Selling a Home As Is in North Carolina (A-to-Z Guide)

‘As is’ means you are selling the house exactly as the buyer sees it, without any guarantees or warranties.

You aren’t going to fix anything or do replacements or any updates. What the buyer sees is what the buyer gets.

While some states have a special contract for ‘as is’ sales or a box to check in an ‘as is’ condition clause, North Carolina does not have either one. However, it still has disclosure requirements.

Yes, you can sell a home ‘as is’ in North Carolina if you follow the law.

The law requires anyone selling a home in North Carolina to fill out a property disclosure and provide reasonable access for buyers’ professional inspectors to examine the house.

The seller is not responsible for paying for these inspections. The seller also isn’t on the hook to repair or pay for repairs for any defects found during these inspections.

Sellers can ask the buyers to pay a “due diligence fee” (DDF) for allowing the buyer to examine the property.

This fee is paid directly to the seller as compensation for taking the home off the market for the inspection period. It’s generally not refunded.

Sellers of North Carolina houses must fill out a property disclosure detailing the defects and other issues known to the owner.

The seller doesn’t need to hire a professional property inspector to complete the form. Standard questions on the disclosure form ask simply what the seller knows about the property.

A completed North Carolina Residential Property Disclosure is required from all residential property sellers.

The seller, or the seller’s agent, must provide the buyer with a copy of the completed disclosure no later than the time the sales offer is written.

Providing the buyer with the disclosure early allows them time to investigate the details listed on the document.

Licensed real estate agents are responsible for reviewing the disclosure, and the agent must take “reasonable steps” to add any obvious defects the agent observes to the document.

Real estate agents must also note any disagreement with statements made by the seller that don’t appear to be correct in the opinion of the agent.

You might want to simply write “Sold As Is” over all the questions on the disclosure form, but under the state law, that action is the same as refusing to fill out the form.

Sellers must answer each question by sharing their knowledge about the house. If the question doesn’t apply, the seller needs to write “N/A” (not applicable) or “unknown”. Nothing on the form should be left blank.

Other required disclosure details include:

• Owners selling a house with fire damage and water damage need to disclose those issues.

• Selling a home with foundation issues, failed septic systems, the presence of radon gas above designated safe levels, the presence of asbestos, lead paint, and lead pipes — all need to be disclosed.

• Homeowners selling houses with unpermitted work must note that on the disclosure form.

• Selling a house located in a flood zone must also be disclosed.

• Owners selling a home with termite damage or mold problems need to be transparent and let the prospective buyers know about these issues on the formal disclosure form.

Selling a house with fracking operations on or near the property, selling a house with bed bugs, polybutylene pipes, or selling a haunted house aren’t mandatory disclosures listed on the form.

You can leave stuff behind when you sell your North Carolina house ‘as is’, but only if you disclose your intention to do that to the buyer. And they must agree to that arrangement.

The statute of limitations for real estate contracts, disclosures, and transactions is generally three years as outlined in North Carolina General Statutes, section 1-52.

This limit can be extended for as long as ten years when the contract is signed “under seal”.

That means a person with authority (not the buyer or seller) in the sale certifies the closing or sales contracts. This person could be an escrow officer or a North Carolina real estate attorney.

North Carolina is one of the few states that still uses the “under seal” designation.

The Tar Heel State requires a licensed real estate attorney to close the sales transaction. The buyer selects and hires the attorney to do the sale closing.

Expert Insight

What are the common pitfalls related to properly disclosing the home’s condition?

Fraud and willful concealment. “As-is” doesn’t protect you from this at all.

If you know your basement floods every spring and you paint over the water line or hide it behind storage boxes before a showing, that’s active concealment. You can lose an as-is sale over that and end up writing checks long after closing.

North Carolina common law on fraud doesn’t care what box you checked. Material defects you actively hide are a different animal than defects you simply chose not to represent.

People also forget the Federal stuff layers right on top of state law. If the house was built before 1978, the lead-based paint disclosure is mandatory, full stop. As-is doesn’t touch it.

You have to give the buyer the EPA pamphlet, disclose what you know about lead in the home, and give them their inspection window.

I see sellers skip this on older Eastern North Carolina housing stock all the time because the house is rough and they figure nobody cares. The penalties on that one are Federal, and they’re steep.

A pitfall that’s quieter but just as costly is the “I didn’t know so I don’t have to say anything” mistake. You only have to disclose what you actually have knowledge of, sure.

