Sell a House with Code Violations
You can sell a house with open code violations without finishing the city’s punch list first. KindKey Home Buyers LLC buys houses as-is from owners in King County and Pierce County. We are based at 640 1st St SW in Auburn. We are not a real estate agent, and we are not the code enforcement office.
A notice might be about tall grass, an inoperable vehicle, a boarded window, an unpermitted addition, an unsafe deck, junk and debris, or a structure the city says is not fit to live in. Those cases differ, and the city that issued the notice is the authority on what it requires. KindKey will not tell you how to fight a citation or what a hearing officer will do.
What we can do is make a cash offer that assumes the violation is still open. You tell us which city wrote the notice and what it says. If you accept an offer, title and the closing agent identify liens that have to be paid. You should read the notice with an attorney if you do not understand the deadline or the penalty.
How the sale works when a city notice is open
Send the address and a copy or a photo of the notice if you have it. We look at the house in its current condition, including work that was started without a permit and work that was red-tagged. You do not have to hire the contractor the notice describes before we visit.
The offer is for the property as it is, not for a promise that KindKey will close the code case on a particular date. After closing, the property is KindKey’s to deal with, including permits we choose to pull. Until closing, the notice is still yours. Do not ignore a deadline because a sale is being discussed.
Violations we see on houses we buy
South King County and Pierce County cities each run their own code enforcement. Auburn, Kent, and Federal Way are King County cities with their own municipal codes. Tacoma and Puyallup are Pierce County cities. Unincorporated pockets, including parts of the South Hill plateau that use a Puyallup address, can fall under Pierce County instead of the city. The header on your notice is the first place to look. If you are unsure, ask the city or county named on the letter, or ask an attorney.
We regularly see vacant-property cases, interior hoarding and debris that spilled outside, fire-damaged houses with an unsafe-structure posting, and additions or garage conversions that never had a final inspection. A retail buyer using a loan may struggle with those issues. KindKey pays cash and does not need the house to pass a lender’s appraisal before we buy it.
- Overgrown yards, debris, and vehicle violations on vacant houses
- Unpermitted rooms, decks, and garage conversions
- Unsafe-structure or do-not-occupy postings
- Incomplete repairs after fire, water, or a stopped remodel
- Cases where fines or abatement costs may already be a lien
Money, liens, and what we will not promise
Some cities record liens for unpaid fines or for the cost of cleaning a property. Those amounts can reduce seller proceeds in the same way a mortgage payoff can. The settlement statement is where you see them. KindKey does not guarantee that every fine disappears at recording, and we do not negotiate the citation for you.
If the violation is tied to a foreclosure, an estate, or another pressured sale, talk with a Washington attorney before you sign. Washington has distressed-property rules under RCW 61.34. KindKey does not interpret that law or tell you whether your code case plus a loan default puts you under it.
Why owners sell instead of curing the notice
Curing a notice can be the right path when the fix is small and you want to keep the house. It is a poor fit when the notice requires a new roof, a tear-out of an unpermitted unit, or a full clean-out you cannot staff. Listing agents also have to disclose material problems, and buyers often ask for repairs before they will close.
Selling to KindKey means you skip that repair negotiation. You still need to be honest about the notice. Hiding it does not help either of us, because title work and a walkthrough will surface open permits and posted orders.
Related pages
- Sell a hoarder or heavy-repair houseDebris and deferred repair cases often become code cases.
- Sell a fire-damaged houseFire postings and stop-work orders are a type of notice we see.
- Sell a vacant houseVacant-property enforcement is a frequent reason owners call.
- AuburnKindKey is based in downtown Auburn.
KindKey Home Buyers purchases properties as a principal buyer and is not acting as the seller’s real estate agent. KindKey does not charge the seller an agent commission or a separate service or assignment fee. Responsibility for escrow, title, excise tax, recording, and other closing costs will be clearly stated in the written purchase agreement and may vary by transaction. The seller’s final proceeds may be reduced by mortgage payoffs, liens, taxes, prorations, utility balances, or other obligations associated with the property. Escrow or the closing agent will provide the seller with a settlement statement showing all charges and final proceeds before closing.
Frequently asked questions
Get a cash offer while the notice is still open
Share the address and the city or county named on the letter.
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