We Buy 502

06/06/2026

Great day to walk another property in Louisville KY. What should we do with this one?

06/02/2026

05/30/2026

If your Louisville home was built before 1970, there are a handful of issues that come up on almost every property. Not dealbreakers -- just worth knowing before something surprises you.

Lead paint. Any home built before 1978 is presumed to have it. Intact and maintained lead paint isn't a hazard. Deteriorating or disturbed lead paint is. Federal rules require an RRP-certified contractor for renovations.

Asbestos. Pre-1980 homes commonly have it in floor tiles (especially 9x9 vinyl squares), ceiling tiles, pipe insulation, and exterior siding. Intact asbestos isn't an emergency. Don't sand, drill, or demo without testing first.

Knob-and-tube wiring. Common in homes built before 1940. If it's still live, most insurers won't cover the house. Replacement runs $8,000-$15,000.

Cast iron drain lines. Standard in pre-1970 homes. They last 50-75 years. A lot of them are at the end of that range now. Camera inspection before buying is worth the cost.

None of these are automatic disqualifiers. They're just the baseline for what a pre-1970 Louisville home brings to the table.

webuy502.com

05/27/2026

The honest version of the cash offer vs. listing comparison:

Listing with an agent: you'll likely get a higher gross price. But you're looking at 5-6% agent commission, 2-3% closing costs, potential repair requests after inspection, and holding costs while you wait. In Louisville, average days on market for a non-distressed property runs 30-60 days. For a property that needs work, longer.

Net it out: subtract commissions, closing costs, repair credits, and carrying costs for every month it sits.

Cash offer: lower gross price. But no commissions, no repair credits, no waiting. You pick the close date. Two weeks is possible. Sixty days is also fine.

Cash makes obvious sense when: the property needs significant repairs, there's a time pressure, you're managing it from out of town, or you just don't want the process.

Listing makes sense when: the property is in good condition, you have time, and the market for your price range is active.

Neither is always right. It's just math.

If you want to run the numbers on your specific property, I'm happy to walk through it.

webuy502.com

05/22/2026

Most people don't know which contractor red flags to look for until they've already had a bad experience. Here's a short list from what I've seen on properties across Louisville.

No written contract. If a contractor won't put the scope and price in writing, that's your answer. Move on.

A large upfront deposit. Asking for more than 10-30% before work starts is a warning sign. An uninsured contractor on your property is your liability if something goes wrong.

No license or insurance, or won't show proof. Louisville contractors handling most trades need to be licensed. Ask for the number and verify it.

Pressure to decide quickly. "I can give you this price today only" is a sales tactic, not a business practice.

No local references. Any contractor operating in Louisville for more than a year should have customers willing to vouch for them.

Three bids minimum. Check references on at least one. Don't skip the contract.

webuy502.com

05/19/2026

617 Camp Street, Shelby Park. This one took nine months.

The seller inherited her grandmother's home. Executrix for an estate with five siblings. She lived two and a half hours away and was driving to Louisville every few days to manage the property, paying the bills out of her own pocket.

She had listed it on the MLS in June. Six months. Zero legitimate offers. Asbestos siding, rotting soffits, sloping floors, a kitchen that looked like someone started a renovation and walked away. Traditional buyers couldn't finance it.

She found us on Google and called.

I gave her a cash offer as-is. The challenge was the probate court. In Kentucky, a court-ordered sale requires approval. We couldn't rush it, so we stayed ready and waited.

We planned to close in December. The court moved slower. Then the day before the January close, Louisville got hit with a cold snap. Utilities had been off. No heat. Possible frozen pipes.

I paid the prior utility balance to get power restored. Got under the house and manually shut off the water main in case there were burst pipes. Had contractors inspect the plumbing that same day.

We closed the next morning.

"If I could give 100 stars I would." -- Seller, 5-star Google Review

Six siblings. A probate court. Nine months. A crawlspace the day before closing.

We got there.

webuy502.com

05/13/2026

If you inherited a home from a parent or grandparent, the first few months can feel like a lot. The house is yours to figure out. The emotions, the siblings, the practical questions -- they all arrive at the same time.

Here are the three realistic options most people end up choosing between:

Fix it up and list it. The most work. You're taking on repairs, staging, showings, and carrying costs while you wait for a buyer. If the house is in good shape and you have the time, it can make financial sense.

Rent it. Only works if you want to be a landlord, can manage a tenant at a distance, and the property is in rentable condition. Most inherited homes aren't.

Sell as-is. Cash buyers or a discounted listing. The tradeoff is speed and simplicity. No repairs, you pick a close date, and the proceeds go to the estate.

No option is right for everyone. It depends on the property condition, how many heirs are involved, whether there's a probate process, and what your relationship to the home is.

If you're in this situation and want to talk through what makes sense, I'm happy to do that. No cost, no pressure.

webuy502.com

05/09/2026

Jefferson County sends out property assessment notices in the spring. Most homeowners glance at them and move on.

That notice matters. Your property tax bill is calculated from it. And the PVA -- the Property Valuation Administrator -- doesn't always get it right.

If your home was recently assessed, compare that number to what similar homes in your neighborhood actually sold for. The PVA uses mass appraisal methods. Individual property conditions, problem lots, interior issues, and micro-trends on specific streets often don't get factored in.

If your assessed value feels high, you have 60 days from the notice date to appeal. The process starts at jeffersonpva.ky.gov. Free to file. You need comparable sales data and documentation of why your property is worth less.

I've seen properties where the assessed value was 10-15% above market. On a $250,000 home, that's a meaningfully higher tax bill every year.

Worth 20 minutes to check.

05/07/2026

Perfect weather for walking houses in Louisville. Love the architecture on this one.