But if you’ve owned the place for fifteen years and you’re claiming you never noticed the roof leaks, a buyer’s attorney is going to have a field day with that.

Plausible deniability isn’t a strategy; it’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.

I’ll also say this from the buying side, since we buy a lot of distressed homes as-is across North and South Carolina. The cleanest as-is deals are the ones where the seller just lays it all out.

Tell me the foundation’s got issues, tell me the HVAC is shot, tell me there’s been water in the crawlspace.

When a seller is upfront, the deal closes faster and stays closed, because nobody’s discovering a surprise three weeks in and trying to renegotiate or walk.

Hiding stuff to protect your price almost always backfires, because the truth comes out in inspection anyway and now you’ve blown the trust and the timeline.

Bottom line, as-is in North Carolina means you’re not making repairs. It does not mean you get to keep secrets.

Be truthful on what you answer, use “No Representation” honestly when you genuinely don’t know, never conceal a known material defect, and don’t skip the federal lead paint rules on older homes.

Do those things and an as-is sale is clean. Try to game it and you’ll be dealing with it long after the money’s spent.

— Justin Turner, Turner Home Team, CEO

The most common pitfall I see are homeowners overvaluing the condition of their home.

Multiple times a day I hear “the bathroom is fine” or “everything in the kitchen works” when asking about the condition of their home.

What most homeowners fail to consider is that a 30+ year old kitchen might “work” but I typically have to remove everything to compete with other listed homes for a top of market value.

A homeowner is looking at their 1980s kitchen saying “it’s fine” but the market would look at it and see laminate counters, out-of-date cabinetry, old appliances, and poor lighting.

That is anywhere from a $20k to $50k renovation, which will wildly swing what the homeowner can get for their home when selling as-is.

— John Swann, John Buys Your House, Owner

Another problem may arise from inherited properties. Many heirs may not be fully aware of the home’s history because they haven’t lived there.

Instead of outlining exactly what they know and don’t know, sellers in similar circumstances occasionally make assumptions regarding the state of the property.

Accuracy and transparency are always the safest strategies. Tell them what you don’t know. Guessing can lead to issues down the road.

— Baxter Fricks, Cardinal House Buyers, CEO/Founder

The first step to selling your house is deciding if you should sell your North Carolina house ‘as is’ or fix it up.

Why sell a North Carolina house ‘as is’? There are a number of advantages to simply putting out a for-sale sign and not fixing anything.

Pros of Selling Your House As Is

• Fixing requires finding a reputable contractor or handyman and supervising the work. You’ll avoid both when you sell your home ‘as is’.

• ‘As is’ sales are generally speedy sales, particularly when you sell your house for cash in North Carolina.

• You won’t need to haggle over who pays for repairs found by a North Carolina property inspector. It takes time to negotiate.

• Skipping the home inspection is a huge advantage. Any home inspections done by any potential buyer must be shared with anyone interested in buying your house. By skipping the inspections, you’ll avoid any trickle-down disclosure requirements.

• Many ‘as is’ buyers won’t ask you to clean the house before moving. That saves the seller time and energy. You may even be able to leave your unwanted personal property behind.

Not everything is sunshine when selling ‘as is’. There are also some disadvantages to selling a fixer property.

Cons of Selling Your House As Is

• The offers presented by buyers for your ‘as is’ property will unlikely be market value. Buyers looking to purchase a fixer typically subtract the cost of repairs and compensation for hassle doing them.

• Fixers attract a small number of potential buyers. Most people look for turnkey properties or something close to move-in ready. You’ll need to find your own pool of buyers who will accept fixers for your house. Cash real estate buyers in North Carolina, on the other hand, look specifically for fixers. They’re a receptive buyer pool for your ‘as is’ house.

When comparing the anticipated closing price of selling ‘as is’ versus fixing and selling, it helps to also consider the hidden costs.

Hidden costs include any monthly loan payments, property taxes, utility costs, and insurance fees that accumulate during the time it takes to complete repairs.

These can add a significant amount to your costs to sell. This is added to the average seller closing costs.

The hidden costs may influence you to decide to sell as is rather than taking time to do the necessary repairs.

How does selling a house ‘as is’ work in North Carolina? You have three basic options to sell your ‘as is’ house in the Tar Heel State. The first one is accepting an offer from an investor.

