@8bitmachinegun wrote:
Thanks for the condolences.
The house is barely habitable. The HVAC does not work, there is likely water damage from an old leak, the stove is broken, several outlets do not work properly, the porch is falling down, etc. At least the roof seems to be in good shape.
Does that change your perspective on whether I should stay in the house? I’ve been getting some recommendations from co-workers on realtors and contractors, but need to get some more estimates.
I lean towards thinking you should fix up the place, but there is still more homework to do.
You need to get a few estimates of the repairs needed and sketch out how you might prioritize and pay for them if you were to stay. I'd think that you would want to have a few General Contractors walk through and once they've compiled their list, ask them to arrange it based on urgency.
I'm sure it's overwhelming right now, but if you decide staying is worth it, you're going to feel a whole lot better once you accomplish a few things (even if it's the inexpensive low hanging fruit like a few hundred bucks for a new stove.)
Our HVAC went while my parents were in an open BK13, and they were able to find a company to replace it that offered in-house financing and a reasonable payment. Might be a potential way to get one of your big ticket items financed.
Also keep talking to actual realtors. Those investment folks are lowballing you because they want to make $40k or whatever on the flip. I'd also talk to a few more lawyers about this whole modification/reaffirmation deal, as (in my non-legal opinion) it seems unclear whether or not you're actually still on the hook for this house.
