Sell your East Lake house fast, for cash.

East Lake started in 1886, when the East Lake Land Company assembled land along Village Creek and dammed the creek to make a 45 acre lake with lots laid out around it. A trolley line to downtown opened in 1887, Howard College (today's Samford University) built its campus here the same year and stayed until 1957, and East Lake became part of Birmingham on January 1, 1910. Today the city counts six neighborhoods in its East Lake community, and we buy houses in all of them.

• East Lake (mostly 35206). The original neighborhood, southeast of 1st Avenue North, with Oporto-Madrid Boulevard along much of its eastern edge. I-20 cuts through it, so some streets sit north of the interstate and some south. Expect prewar houses and postwar houses side by side on the numbered streets, avenues, and places.
• North East Lake (35206, with some addresses in 35215). The streets around East Lake Park, the 100 acre city park that runs from about 80th to 84th Street North between 1st Avenue North and 3rd Court North. It has been a city park since 1918.
• Wahouma (35206 and 35212). Across 1st Avenue North to the northwest of East Lake.
• Zion City (35206). A small neighborhood around Zion City Road.
• Gate City and Brown Springs (35206 and 35212). On the southwest side of the community, next to South Woodlawn and Eastwood.

We also buy in South East Lake, Roebuck, and Woodlawn, which the city counts as separate communities.

In ZIP 35206, more homes date to the 1950s than to any other decade. The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 estimates put about 26 percent of homes there in that one decade, and more than half of all homes were built before 1960. Only about 2 percent went up after 2010. A house that has stood for 70 years usually still carries some of its original systems, and those are what we look at first.

• Electrical service. Panels and wiring sized for a 1950s house, before central air, dishwashers, and a microwave on the same circuit. Many have been added onto in pieces, and some still have fuses.
• Water and sewer lines. Galvanized supply pipe that rusts shut from the inside, and old drain lines that crack or fill with roots between the house and the street.
• Heating and cooling. Floor furnaces, wall heaters, or window units in place of ducted central air, or an old system that is near the end.
• Floors, tile, and siding. Floor tile, pipe wrap, and siding from that era can contain asbestos, and older paint can contain lead. Both cost more to remove than most owners expect.
• The older houses. About 17 percent of homes in 35206 date to before 1940. Those can add foundation settling, rotted sills, and soft roof decking to the list.

None of that has to be fixed before you sell to us. We price it and buy the house as it stands.

The house is due for a full round of updates. A 70 year old house that has been lived in and kept clean can still need a panel, a sewer line, a roof, and a heating system all at once. Plenty of owners would rather sell than borrow to do that work.

A financed buyer may not make it to closing. Many buyers of moderately priced houses use FHA loans, and for a house built before 1978, FHA requires any chipped or peeling paint to be fixed before closing. The appraiser can flag safety items too, like exposed wiring or a leaking roof. That can turn an accepted offer into a repair list weeks later. We pay cash, so no lender has to sign off on the house.

A parent's house passed to several heirs. Houses that have been owned by one person since the 1950s or 1960s often end up with a group of heirs, some living out of town. Nobody wants to manage a renovation from another city. We can buy it with the contents still inside.

The house is sitting empty. An empty house costs money every month in taxes, insurance, and lawn care, and it can draw break-ins. Many standard homeowner policies stop covering vandalism after a house has been vacant more than 60 days in a row, so read your policy.

Prices in East Lake can change from one street to the next, and from one side of I-20 to the other. So we start with your street, not a citywide average.

• Renovated sales close to you. We look for fixed-up houses that sold near your block, ideally in the same neighborhood and on the same side of the interstate. We tell you which sales we used.
• The repair budget. We walk the house and put a number on each item: electrical, plumbing, sewer line, HVAC, roof, kitchen, baths, flooring, windows, and any lead or asbestos work.
• Carrying and resale costs. Taxes, insurance, utilities, and the cost of selling the house once it is finished.

Our offer is the renovated value minus those two columns. For a sense of scale, the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 estimates put the median value of owner-occupied homes in 35206 at about $153,500. On a house that needs a panel, plumbing, and HVAC all at once, the repair bill can take a large bite out of a price at that level, so we show you the full math.

What you get from us: a cash offer, usually within about 24 hours of the walkthrough. Closing in as little as 7 to 14 days through a local title company or closing attorney, or on a later date you choose. We pay the normal closing costs. You pay no commissions, make no repairs, and owe nothing if you say no.

More than one heir. If the owner died without a will, the house generally passes to the heirs together, and each one usually has to sign the deed. Some sales also need a probate case first. We work with the heirs and the closing attorney so everyone can sign, including remotely, and get paid at the same closing. For questions about the estate, speak with an Alabama probate attorney.

A tenant in the house. We buy East Lake rentals with the tenant still there. Send the lease, the rent amount, and the deposit, and we will price the house as a rental property.

Unpaid property taxes. Back taxes normally come out of your proceeds at closing. If the county has already sold a tax lien on the house, you can still redeem it. Alabama does not set a hard deadline for that, and the lien buyer has to wait four years from the auction before foreclosing, but interest and fees grow the whole time.

A foreclosure sale on the calendar. Alabama lenders have to run a notice of the sale in the newspaper once a week for three weeks. If the house is your homestead, you may have up to 180 days after the sale to redeem it. Selling before the sale date nearly always gives you more choices. Check your exact dates with an Alabama real estate attorney, and call us early enough to close in time.