How to Sell a House As Is, Fast and For Cash Directly to an Investor

If you’re in a rush, your first option is to sell your house for cash to an investor. Investors, sometimes referred to as “cash house buyers”, look specifically for fixers to purchase.

What happens when you sell your house ‘as is’ in North Carolina to an investor? Before we answer that question, let’s discuss who they are and how they make money.

Who Are Cash House Buyers?

Perhaps, you’ve heard of companies that buy houses advertising quick sales with no realtors involved. Those are cash house buyers.

They buy rental homes and properties for house flipping projects, looking specifically for rundown houses.

To give sellers a reason to sell their homes at a discount, North Carolina real estate investors advertise selling a home to an investor quicker and easier than listing it for sale with a real estate agent.

To be able to deliver on their promise, they use cash (or alternative financing methods) to finance their purchase instead of getting a mortgage at a bank, which usually takes weeks and requires much bureaucracy such as a formal appraisal and inspection.

Cash buyers who purchase investment property in North Carolina look for homeowners who are:

• selling a home that needs work
• facing foreclosure
• selling a house in a divorce situation
• selling an estate home
• past due paying property taxes
• selling a house for job relocation
• downsizing
• selling a house with back taxes owed

Selling your house to a real estate investor typically means working with a local investor-friendly title company in North Carolina.

Pros of Selling Your House As Is Directly to an Investor

• Investor cash sales are typically speedy transactions. Cash allows escrow to move quickly to close.

• When you sell your house for cash, you don’t have the required wait for buyers to qualify for a mortgage. You also don’t have to wait for the property to have an appraisal and the buyer and property to undergo loan underwriting.

• When you don’t use a Realtor to sell, that saves commission costs. If your investor buyer also skips using a Realtor, you’ll end up saving both sides of the commissions (which are normally both paid by the seller). That’s a significant amount of cash.

• A company that buys houses generally pays both the buyer and seller closing costs. That’s also a major cost savings for the seller.

Cons of Selling Your House As Is Directly to an Investor

• Offers from investors are typically lower than market value for your fixer. Investors deduct the cost to do repairs and potential profit from resale after renovation.

• It’s a steep learning curve to handle your own sale without a professional agent. Protecting your best interests will be up to you.

Finding the Best Cash House Buying Company

Locating a local cash house buying company is as close as your computer. Open your browser and use a few basic search terms to find a number of cash house buying firms in your area.

Narrow the search to your geographic area to find a local buyer. If you live in a rural area outside a large city, use a major nearby city for your search.

If you live in an area adjacent to two major metro areas, search by using both locations for more firms to choose from.

Try some basic search terms, including:

• we buy houses in Charlotte NC
• sell my house fast in Charlotte NC
• sell my house for cash in Charlotte NC
• cash house buyers in Charlotte NC
• iBuyer companies in Charlotte NC

Once you’ve located a few firms, look for the “About Us” page on the website. Legitimate investors will identify the people in charge of the business.

The website should also provide a short bio that informs you about the investor or the company.

Look for an investor or company with a minimum of three years in the field. This allows enough time to become experienced in home investing.

How to Choose an Ethical Investor?

There are a number of North Carolina investors with an interest in your home. Before requesting a cash offer on your house from one, investigate to make sure they’re legitimate.

Check for complaints filed against the investor or investment company filed with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission.

Too many complaints filed with the commission means it’s time to look for a different investor or firm.

Check the local branch of the North Carolina Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if any complaints have been filed there by dissatisfied clients.

Membership in the BBB is voluntary, but some branches also post complaints against local companies that are not members.

Check if and how the complaint was resolved. Was the client satisfied with the resolution? If so, that company may still be a viable option.

Check reviews for the companies or investors on online review websites. If you see the same complaint, or one serious issue, recurring in the comments, it’s time to find a new investor.

Ask the investor or company for a list of former clients. Call or meet with them in person to chat about their experiences with the person or firm.

Expert Insight

What should home sellers look for when screening cash house buyers?

You should research the company online.

Are they BBB rated and have BBB reviews? Do they have Google reviews? Do they have Facebook reviews?

Ask the company how long they have been in business.

— John Swann, John Buys Your House, Owner

My recommendation, as someone who has spent years purchasing homes in the Charlotte region, is to pay closer attention to the company’s internal operations rather than its marketing.

“Are you the actual buyer, or will my contract be assigned to someone else?” is the first and most crucial question to ask.

