Donate a House
Turn a House Into Hope.
Primary residences, inherited houses, vacation homes, rentals and vacant residential property — reviewed carefully, at your pace, with no pressure to sell to anyone.
Request a Confidential Property ReviewA house usually comes with a story: someone died, someone moved, a rental stopped making sense, or a second home stopped being used. The review starts with the facts a title company and an insurer would want — who owns it, who lives there, what is owed, what condition it is in — and moves at whatever pace the family needs. Mustard Farms is not buying the house and does not accept every property.
What we review in this category
This is a gift conversation, not an offer
Mustard Farms is not buying your house, and this is not a cash-offer or quick-close service. If what you need is a sale, a real estate professional will serve you better, and we will say so. What happens here is a review of a proposed charitable gift, at the pace the facts require.
Occupants and tenants
A house with people in it is reviewed differently from an empty one. Tenants have rights under state law and under their lease, family members living in the home raise their own questions, and any transition has to respect both. Tell us who is there and on what terms; this is information, not an obstacle.
Mortgages, liens and taxes
Encumbered houses can be reviewed. Debt is never assumed as a matter of course, and where the payoff approaches realistic value we will tell you plainly rather than let a review drift. Delinquent taxes, municipal liens, HOA liens and code enforcement fines are all identified early because they attach to the property, not to the owner's intentions.
Probate, estates and co-owners
Inherited houses are among the most common reasons families reach out, and they bring the most paperwork: whether the estate is open or closed, how title actually passed, who the owners of record are today, and whether every one of them agrees. A review can proceed while probate is pending, but acceptance requires clear authority to convey.
Repairs and condition
Do not renovate in anticipation of a gift. Describe the condition as it is, including the roof that is past its life and the furnace that is original. Deferred maintenance is weighed as a cost; a surprise discovered later is weighed as a problem.
Environmental issues in residential property
Buried heating oil tanks, mold, asbestos, lead paint, failed septic systems, private wells and former dry cleaners next door all come up in residential review. Disclosing them early usually shortens the process, because environmental questions run on their own track.
What we do not promise
Mustard Farms does not accept every property, does not guarantee a closing date, and does not promise what will happen to a house after acceptance. An accepted gift may be retained for approved charitable use or responsibly disposed of.
Information the review requires
- Address, parcel number and the county where the property sits.
- Who holds title of record, and whether an estate, trust or several heirs are involved.
- Who lives there now: the owner, a tenant, a family member, or no one.
- Any lease in place, with the rent, term and deposit held.
- Mortgages, home equity lines, reverse mortgages and the current payoff.
- Liens, judgments, code enforcement actions and unpaid property taxes.
- Insurance status, recent claims, and whether coverage is currently in force.
- Condition: roof, foundation, systems, and any repair the house plainly needs.
- Known environmental issues: oil tanks, mold, asbestos, lead paint, well or septic.
Questions specific to this category
A Mustard Farms initiative supporting approved Commissary Grant programs.
Organizational information, governance and the full review process are published at MustardFarms.org. Program information is at CommissaryGrant.com.
Mustard Farms does not provide legal, tax, appraisal or financial advice. Proposed gifts are subject to legal, financial, title, environmental, operational and governing-body review and written acceptance. Donors should consult independent advisers.
Request a Confidential Property Review