Key takeaways
- Andres Properties buys River Heights and Crescentwood houses as-is, for cash, including large character homes with decades of deferred maintenance.
- In North River Heights, 94 percent of homes were built before 1961. One in ten needs major repairs, per the 2021 census.
- Rewiring, sewer relining, and foundation work on a 1920s home here can run into the tens of thousands before a listing is even possible.
- Older lots in River Heights carry infill value, so a tired house is often worth more than its condition suggests. Our offer accounts for that.
We buy houses in River Heights, Winnipeg for cash and as-is. If you own a home between the Assiniboine River and Taylor Avenue, in Crescentwood, or along Wellington Crescent, and the thought of bringing it up to listing standard is what has stopped you from selling, we can make a fair, no-obligation offer on it exactly as it stands.
Winnipeg’s streetcar suburb, a century on
Crescentwood was laid out in 1904 by developer C.H. Enderton, with caveats on the titles that set minimum build costs and setbacks and kept the lots single-family. River Heights proper filled in through the 1920s and 30s once the permanent bridges and the Academy Road streetcar connected it to downtown. The people who moved here were the city’s business and professional class, and they built accordingly: Craftsman, Tudor, and Colonial Revival two-storeys of 2,000 to 5,000 square feet on 60 to 100 foot lots north of Grant, and one-and-a-half storeys and bungalows through the 1940s to 60s south of it.
The census shows how little has changed. North River Heights is 91 percent owner-occupied and 94 percent of its dwellings were built in 1960 or earlier. Crescentwood is 81 percent pre-1961. South River Heights is younger, with about a third of its homes from 1961 to 1980. Median household incomes here run well above the city average, and so do the repair bills.
What an inspection finds in a River Heights house
These are beautiful houses, and most of them have been loved. But a home from 1912 or 1928 has systems that were never meant to last a century, and River Heights buyers, their lenders, and their insurers know exactly what to look for.
| Issue | Where it turns up | What it can cost to fix before listing |
|---|---|---|
| Knob-and-tube wiring, 60 to 100 amp panels | Streets near Harrow and Stafford and across Crescentwood | Roughly $12,000 to $40,000 to rewire, plus plaster repair |
| Galvanized or lead water lines, clay-tile sewer, shared laterals | Common near Jubilee and Grosvenor | About $10,000 to $18,000 for sewer relining |
| Rubble-stone or early poured foundations on Red River clay | Anything built before the 1960s | $5,000 to $30,000 for waterproofing; $30,000 and up for underpinning |
| Brittle cast-iron stacks, old boilers, uneven heat in 1.5-storeys | Rosedale, Mulvey, and similar streets | Varies; often bundled into a $15,000 to $35,000 roof-and-mechanical round |
| Riverbank instability | Wellington Crescent and other river lots | Stabilization can start at $100,000 and is rarely insured |
Those ranges come from local contractors and brokerages, and they explain why insurers decline unrewired homes, why lenders then refuse the mortgage, and why a River Heights deal can fall apart at the inspection. We do not have that problem. We pay cash, we plan for the work, and the offer already reflects it. Manitoba’s property disclosure rules still apply; we simply do not hold known defects against you the way a financed buyer must.
Why the lot matters as much as the house
Infill has become common in River Heights over the past two decades. Bungalows on wide lots are bought, taken down, and replaced, and larger parcels get subdivided. Residents have pushed back on some projects, and demolition permits keep appearing in Central River Heights. For a seller, that means a house that would struggle on the open market because of its condition can still carry real value in the land under it.
We factor that in. When we look at a River Heights property we price it two ways, as a renovation and as a lot, and offer on whichever is stronger. That is different from a buyer who only wants a move-in-ready home and discounts everything that is not.
Who calls us from River Heights
South River Heights has one of the older populations in the city, with 22 percent of residents over 65. Many homes here have been in one family since the 1950s or 60s. The calls we get most often are:
- Adult children handling a parent’s estate. The house is full, the wiring is original, and nobody wants to project-manage a renovation from another city. See selling an inherited house in Winnipeg.
- Long-time owners downsizing who have added up the rewiring, sewer, and roof quotes and would rather sell as-is and skip all of it. See selling a house that needs major repairs.
- Couples separating who need a clean number and a fast, private closing rather than months of showings.
- Owners of a river lot facing a bank-stabilization estimate they cannot justify.
Where we buy in River Heights
We buy across the R3N and R3M postal areas: North and South River Heights, Crescentwood, Wellington Crescent, Central River Heights, Rockwood, Mathers, Sir John Franklin, J.B. Mitchell, Earl Grey, Ebby-Wentworth, and around Grant Park. The landmarks are the ones you know: Academy Road, Corydon Avenue, Kelvin High School, Grant Park Shopping Centre and the Pan Am Pool, the Rady JCC, and River Heights Library. We buy in the neighbouring West End and Wolseley too. See every Winnipeg area we serve.
What a cash offer looks like in a high-value area
River Heights is one of Winnipeg’s more expensive markets. Detached homes in the River Heights market area averaged about $620,000 in 2025, according to a local brokerage, against a citywide detached average under $470,000. A higher price does not change how we work; it changes the scale. We start from what your house would sell for fully updated, subtract the cost of the work and our costs to resell, and the remainder is your offer, with no commission and no fees. What cash home buyers actually pay shows the arithmetic, and how to sell your house fast in Winnipeg covers timing.
Get a cash offer for your River Heights house
A conversation with us costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Tell us about your property and we’ll get back to you with a fair, no-strings cash offer, or call or text Jason directly at 204-371-3559.
Frequently asked questions
Do you buy River Heights houses with knob-and-tube wiring?
Yes. Knob-and-tube is common in River Heights and Crescentwood homes built before the 1940s, and it is the usual reason an insurer declines coverage and a lender then refuses the mortgage. We pay cash, so neither is a condition of our offer.
Is a River Heights house worth more as a lot than as a house?
Sometimes. Infill has become common in River Heights, and a bungalow on a wide lot can carry real land value even when the house itself would struggle on the market. We price each property both as a renovation and as a lot and offer on whichever is stronger.
How does a cash offer work on a higher-priced River Heights home?
The same way it works anywhere, only at a larger scale. We start from what the house would sell for fully updated, subtract the cost of the work and our costs to resell, and the remainder is your offer with no commission or fees.
Will you buy a Wellington Crescent or river-lot property with bank problems?
Yes. Riverbank stabilization on the Assiniboine can start at six figures and is rarely insured, which stalls most sales. We have bought river lots before and factor the bank into the offer rather than walking away.