Bladenboro and the Cape Fear

Matthew put water into downtown Bladenboro in 2016, and Florence flooded it again 23 months later, at night. Florence dropped close to 36 inches of rain on Elizabethtown, the Cape Fear River spilled into low areas such as the Kelly community, and more than 3,000 homes in the county were damaged. The remnants of Debby flooded downtown Bladenboro once more in 2024.

Owners who rebuilt after Matthew and flooded again after Florence often stopped putting money into the house. Those homes are difficult to insure and harder to finance, and we buy them in whatever condition they are in.

Piers on White Lake and the other state lakes

White Lake, Jones Lake, Singletary Lake, and Salters Lake are state lakes. Any pier, dock, or boathouse on a state lake needs a state lake permit from the park office that manages it, the permit is renewed every year, and new structures must meet size limits and setbacks from property corners and neighboring piers.

A lake cottage with a lapsed pier permit, or a pier that was built bigger than the rules allow, is the kind of thing that surfaces late in a financed sale. We buy lake houses with the pier as it is and handle the permit afterward.

Farmland, timber, and the 2027 revaluation

Bladen's values took effect January 1, 2022, and the next revaluation is scheduled for January 1, 2027. Much of the county is farm and timber land, and parcels enrolled in present-use value owe the deferred taxes for the three prior years, plus interest, if a sale takes them out of qualifying use. We work that into the numbers at the start.

Family land handed down without an estate being opened is common here too, as are manufactured homes on rural lots. Neither has to be resolved before you call us.

Bladen County property we buy

  • Houses in and around Bladenboro that flooded in Matthew, Florence, or Debby
  • Low-lying houses near the Cape Fear River
  • White Lake cottages with older or unpermitted piers
  • Farm and timber parcels with a house, including land in present-use value
  • Manufactured homes on family land
  • Houses on wells and septic systems that need repair
  • Inherited houses owned by several heirs

Records, courts, and closing in Bladen County

Elizabethtown is the county seat. The Bladen County Register of Deeds records deeds and deeds of trust, the county tax office assesses and collects, and the clerk of superior court in Elizabethtown handles foreclosure proceedings and estates. Well and septic records are kept by county environmental health, and pier permits by the state park office for each lake.

A licensed North Carolina attorney closes the sale, and recording happens before money is disbursed.

Frequently asked questions

Do you buy houses in Bladenboro that have flooded more than once?

Yes. Repeat flooding is a common reason houses here sell for cash.

Will you buy a White Lake cottage if the pier permit has lapsed?

Yes. We buy the house and pier as they are and deal with the state lake permit after closing.

My land is in present-use value. What happens when I sell?

If the buyer does not keep it in farm or forest use, three years of deferred taxes plus interest come due at closing. We account for it in the offer.

When does Bladen County revalue next?

January 1, 2027, five years after the 2022 values took effect.

Do you buy in Clarkton, Dublin, and East Arcadia?

Yes, along with Tar Heel, Elizabethtown, and the rest of the county.

Bladen County property and court resources