How We Bought a Wilmington House From a Homeowner Behind on Payments, in 17 Days

When this homeowner on Latimer Drive in Wilmington called us, there wasn’t much time to work with. They had fallen behind on payments and needed to move within two weeks. Listing the house, fixing it up and waiting for a buyer wasn’t going to fit that schedule.

Wilmington, NC house before the renovation: the old kitchen — **Before:** The kitchen when we first walked through.

New kitchen in a renovated Wilmington, NC house — **After:** The new kitchen.

The situation

Falling behind on a house payment is stressful, and the clock makes it harder. Every week that goes by narrows the options. This seller didn’t need a long sales process. They needed a clear number, a firm date and someone who would actually close.

That’s the kind of call we take every week. Since 2012 we’ve bought more than 750 houses across southeastern NC, and a lot of those sales started the same way: a homeowner who needed to move quickly and didn’t have time to get a house ready for the market.

The house

The Latimer Drive house needed real work. The kitchen needed to be replaced, and so did the bathrooms. For most sellers in a tight spot, that’s where a traditional sale falls apart. Contractors, permits and showings all take time and money, and this seller had neither to spare.

So we bought it as-is. The seller didn’t make a single repair. No clean-out, no showings, no strangers walking through the house on a weekend. Because it was our direct purchase, there was no agent commission either.

How it worked

It started with a short call, about 15 to 20 minutes, where we talked through the house and what the seller needed. From there we made a no-obligation cash offer. The seller accepted, and we built the closing around their timeline instead of ours.

From first call to closing: 17 days.

We can close in as little as 14 days, or take longer if a seller needs more time. Here, the job was to move fast and keep it simple, so the seller could get to their next chapter without the house hanging over them.

What we did with the house

After closing, we put in a new kitchen and new bathrooms. We also added a second full bathroom to the main bedroom. Our photographer took the after shots you see here. The kitchen looks nothing like it did the day we first walked through.

New shower in a renovated Wilmington, NC house — **After:** One of the new showers.

Living room in a renovated Wilmington, NC house — **After:** The living room.

If this sounds like your situation

If you’re behind on payments, or you just need to move faster than a listing allows, you have options. A straight cash offer like this one is the fastest. We also offer our Retail Advantage program and a traditional listing through a licensed NC broker, and on a short call we’ll help you figure out which one fits. You can compare your three options here or start on our home page.

No pressure and no obligation. Just a straight answer on what we can do for you.

Thinking About Selling a Property?

Tell us about the property and we’ll let you know which of our three ways to sell fits: a straight cash offer, Retail Advantage, or a traditional listing through a licensed NC broker.

Sell as-is. No repairs first. No public showings. No obligation.

Start My Property Review Call (910) 218-8874

Real Estate License Disclosure: Patrick Giarelli is a North Carolina licensed real estate broker affiliated with BlueCoast Realty. Homebuyers of NC is a direct home-buying company and is not a real estate brokerage. If you choose a traditional listing or another option involving brokerage services, those services are provided through the licensed brokerage under separate written agreements. Program availability, timing, costs, and results vary by property and transaction. No sale price or closing date is guaranteed until included in a fully executed written agreement.