Many businesses pose as direct buyers, but in reality, they are wholesalers who put the house under contract before trying to sell it to another buyer.

Delays, uncertainty, and occasionally late-transaction renegotiations can result from that process.

A genuine buyer should be able to describe in detail how they buy properties and who will be listed on the closing paperwork.

— Baxter Fricks, Cardinal House Buyers, CEO/Founder

Make them prove funds. Anybody can offer a number. Ask for an actual bank statement or a letter from their bank showing they’ve got the cash, not a promise.

— Justin Turner, Turner Home Team, CEO

For those “we buy houses” companies, stick with the local ones. The national chains don’t know our rules.

— B.J. Ward, Easy Sale HomeBuyers, Owner

Get the offer in writing with no post-inspection renegotiation clause, and compare the net after their fees and your holding costs, not the gross. The convenience is real; the discount is often 10 to 15% of value.

— Emir Dukic, Rabbu, CEO

How to Sell a House As Is by Listing It by Owner

Selling your own home means taking on all the responsibilities, from setting the price and marketing the property to showing it to potential buyers and negotiating deals.

It’s a hands-on process, but it gives you more control and can save you money on agent fees.

To get started, you can look up your home value by address. This is a good starting point to get a general idea of how much your house could sell for.

Where Can You List a House For Sale by Owner?

Promoting your ‘as is’ house requires working in a number of avenues to get the word out about your home listing.

Many prospective buyers aren’t interested in buying a fixer, but contractors and investors have a keen interest in buying ‘as is’ homes.

If your house is on a busy street with lots of vehicle traffic, or near a public park with lots of foot traffic, a sign on the lawn just might be all you need to sell your house.

You can hire a Realtor that offers limited services to post your sale house on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

These agents charge a minimal fee for the service that makes your house listing available to other real estate professionals.

FSBO listing sites offer an inexpensive way to post your house for sale by owner.

Pros of Selling Your House by Listing It by Owner

• Selling a home in North Carolina without an agent means significant savings. The average commission in the Tar Heel State is 5-6% of the selling price. This is typically split between the buyer’s and seller’s brokerage houses. Even if your buyer still uses an agent, you’ll save the part of the commission that would otherwise be paid to a seller’s agent.

• Representing yourself means you are in control of everything related to the house listing and sale. You set the price, determine your approach to marketing, and negotiate the details of the sale.

• Real estate agents typically have more than one client and divide their time between them. You are your first and only client and will devote all of your time to making sure your house is sold.

Cons of Selling Your House by Listing It by Owner

• Buyers typically use a real estate agent, so you’ll be on the hook to pay at least half of the agent’s commission as part of the closing costs when selling a home by owner.

• Your buyers will generally need a mortgage to purchase your house. That requires extra time for the loan process, even when your buyers are prequalified for the mortgage.

• Listing your house as an FSBO leaves you without a professional agent to protect your interests. You’ll be on your own to make sure your best interests are considered first.

• You’ll be the point person for every aspect of the home listing and sale. A mistake, even an unintentional error, can mean the sale will fail to close. It might also mean you’ll end up in court if the buyer sues.

Expert Insight

What are the common pitfalls when selling a house by owner?

Mispricing the house is one of the most frequent mistakes. Instead of using accurate market comparisons, many vendors rely on emotional worth or internet estimates.

Even within the same ZIP code, prices might differ greatly in a fast-paced region like Charlotte. Buyer demand, condition expectations, and price sensitivity vary throughout neighborhoods such as Plaza Midwood, University City, Steele Creek, and Matthews.

FSBO sellers frequently either leave money on the table or price themselves out of serious buyer interest in the absence of realistic comparisons and market experience.

— Baxter Fricks, Cardinal House Buyers, CEO/Founder

The first killer is exposure, or the lack of it. This is the one nobody thinks about until it’s too late.

When you sell on your own, the only people who know your house is for sale are the ones who happen to drive by your sign or stumble onto your one listing post. That’s it.

A house doesn’t sell for top dollar because it’s nice; it sells for top dollar because enough buyers see it and compete over it. Price is a function of demand, and demand is a function of how many eyeballs you get.

When only a dozen people know your home exists, you don’t get competition. You get one or two offers and you take whatever they hand you.

The number you sell for is capped by how many people knew it was even available, and most FSBO sellers never realize the higher offer simply never showed up because that buyer never knew to look.

