Can you sell a house that needs major repairs in Shreveport or Bossier?
Yes. A bad roof, a foundation problem, fire or water damage, old wiring, or a house the city has written up can still be sold. You do not have to finish the work before you ask for an offer. You also do not have to sell to us. Three paths are real: sell as-is to a cash buyer, fix the house and then list it, or list it with a realtor and let the market react. This page is that comparison. It is not a listing service.
We buy houses as they sit in Shreveport, Bossier City, and the towns around them, including Haughton, Benton, and Plain Dealing. Cash is not promised on every house. If a listing will serve you better, we will say so, and we can connect you with help.
The shorter page on selling as-is is how an as-is sale works and how to check out any buyer. Use this page when the repairs are the decision.
Want a cash offer, or to have us take over the payments? Call or text Charlie at (318) 714-4321, or Get My Cash Offer. Cash is not promised on every house. No fee, no obligation.
What counts as a major repair here?
There is no dollar line on this page, and we will not invent one. In plain words, a major repair is work a household usually cannot finish on a weekend, or work a buyer who needs a loan often cannot ignore. A roof with active leaks, a foundation that has shifted, fire damage, flood damage, a bathroom or kitchen that does not work, wiring or plumbing that is not safe, or mold you can see: those are the calls we get.
A city notice belongs in the same conversation. Bossier City's Property Standards Division enforces basic maintenance. The city's page says grass over 12 inches can be a violation, that an owner normally has about 10 days from a violation letter to correct it, and that a dilapidated building must be repaired or demolished. It also says it usually takes a minimum of about six months from a verified violation until the city demolishes, if the owner does nothing. Your letter controls your dates.
Louisiana law lets a parish or city condemn a building that is dilapidated and dangerous and have it demolished or removed (R.S. 33:4761). A notice does not take the title out of your name. It starts a clock. Shreveport notices and the lien for city work are in condemned or demolition-list houses. You do not have to mow, board, or rebuild before we look. If the city has written, tell us. The notice is part of the price.
Selling as-is to a cash buyer
Selling as-is means the buyer takes the house in its current condition. You do not put on a roof, replace a floor, or paint. The price is supposed to reflect the work. It does not mean you hide what you know. Tell the buyer about the leak, the fire, and the letter from the city.
What you gain. You do not spend repair money before you know a sale will happen. You do not hold showings or wait on a buyer's loan. You pick the closing date. Once everyone agrees, a sale often closes within a couple of weeks, and you can take longer. We charge no fee and no commission. Closing is at a local title company.
What you give up. The offer is almost always lower than the price the same house might bring after it is repaired and sold to someone who will live in it. That gap is the repairs, the carrying time, and the buyer's risk. Cash is not promised on every house. Sometimes we pay cash at closing. Sometimes we take over the payments. You see the choice in writing after we look, and you can say no.
This path fits when you do not have the repair money, when the house is not safe to work in, when you live far away, or when a date matters. It fits less well when the house needs little and you can wait.
Fixing the house, then listing it
Fix-and-list means you pay for the work, then put the house on the market for a buyer who wants it finished. If the work is done well and you have time, this path can bring the highest price. That is the honest upside.
The downside is that you spend the money first. The roof or the foundation is paid before you know what a buyer will offer. While the house sits, you still pay the mortgage if there is one, plus taxes, insurance, and utilities. A buyer using a loan will usually order an inspection and an appraisal. Either one can ask for more repairs or a lower price. You can say no, and the buyer can walk away.
We will not tell you a repair pays for itself. Get a written estimate from a contractor you choose, and set it next to the as-is offers you have in writing. If you want to fix it and list it, we are not the contractor. We can connect you with help.
Listing with a realtor while the house still needs work
You can list a rough house. Some buyers want a project. A realtor can put it in front of people who are looking. That is a real option, and for some houses it is the better one.
People walk through. A buyer who needs a loan may not close if the house fails the lender's conditions. You may be asked to repair items, credit the buyer, or drop the price. The commission is whatever the listing agreement says. Read it before you sign. A listed sale can include that commission. A sale directly to us does not. The pieces are in Louisiana seller closing costs.
What you gain. You might meet a buyer who will pay more than an investor because they want the house, even with work left.
What you give up. Time, showings, and uncertainty. The house can sit. A contract can fall through. You may still pay for repairs you hoped to skip.
If this is the path you want, tell Charlie. We can connect you with help. We do not run a listing page, and we do not name other companies. If the house needs little and you are not in a hurry, we will say a listing may fit better than a sale to us.
How do you choose?
Answer four questions before you pick a path.
- Do you have the money and the time? If yes, price a fix-and-list or a listing against at least one written as-is offer. Compare figures, not hopes.
- Is the house safe to repair? Fire damage, a failed floor, or no utilities is not a dated kitchen. Do not assume a retail buyer will tour a house you would not send a worker into.
- Is there a date you cannot miss? A move, a sheriff's sale, or a city deadline changes the math. We do not promise a number of days.
- Has the city already written? Read the notice and call the office on it. A sale can pay a lien at closing when the numbers work. It does not erase a deadline that has already passed.
Then get the offers in writing. One phone number is not a comparison. Use how to compare cash home buyers in Shreveport-Bossier, and make our offer one of two or three. The checklist applies to us.
What do you have to tell a buyer?
Tell them what you know. Louisiana's residential disclosure law is broader than a casual "as-is" sentence. R.S. 9:3198 says the seller of residential real property completes a property disclosure document and delivers it by the time the purchaser makes an offer. R.S. 9:3196 defines a known defect as a condition the seller actually knows that substantially hurts value, impairs health or safety, or shortens the life of the property if it is not repaired.
The same chapter does not cover every transfer. R.S. 9:3197 lists exemptions, including some court-ordered transfers and transfers by a succession executor or administrator. An inherited house can fall inside or outside that list. Ask a Louisiana real estate attorney or the title company which rule fits. Even when a form is not required, do not hide a problem you know about. "I do not know" is a fair answer. A made-up clean report is not.
How selling a house that needs repairs to us works
- Call or send the form. Charlie is at (318) 714-4321. Tell us the address and the worst thing you know about the house.
- We look at it as it sits. You do not repair, clean, or paint first.
- We put the choice in writing. Cash, or taking over the payments. Neither is promised until we see the house and the paperwork. You can show the paper to a lawyer or a contractor.
- You compare it. Set it next to a contractor's estimate or another written offer. You can say no.
- A local title company closes it on a date you pick, if the title work and any loan payoff can be ready. We charge no fee.
Who pays closing costs is part of that writing. We do not promise to pay every cost. Sellers commonly pay off the loan and their share of the taxes, and the contract says who pays the title items. See Louisiana seller closing costs. The form on this page is marked for this guide. You can also start at the seller form.
If a tenant is still in the house, you do not have to evict anyone before you call. That situation already has its own pages: tired of being a landlord and selling a rental house in Louisiana. Read those for the lease and the deposit. This page stays with the repairs.
We buy houses. We are not a contractor, a law firm, a lender, or a housing counselor. Nothing here is legal, tax, or repair advice. Cash is not promised on every house. We charge homeowners no fee.
Updated November 7, 2026