We Buy Houses in New Hanover County

Florence, and what it left

Hurricane Florence stalled over southeastern North Carolina in September 2018 and dropped extraordinary rainfall. Wilmington was effectively cut off by flooding for days, and the damage across New Hanover County ran from wind and tree damage to widespread water intrusion and river and creek flooding.

Years on, the consequences are still in the housing stock: repairs done quickly and without permits, claims that settled short or were denied, moisture and mould behind new drywall, and roofs replaced in a rush. Those are precisely the houses that cannot pass an insurer's underwriting or a lender's appraisal.

Insurance is the gate

In beach and coastal areas, wind and hail coverage frequently comes through North Carolina's coastal property insurance pool rather than a standard homeowner's carrier, and flood coverage is separate again. A house with unrepaired damage, a repeat claim history, or an aged roof can be very difficult to insure.

No insurance means no mortgage, and the buyer pool collapses to cash regardless of price or condition elsewhere. That is the mechanism behind most coastal as-is sales, and it is the situation we exist for.

Synthetic stucco and termites

Wilmington, like Charlotte, saw considerable synthetic stucco cladding on houses built from the late 1980s into the 1990s. Installed without proper drainage details, it traps water and rots the sheathing and framing behind it. It is invisible from outside and found by moisture probing during an inspection, and a positive finding usually ends a financed contract.

Termites compound it. Coastal humidity and warmth mean heavy termite pressure, and structural damage to sills and joists over damp crawlspaces is common. Both are ordinary here, and neither stops us.

Downtown Wilmington and the beaches

Wilmington's historic district is one of the largest in the state, with nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century houses and exterior design review on changes. That makes a compliant renovation slow and expensive.

The beach towns — Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach, Kure Beach — are a different market again: short-term rentals, older cottages, elevation and flood zone questions, and owners who live inland or out of state. We buy those too, including units in buildings with assessments.

New Hanover County property we buy

• Houses with Florence flood or wind damage, repaired or not
• Properties that are difficult or impossible to insure
• Late-1980s and 1990s houses with synthetic stucco moisture damage
• Termite-damaged structures and rotted crawlspaces
• Nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century houses in the Wilmington historic district
• Beach cottages, condos, and short-term rentals
• Student rentals near UNC Wilmington, occupied or vacant
• Inherited coastal property owned by heirs living inland

Records and closing in New Hanover

Wilmington is the county seat. Deeds, deeds of trust, and cancellations are recorded with the New Hanover County Register of Deeds, and foreclosure hearings and estate files run through the clerk of superior court. The county sets value at 100 percent of market and the tax department bills it.

A licensed North Carolina attorney handles the closing. If storm repairs were done recently, mention it — North Carolina mechanics' liens can relate back to when the work began, and post-storm work is exactly where that arises.

Frequently asked questions