My Seller Is a Hoarder

Q: Marsha, as a fellow realtor, I enjoy your articles. Now, I have a question for you. I received a referral to a seller from a divorce attorney. I visited the home, and the husband is a hoarder. It’s a great neighborhood, but the home looks like a disaster. The front and the back yard are full of discarded and broken junk. You can barely walk through the home because of all the stuff. This is a divorce sale. I’m at a loss on how to market or even show the house. Do you have any advice?

A: In my long real estate career, I have only worked with one seller who had hoarding disorder. Hoarding is a mental disorder, and hoarders and their spouses rarely put their homes on the market. The idea of selling their home and discarding or moving their possessions is overwhelming. A divorce sale is a must-sell situation, so you will need to work on a plan with this seller.

First, I suggest that you market the home by appointment only. It’s a divorce sale and already a tough situation for the sellers. Public open houses and realtor caravans will increase their stress. When I appraised homes, I could anticipate when the property needing an appraisal had a hoarding issue. The owners would make and break appointments several times. They dreaded welcoming a stranger into their home.