People apologize to me for their houses. Almost every single time. They meet me at the door already listing what's wrong, before I've even stepped inside. The carpet. The smell. The room they stopped going into. Let me say this once, clearly. You don't owe me an apology for your house.
You don't have to fix a thing. Not one thing.
I'm Kady. I buy houses in Jacksonville and across Florida and I renovate them. Chessy Girl was my last one. She was a labor of love, she's under contract now, and I still can't quite believe how she turned out.
But here's the part that matters for you. I feel the same way about the people behind these houses as I do about the houses. Where somebody else sees a problem, or a lost cause, or a reason to lowball you, I see a person with a next chapter waiting to happen. So I'm going to tell you exactly how I think about a house. Including the parts that would talk me out of buying yours. No pressure. Just someone in your corner.
Three things decide whether a house works for me. Whether the layout can become something a family loves, what shape the big systems are in, and where it sits. Roof, foundation, electrical, plumbing, windows and HVAC are what move a number. Dirty, dated, cluttered and ugly do not. You never repair anything, you never clean anything out, and you never pay commission. In exchange the number is below what a finished house would list for, and that gap is what buys you speed and certainty. Sometimes listing really is the better move, and I'll tell you so. And selling as is does not mean staying quiet about a problem you already know about.
- You don't have to fix anything. Not the roof, not the kitchen, not the pile in the garage.
- The big systems move the price. Roof, foundation, electrical, plumbing, windows, HVAC.
- Cosmetics don't. Ugly is genuinely my favorite kind of house.
- The gap between cash and list price is real. It should be explained to you, not hidden from you.
- As is doesn't mean silent. Florida still expects you to disclose problems you know about.
01The Three Things I Look At
This is the whole list. It really is this short.
An open, functional layout
I'm standing in your house imagining a family in it. Where do they eat. Where do the kids do homework. Can I open this wall up and let the light through. Walls move, and load bearing is a budget line rather than a dealbreaker. What I'm really asking is whether there's a home in here waiting to come out.
The big ticket items
Six systems. They're the difference between a project and a money pit, and they're the only part of the house where the condition genuinely changes my number. Everything below is fixable. It's just a question of how much.
The neighborhood
A great location matters just as much as the house itself. I can change everything inside those walls. I can't move the house. So I'm looking at the street, the schools, what's selling nearby, and whether a family will be glad they landed here in five years.
Roof
Age and condition
Foundation
Settling, cracks
Electrical
Panel and wiring
Plumbing
Supply and drains
Windows
Seals and impact
HVAC
Age and function
The roof deserves its own paragraph, because this is Florida.
Insurance runs this state, and roof age runs insurance. Florida law says a carrier can't refuse to write or renew a policy on roof age alone if the roof is under fifteen years old, and once it's past fifteen you have the right to bring in an inspector to prove it has useful life left. Practical translation: an older roof makes a house hard to insure, and a house that's hard to insure is hard for a regular buyer to finance.
That's the reason your old roof scares off retail buyers and doesn't scare me. I'm not getting a mortgage. I'm replacing it. It's a number on my spreadsheet, not a reason to walk.
02What I'm Not Looking At
Here's the part I wish everyone knew before they called me.
😕 What people apologize for
The kitchen from 1978. Wallpaper. Popcorn ceilings. Carpet with a story. The smell. The overgrown yard. The garage you can't walk through. Cabinets that don't close. A bathroom nobody has used in years. Everything still in it.
None of this changes my offer.
🔑 What actually changes the number
A roof at the end of its life. Foundation movement. A panel that needs replacing. Repiping. Windows that failed. An air handler that's done. Active water intrusion or the mold that follows it. Permits that were never pulled on past work.
These are budget lines, not dealbreakers.
I have bought houses with trees growing through the soffit. I have bought houses where I opened the door and immediately understood why the family stopped coming inside.
Take what matters to you and leave the rest. That one sentence lands hardest with people selling a parent's house, because emptying it out is usually the part they've been dreading most. You don't have to. That's mine to handle.
03How the Number Actually Gets Built
Nobody explains this to sellers, and I think that's on purpose. So here it is.
I start with what the house will be worth finished, based on what similar homes have actually sold for nearby. Then I subtract what it'll cost to get it there. Then I subtract the cost of holding it, insuring it, and closing on it twice. What's left has to leave room for a profit, or I can't keep the lights on or pay my crew.
That's the whole formula. There's nothing clever in it. And if somebody won't walk you through their version of it, that tells you something.
| Listing with an agent | Selling to a cash buyer | |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs | Usually needed before photos, and again after inspection | None |
| Cleaning out | Expected | Not required |
| Showings | Strangers, on their schedule | One visit |
| Commission and fees | Typically several percent | None |
| Timeline | Months, if financing holds | Weeks, or your date |
| Certainty | Deals fall through on appraisal and loans | No lender to lose |
| Price | Higher on paper | Lower, and net closer than people expect |
Look at that last row honestly. A list price is not what lands in your pocket. Take off commission, the repairs you did to get it listed, the credits you gave after inspection, and a few more months of mortgage, taxes and insurance. The gap narrows a lot. Sometimes it closes entirely. Sometimes it doesn't, and listing wins.
04When I'll Tell You to List It Instead
This happens more than you'd think, and I'd rather say it here than have you wonder.
