Selling house to pay for care

[IDontKnowWhereMyMedalsAre]

Has anyone had to do this? basically I have loads of questions and Im not sure SS are the right people to ask for independent answers.

My mother has recently been diagnosed with vascular dementia and she is now after a long saga safely in a care home. Sadly we will have to sell her house to pay for the care. The house is in a dilapidated state and is more than full with 'stuff'. She has been a hoarder for years, so her 3 bed plus attic and two cellar house is jammed full.

I am an only child and live abroad with dh and ds (17 yo). I am going back in October to put the hosue up for sale and to clear it. My POA was granted on 3rd Sept and the solicitor expects to receive it soon. My aim is to empty the house, personal items and valuables first, charity shop next and house clearance lastly.

Will the council expect me to make good the decoration, sort out the fact the gas fire is condemmed etc? How much will they be able to pressure me on taking a lower price? We have gone with the agent that has the best record for selling locally and they have suggested a reasonable price, also given by other agents. We spoke to 4 agents in total. I feel uncomfortable about speaking to SS as they seem very agressive to me and on a number of occassions have given me incorrect infomation. Namely that my mother had had cardic arrest and diabeties (of which she has had neither).

Any advice? Feel free to pm if you dont want to say things publically. TIA.

[twentyten]

Sounds really tough.Contact age uk for independent advice.some charities offer help with house clearance etc- some local hospice shops etc offer help.
Hope this helps.

[sleepyhead]

As far as I'm aware you have no responsibility to make the house more saleable than it is.

My grandmother's house was clean and empty, but it had clearly been lived in by a very elderly person and the first thing any buyer would have had to have done would be rip out the kitchen, new heating, probably new wiring etc. My paternal grandparent's lovely house went for buttons for the same reason.

We were nervous about my grandmother's house price because the care home she moved into needed a guarantee of 1 year self funding before the council took over so she needed at least 100k for the house. It did get this (just), otherwise there's little advantage to you in getting a particularly good price.

[Mayisout]

If you need to maximise the money you get as you stand to inherit possibly in the future then clear it out but I would just put it on the market as is and let new owners clear it (they will be paying less for the property and the difference could pay for house clearance). Some people look for bargain properties they can restore and they are thin on the ground these days thanks to all the home improvement progs.

[IDontKnowWhereMyMedalsAre]

Sadly mayisout there will not be any money to inherit. Mother is 79, fit as a fiddle. She has already escaped from the home by climbing the 6 foot fence! Before she went into the home she walked at least 5 miles a day. Her mind is gone but not her body, so I suspect sadly we will be paying for many years to come.
Regarding the house I am traveling back to the uk next week. Family and friends will take anything they want after I have taken as much as I can for my mum in the home. Then the charity shop are coming, then I'm selling the white goods, 2 sofas (sold as seen due to no fire cert) and other stuff, then I'm trying to organize a house clearance co as the double cellar is full. I reckon 10 skips as a minimum. Sigh. I did say to dh let the buyers sort it, and take a lesser price but I don't know how much the council will allow us to reduce the price to sell.

[animaltales]

I would just sell the house as it is, esp if it is in a desirable area The buyers can have surveys etc and their offer will be dependent on sorting out all the things that are wrong with it. If you really can't sell it at even a low price, then I would think about sorting stuff out.

Depending on how much it is worth, the money will go pretty quickly on payments to a home. My mother is also relatively 'young' to be in a home (76), but is very physically disabled. She sold her bungalow for £95000 and that has paid for approx 2 - 3 years care. She is now reaching the end of the money and Social Services need to take over the payment....but that is Another Story that I won't bore you with when you are just at the beginning of this dilemma.