— Justin Turner, Turner Home Team, CEO

Any homeowner selling their house FSBO and thinks they are NOT going to compensate the buyer’s agent is in for a rude awakening when their house does not sell in the timeframe or at the price the homeowner wanted.

— John Swann, John Buys Your House, Owner

Who Are Real Estate Agents?

Your real estate agent is your representative in a home sale. All actions go through your agent if you hire one.

From the listing and advertising to negotiations with potential buyers and overseeing the closing, your agent is your professional voice.

Real estate professionals in North Carolina are required to have a license to represent buyers and sellers.

Agents work under the direct oversight of a licensed real estate broker who ensures state and federal laws are met during the transaction.

Your agent has a fiduciary duty to represent you during the sales transaction. Your agent puts you above all others at all times.

Pros of Selling Your House As Is with a Real Estate Agent

• Using a Realtor ensures you’ll receive the highest possible sales price compared with selling yourself. Professional agents have access to databases of listings and prior sales to help set the most appropriate sales price so you earn the highest return.

• Agents take an oath to represent your fiduciary interests. That means your agent will put your interests first in the transaction.

Cons of Selling Your House As Is with a Real Estate Agent

• The cost of selling a house with a Realtor makes your closing costs in North Carolina higher due to real estate commissions. The average 2.4-3% of the sales price that is paid to the agent as their commission is a significant amount.

• Using an agent may not be the fastest selling route for ‘as is’ sellers. The largest pool of buyers working with an agent generally look for a turnkey house, and not for fixers.

• Buyers also typically require a mortgage to purchase your house. This can add extra weeks to the sale closing to wait for the buyers to apply and get loan approval and underwriting to receive their loan.

How to Choose an Ethical Real Estate Agent?

North Carolina has a large number of Realtors available to represent you. It’s a good idea to interview at least three agents to select the most qualified one.

Meet with the agents in person to determine who you feel most comfortable with during the interview. Good communication is key to less stress during a home sale.

Vet your prospective agent with the local branch of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the North Carolina Real Estate Commission.

Look for any complaints filed against the agent. If you see multiple complaints, it’s time to select a new prospective agent.

Look for an agent who belongs to a professional trade group with high standards. An agent using the title “Realtor” is a member of the state or regional associations affiliated with the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Member agents sign a code of ethics to follow the laws and the association guidelines.

The North Carolina Association of Realtors (NC Realtors) oversees members to ensure the ethics code is met and that agents follow the law.

We’ve explored the details of an ‘as is’ sale, covered the ways you can sell the house, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. What’s left? The only thing left is to sell!

Expert Insight

What should home sellers look for when screening real estate agents to hire?

In North Carolina, start by verifying the license before anything else. The NC Real Estate Commission has a free license lookup on their site that takes thirty seconds.

Check that the license is active and that there’s no disciplinary history. An agent can talk a great game and still have a record of complaints.

And don’t let the word “Realtor” impress you, that’s just a membership badge, not a license. What matters is how long they’ve held an active broker license and whether they’ve actually closed deals in your specific market.

Local track record is where you separate the real ones from the part-timers.

— Justin Turner, Turner Home Team, CEO

Focusing almost solely on the listing presentation rather than the agent’s track record once a property is under contract is one of the top mistakes North Carolina homeowners make when hiring a real estate agent.

I’ve spent years buying houses in the Charlotte region, and I’ve seen innumerable deals from the opposite side of the table.

I’ve discovered that almost all agents are able to market a house online and post a sign in the yard. The true test is how they respond to obstacles when they come up, which they nearly always do.

Before making a choice, I would advise interviewing at least three agents. Find out from each of them how many houses they have sold in your particular market over the previous 12 months.

Charlotte is expanding quickly, but communities can act quite differently from one another. A successful agent in South End, Ballantyne, or Huntersville might not have the same degree of expertise in a different area of the market.

— Baxter Fricks, Cardinal House Buyers, CEO/Founder

For buyers, always check the agent’s recent sales and ask who their local attorney or title company is. That one step saves so much trouble.

— B.J. Ward, Easy Sale HomeBuyers, Owner

“Do you invest in real estate or do you only work with buyers and sellers?”

In my experience, realtors that are not investing in real estate themselves are usually not well suited to assist with homeowners selling a damaged home.

— John Swann, John Buys Your House, Owner