Old Foundations and Unpermitted Additions in a Los Feliz Estate Sale

Many Los Feliz homes were built in the 1910s through the 1930s, on both flat streets and hillsides. Over a century, houses get added to, converted and repaired, not always with permits, and building standards have changed many times. When a family inherits one of these homes, two questions come up often: what about the foundation, and what about that back room or converted garage?

At Rooster Homes, we do not diagnose a house. Inspectors and engineers do that. Our role is to help the family understand the options, share what is known, and present the home clearly to buyers.

Foundation methods have changed a great deal since many Los Feliz homes were built. Some older homes were not bolted to their foundations the way newer homes are, and hillside homes can sit on raised foundations or supports that call for a specialist's look. Buyers of older homes commonly hire a foundation or structural inspector, and for hillside homes sometimes a geologist or soils engineer as well.

Seismic retrofitting, such as bolting a house to its foundation and bracing the short walls beneath the floor, is common work on older California homes. Whether a home has had it done is a question buyers often ask, so any records the family finds are worth keeping.

For the estate, that usually means letting the buyer's inspections describe the condition rather than paying for repairs up front. If the family already has a report or an estimate, it is worth gathering. If the home is in probate, a repair estimate can also help the probate referee, the court-appointed appraiser who often values the home from the outside, see the house as it really is. We share those through the estate's attorney.

A converted garage, an enclosed porch, a bathroom added downstairs. Unpermitted work is not unusual in older homes, and heirs often have no idea when it was done or by whom. Permit history for homes in the City of Los Angeles is kept by the City's building department, and comparing it with the home as it stands shows what was permitted and what may not have been.

Public records may also list a different square footage than the house has today, since unpermitted space is usually not counted. We look at both before pricing, so the numbers buyers see match the house they walk through. Appraisers and buyers' agents may also weigh unpermitted space differently from the original home when they compare prices.

• Sell as is and disclose. Many estates take this path. The home is described accurately, the unpermitted area is disclosed as known, and buyers decide how to handle it.
• Legalize the work before selling. Sometimes possible, but it can take time and money and may require changes to meet current codes. It usually makes sense only when the numbers clearly favor it.
• Remove or restore the space. Rarely the best choice for an estate, but occasionally worth discussing.

The personal representative (the person the probate court appoints to act for the estate) or the successor trustee (the person a living trust names to take over) makes the decision. The attorney confirms the legal side, including which disclosures apply.

We describe the home plainly, including which spaces were permitted, so buyers are not surprised in escrow. Marketing the house accurately also means not advertising unpermitted space as permitted living area. An in-house Matterport 3D tour lets buyers and their inspectors see the layout in detail before they visit. After every showing and open house, the personal representative or trustee receives a real, specific update, including any condition questions buyers raised, and weekly updates continue through closing.

Pricing reflects all of this. We price for what buyers will pay for the home in its real condition, as described in the pricing step of our walkthrough.

You do not need to know the history of every wall to begin. If you have inherited an older home and have questions about its foundation or past additions, request a confidential conversation. We will help you gather what exists and plan the next step with your attorney.