We buy houses in Lake Station, IN for cash and as-is anywhere in the 46405 ZIP code, from the blocks around Central Avenue to the streets along the Deep River. You don’t fix anything, clean anything out or hold showings.
Two local topics are worth understanding before you sell here: the Deep River, and the city’s old name. If you’d rather just talk, call or text (708) 712-6846.
We buy houses in Lake Station, IN near the Deep River
The Deep River runs through Lake Station, and the National Weather Service tracks it at a gauge called Deep River at Liverpool. The highest crest on record there is 23 feet, on September 14, 2008. The river reached 19.81 feet on February 22, 2018. On the Weather Service’s scale, minor flooding starts at 17.5 feet.
The Weather Service also lists Lake Station spots that get threatened as the water rises:
| River level | What the Weather Service says is threatened |
|---|---|
| 14 feet | Low banks at Bicentennial Park start to overflow |
| 19 feet | A few homes along Wyoming Street |
| 20 feet | A few homes near East 29th Avenue and Utah Street, and structures off Dakota Street near Three Rivers County Park |
| 23.5 feet | Structures along Riverside Drive, Liverpool Road at Riverside Drive, and I-80/94 near the I-65 interchange |
If your house is on or near one of those streets, buyers who know the area will ask about water.
What flood history means for a sale
If your house has taken on water, be ready to say when, how bad it was and what was fixed. How that fits Indiana’s disclosure rules is a question for an Indiana real estate attorney. Our post on selling a house as-is in Indiana covers the basics.
You can check your address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center. FEMA says homes in high-risk flood areas with mortgages from government-backed lenders must carry flood insurance. For a buyer using a loan, that’s a monthly cost that affects what they can afford. A cash sale doesn’t involve a lender, so that requirement doesn’t come into play at closing.
It also helps to gather whatever records you have: insurance claim paperwork, letters about disaster assistance, and receipts for drying out the basement or replacing a furnace or water heater. Those papers show any buyer what was actually done, and they help us make a more accurate offer.
We buy houses with water damage, mold and wet basements as they are. Our page on selling a house that needs repairs goes deeper on that.
Old paperwork that still says East Gary
Lake Station went by East Gary for most of the 1900s and took back its original name in 1977. If your family bought the house before then, the old deed, survey or abstract may say East Gary. That’s normal.
Title work runs on the legal description, so an old town name isn’t a problem by itself. Old paperwork does tend to surface other questions, like a late parent’s name still on the deed or an estate that never went through court. If that’s your situation, start with our page on inherited houses and probate.
Keeping an empty Lake Station house out of trouble
An empty house still has to meet city code. Lake Station’s Code Enforcement page points to city ordinance 6-36, which bans weeds and rank vegetation taller than 9 inches. If the owner doesn’t take care of it in time, the city may cut it and charge the owner.
Code Enforcement and the Building Department both work out of 1969 Central Avenue. Code Enforcement’s number is (219) 850-1333, and the Building Department’s is (219) 850-1331.
One more local detail: Lake Station’s water service comes from Indiana American Water, not the city, according to the city’s water page. If you’ve moved out, call them at 1-800-492-8373 about the account and a final bill.
If the house is empty because of a move, a death in the family or missed mortgage payments, see our pages on vacant houses and facing foreclosure, plus our Indiana foreclosure timeline.
When listing a Lake Station house makes more sense
If your house is dry, updated and away from the river, an agent can market it to buyers using FHA, VA or conventional loans. You’ll likely net more that way than with our offer, and we’ll tell you so. Being close to the I-65 and I-80/94 interchange is a real selling point for commuters.
A cash sale fits better when the house needs work a lender won’t accept, when flood history is scaring off financed buyers, or when you need to pick your own closing date. Our offer is below full retail and is based on condition, repairs, recent sales nearby and our own costs. Compare both paths on our cash buyer vs. agent page.
Not sure which group your house falls into? Ask a local agent for a listing opinion, ask us for a written offer, and put the two side by side. Our offer has no obligation attached, so you can walk away.