If your house is in decent shape, if you've got time, and if a few weeks of showings won't wreck your life, list it. You'll almost always net more. That's not modesty, it's just math.
A cash sale earns its keep when something else is true. When there's a deadline. When the repairs are past what you can front. When the house is three hours away and you can't keep driving there. When you and a sibling need this settled so you can go back to being family. When you're behind on payments and the clock is the thing you're actually fighting.
What am I actually short on? Money, time, or energy? If you're short on money but rich in time, list it. If time is the thing you don't have, a cash sale is worth what it costs. And if it's energy, if you're grieving or sick or just completely tapped out, that counts too. That's a real reason, not a lesser one, and I've never once thought less of somebody for saying it out loud.
If you're behind on payments and that's what's driving this, read my piece on the Duval County filings first, because you may have more options than a sale.
05What Selling As Is Really Means
As is means you don't fix anything and I don't ask you to. That's it. That's the whole promise.
What it does not mean is that you get to stay quiet about something you know about. Florida has been clear on this since 1985. If you know about a problem that materially affects what the house is worth, and a buyer couldn't reasonably spot it themselves, you're supposed to say so. Courts have confirmed that this applies to as is sales too.
So tell me about the leak. Tell me the slab moved. Tell me your uncle wired the addition himself in 1994.
It almost never changes whether I buy. It occasionally changes the number, usually by less than you're afraid of. And it protects you, because a buyer can come back years after closing over something you knew and didn't mention. I'd rather you never have to think about this house again once we close.
Not sure if your house is too far gone? Send me a few photos and tell me what's going on. I'll tell you straight, including if I think you should list it instead. No pressure, no obligation. I'm Kady: call or text 904-400-2131, or email kady@helpinghandhomesfl.com.
06Investors and Wholesalers, This Part Is For You
I'm on the hunt for my next project. I need three more houses to hit my goal this year.
What I'm looking for: single family homes in Jacksonville and the surrounding Florida markets, off market, sold as is, in whatever condition. Tired, dated, storm damaged, tenant wrecked, inherited and sitting empty. The uglier the better, honestly.
What I'm not looking for: anything where I'd have to squeeze the seller to make the numbers work. If the only version of a deal is one that leaves somebody worse off, I'll pass, and I'd rather you know that up front.
If you've got something, send it to me. If you're an agent with a client whose house won't photograph well and doesn't want to spend six weeks fixing it, send them to me too. Sometimes the right answer is still that they list with you, and I'll say so.
"There's just something special about taking a house that's been overlooked and giving it the love it deserves. That's the part I'll never get tired of. But my goal isn't just to renovate a house. It's to create a home a family is excited to come home to. And I feel exactly the same way about the people I buy from. You're not a lost cause and neither is your house. This is and always will be a judgment free zone."
Send me photos. I'll tell you honestly.
No repairs, no cleaning out, no commission, no pressure. Tell me what's going on with the house and I'll give you a fair, no obligation number, or tell you why listing it would serve you better.
Get My Cash Offer Just Talk to Kady07Questions People Ask Me
Do I have to fix anything before I sell?
No. Not the roof, not the kitchen, not the water stain on the ceiling. I buy the house as it stands today. Repairs are my line item, not yours, and money you spend fixing things up before you call me rarely comes back to you.
Do I have to clean it out first?
No. Take what matters to you and leave the rest. This one comes up most with inherited homes, where emptying a parent's house is the hardest part of the whole thing. You don't have to do it.
Why is a cash offer lower than what my neighbor's house listed for?
Because your neighbor's house had a newer roof, fresh paint and staged furniture, and because they paid commission, waited months, and let strangers walk through on Saturdays. A cash number reflects the work still to be done and the cost of doing it. That gap is what you're trading for speed and certainty, and anybody making you an offer should be willing to walk you through the math.
My roof is old. Does that kill the deal?
It has never killed a deal for me. In Florida the roof matters more than anywhere else, because insurance drives it and insurance drives whether a traditional buyer can get financing. Which is exactly why an old roof is a problem for a retail sale and not for me. I price it in and I replace it.
Does selling as is mean I don't have to tell you about problems?
No, and this protects you more than it protects me. Florida law requires a seller to disclose known problems that materially affect value and aren't obvious to a buyer, and that applies to as is sales too. Tell me about the leak. It almost never changes whether I buy, and staying quiet can follow you for years after closing.
Would you ever tell me not to sell to you?
Yes, and I do it regularly. If your house is in good shape, you have time, and you can handle a few weeks of showings, listing it will usually put more in your pocket. I'd rather tell you that and be the person you call next time.
A gentle note: I'm a Florida home buyer, not an attorney, accountant, contractor, or insurance agent, and this article is general information rather than advice for your situation. Repair costs, insurance rules, and property values vary enormously by home and by market. Please confirm anything that matters with a licensed professional, and have a Florida real estate attorney review any contract before you sign it.
- Florida Statute 627.7011: roof age and homeowners insurance issuance and renewal
- Johnson v. Davis, 480 So. 2d 625 (Fla. 1985): a seller's duty to disclose known material defects
- Rayner v. Wise Realty Co. of Tallahassee: that duty applies to properties sold as is
- Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation: verify a contractor's license before hiring
- The Florida Bar: find and verify a licensed Florida real estate attorney