give to charity a lot of things and sell his place and wants our help. He can NOT do this with out big time help. He is relying on us. Oh my.

Hmmm. We are a good THREE hours away from this Condo he wishes to sell that is in such bad shape.

Do realtor’s ever undertake this type of heavy duty work? Can you hire them to orchestrate much of this? If so, would they get extra commission or flat out fees? I’ve never seen or even heard of such a dilemma. Ideas?

Thank you.
 

RN0441

100% better than I was but not at 100% yet
Yikes!

I have to think that you can get anyone to do anything if you pay them enough!

I don't know anything about this but so nice of you to help your friend!!
 

AppleCori

Well-Known Member
My adult step-son (Difficult Child) worked at a pest control company that specializes in bed-bug removal at one point.

At least the way it was done then, a couple of years ago, was heat treatments. They had to go in and turn up the heat and put heaters all over to get the house to well over 100 degrees ( maybe 130 or 140, I can’t remember now).

The tricky part is that the workers have to keep going in and moving things around so that there are no “cold spots” where bed bugs can hide. Then they have to dash out because of the heat.

So, mattresses, dishes, clothes in closets, everything had to be continually moved to make sure they were all dead. Furniture moved, because they like to hide in carpets. I believe the crew worked all day on one house.

Not sure if they have a pesticide now or not.

And I am pretty sure the place would need to be de cluttered before they could do any kind of bed bug treatment.

A top-selling realtor would probably be your best bet in finding someone that would do all the coordinating of services your friend needs. They usually have people they trust to do these kinds of things when it comes up, so they may be glad to do this in exchange for his listing.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
 

Crayola13

Well-Known Member
Rent a dumpster or call one of those companies like Junk Be Gone. We have several companies in our coty that specialize in this problem. There is also a "bug bomb" of sorts you can set off inside the house, but you have to stay out for two days. I don't know how to get the bed bugs out other than calling Stanley Steamer and maybe even hauling off the mattress to the dump. I guess the sheets and blankets could be bleached in hot water, unless they are colors. Replacing the carpet with floors might help. Stanley Steamer would get the bugs out of the furniture unless it's leather.
 

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
Look into the state or local regs when it comes to bed bug cure - they differ.

I would venture a guess that most stuff will have to be bagged and removed to the dump. I don't believe donation is an option unless your friend is willing to spend a lot of money curing the infestation first. As a property manager, I can tell you that it is very difficult to rid the critters unless bedding and clothing are washed (in hot water) and completely dried (a the highest setting) in a commercial washer and dryer that have a higher temp than residential machines, and most mattresses and fabric furniture will have to be trashed if the infestation is major. Then the treatment of the unit will begin. Those little buggers get into electrical outlets, in the moulding, etc.

Be careful going to his new place so you don't carry the little hitchhikers to your house and suggest that his new place be treated IMMEDIATELY.

And yes, you can find a relator that will do the work, for a fee of course!

Good luck,
Sharon
 

Copabanana

Well-Known Member
The realtor who sold my mom's house was full service. He had an assistant that arranged whatever service was required to show a home. In our case there was no fee, but the property was in good shape.

It is very very common that elderly people are unable to take this on, or their children cannot because of distance.

This is what I would do, the streamlined approach .

Be honest with friend. Everything is infested. It is not usable. If he cannot go back and deal with it, you cannot and will not. There are health issues. Draw a line. Of course he has the option to arrange an alternative.

With his consent, have every single thing hauled to the dump. In fact, I would ask him to make the call. You don't want a potential problem. By this point the realtor will have a key. They can let in the people.

Get a quote to treat the empty condo. Again the realtor's people should be willing to provide the key or let people in. They will have relationships with pest control people.

After you talk to your friend I think I might take the advice above and find the top realtor in the area, in terms of sales. I would see if he/she would handle everything. If not everything, they should at least handle access. They might be motivated to take on all of it to get the sale, which, depending on where the property is, could be quite substantial in terms of commission.

In no way would I go back and forth. Nor would I personally deal with the home or contents. You will probably have to make one trip. That is all I did. I would not do more.

This is not about kindness. It is about reality. Your friend will understand. Or should. At his time of life it is about letting go. It is part of life. He has already left the stuff.

Nobody could be more attached to her home and furniture than was my mother. When she left she never looked back.

PS I just looked online. If just one pregnant bedbug is missed, within 3 months the home can be reinfested to the tune of 10000 bugs! I would explain to friend the potential risk involved for him should he even selectively remove belongings. I am wondering if even after treatment, that this needs to be disclosed to a potential buyer. But I am neither an attorney nor realtor so I do not know.
 
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Copabanana

Well-Known Member
Nomad. While law might change state by state, I believe where I am commission is capped at 6 percent. I would not advise he pay an increased commission. At most, actual costs, and an hour or two max, to make arrangements.

There are really only two steps involved. Remove stuff. Pest control. Oh yeah. Deep cleaning and painting and minor repairs if it is cost effective. Realtors have relationships with people that do these things. The costs are taken off the top in escrow. In my mind there is no need what so ever to pay for anything except the actual services. I would not volunteer.

I would present it like this. The property needs junk hauled, pest control prior to being shown, deep cleaning and possibly, painting and minor repairs at realtor's discretion (if they believe such will generate substantially more money), depending upon cost and approval by the owner. I would not offer extra money.

Let them ask. If anything, it should not be more than $100 to $200 over and above actual costs of services for which there will be invoices. The commission could be many thousands of dollars, depending upon where the property is. To me, the commission could well cover it.
 
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