Selling a Vacant House in Richmond, VA

No repairs. No cleanout. No commissions. We buy inherited and probate properties across Central Virginia.

If you have inherited a house in Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield or anywhere in Central Virginia, you are probably being told you have to wait for probate to finish before you can do anything with it. In Virginia, that is usually not true.

An empty house costs you money every month it sits

The mortgage and the taxes are the obvious part. The costs people underestimate are the ones that only apply because nobody lives there: keeping the utilities on so the pipes do not freeze, someone to cut the grass before the county writes you up, and insurance.

Insurance is the one that catches owners out. Many standard homeowners policies limit or exclude coverage once a house has been unoccupied for 30 to 60 days, and a vacant property policy usually costs more for less protection. It is worth reading your policy before assuming you are covered, because a burst pipe in an empty house you thought was insured is a very expensive surprise.

What actually tends to go wrong

• Pipes freezing and letting go, sometimes running for weeks before anyone notices.
• Break-ins, and copper stripped out of the walls and the HVAC unit.
• Squatters, which in Virginia can turn into a formal eviction rather than a phone call to the police.
• Code enforcement citations for grass, trash or an unsecured structure, which become liens if they go unpaid.
• Roof leaks and moisture damage that quietly spread because nobody is inside to see them.

Each of these makes the house worth less than it was the month before, which is the real cost of waiting.

If you live out of state, this is harder than it should be

A lot of the vacant houses we buy belong to people who inherited them, moved for work, or own a rental they no longer want to manage from several hundred miles away. Coordinating a clean-out, repairs, showings and an inspection from another state is genuinely difficult, and it is why these properties tend to sit for years.

We buy remotely all the time. You do not need to fly in, be present for a walkthrough, or arrange anything on site. Closings can be handled by mail or with a mobile notary wherever you are.

What we need to know

• How long the house has been empty, and whether the utilities are still on.
• Whether anyone is in the property who should not be.
• Whether you have had any letters from the county or city about the condition of the property.
• Whether the taxes and insurance are current.

If the house has been sitting for years and you have been putting off dealing with it, that is normal and it is usually the situation we are most useful in. There is no obligation and we will give you a straight answer on what it is worth.

Get a cash offer on the property

Tell us the address and a little about the situation. There is no obligation and no pressure, and if selling to us is not your best option we will say that.

This page is general information about Virginia law and is not legal or tax advice. James River Homes is a real estate investment company, not a law firm or a licensed real estate brokerage. For advice about your specific estate, speak with a Virginia attorney or CPA.