Key takeaways
- Andres Properties buys houses in Winnipeg’s West End as-is, for cash, including rooming-house conversions, fire-damaged homes, and houses under City orders.
- Seven in ten homes in Daniel McIntyre were built in 1960 or earlier, and more than one in ten needs major repairs, according to the 2021 census.
- Knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized plumbing, and old foundations are why many West End houses cannot get insured or financed by a regular buyer.
- Since January 2026 a boarded-up West End house costs its owner thousands a year in City vacant-building fees. A sale ends that.
We buy houses in the West End of Winnipeg as-is, for cash, on your timeline. If you own a house between Portage Avenue and Notre Dame that has become more of a burden than an asset, we can make a fair, no-obligation offer without asking you to fix, clean, or empty it first.
The West End’s housing is the oldest in the city
The West End was annexed to Winnipeg in 1882 and built out during the growth spurts of 1890 to 1895 and 1900 to 1912, when streetcars ran down Portage, Sargent, Sherbrook, and Arlington. It is nine communities in one: Daniel McIntyre, Spence, St. Matthews, Minto, Sargent Park, Colony, West Broadway, Armstrong’s Point, and Wolseley. The houses reflect that age. Most are one-and-a-half and two-storey wood-frame homes from roughly 1905 to 1940, on narrow lots, with a handful of post-war bungalows on the western edge near Polo Park.
The 2021 census puts numbers on it. In Daniel McIntyre, the neighbourhood at the heart of the West End, 70 percent of homes were built in 1960 or earlier, against 31 percent citywide. More than half of households rent, and 12 percent of dwellings need major repairs, nearly double the city rate. Those figures describe a neighbourhood full of houses that have worked hard for a century and are now owned by people who inherited them, rent them out, or simply cannot afford what it would take to list them.
What we see inside West End houses
A house built before the First World War was built for a different era. The ones we look at in the West End often share the same list of issues, and none of them stop us from making an offer.
| Where it shows up | What we typically find | Why it stalls a normal sale |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 60-amp service, knob-and-tube or early aluminum wiring | Most insurers will not write a policy, so a buyer cannot get a mortgage |
| Plumbing | Galvanized steel supply lines, clay-tile drains, possible lead service pipe | Inspection flags it; buyers demand a credit or walk |
| Structure | Rubble-stone or early poured foundations, balloon framing, plaster and lath | Repair quotes run high relative to the home’s value |
| Finishes | Lead paint in pre-1960 homes, layers of past renovations | Abatement costs and disclosure worries |
| Use | Rooming-house or suite conversions without permits | Zoning, licensing, and insurance questions the seller has to answer |
Because we pay cash and do the work ourselves, we do not need an inspection to pass, a lender to approve, or an insurer to sign off before closing. We look at the house, price the work honestly, and make an offer that reflects it.
Rooming houses, vacant houses, and City orders
The West End has more converted rooming houses than anywhere else in Winnipeg. A 2014 study counted roughly 184 confirmed or possible rooming houses in Spence and West Broadway alone. Many are over a century old and run by owners who never planned to be landlords. Fires in those buildings are a recurring story in the local news.
The City has responded with fees that make holding an empty house expensive. Since January 1, 2026, a boarded residential building carries a permit fee of about $2,940, a failed inspection costs $1,725 plus an escalator, and an empty-building fee of 2 percent of assessed value can apply. A fire response at a vacant property can be billed at $10,250 or more. If you own a West End house that is boarded, under a compliance order, or sitting empty because you do not know what to do with it, selling as-is stops those costs the day we close.
We buy houses with tenants in place, houses that have been emptied and boarded, and houses with fire or water damage. Read more about selling a vacant house in Winnipeg and selling a house that needs major repairs.
Who sells to us in the West End
The West End is dense, young, and diverse. Nearly a quarter of residents are Filipino, and about half of the people in Daniel McIntyre are first-generation immigrants. Ownership here often means a family home passed down, or a small rental bought decades ago. The owners we hear from most often are:
- Landlords who are done with a rooming house or suite conversion and the licensing that comes with it. See selling a rental with tenants.
- Families who inherited a West End house that has not been updated since the 1970s.
- Owners who received a City order or a vacant-building bill and want out before the next one.
- Anyone whose house has fire, water, or structural damage that an ordinary buyer’s lender would never accept.
Where we buy in the West End
We buy throughout the R3G and R3E postal areas, from Sherbrook Street west to St. James Street and from the Assiniboine River north to Notre Dame Avenue. That includes the blocks around Sargent and Ellice, the streets near the Cindy Klassen Recreation Complex, Valour Road, Sargent Park, Minto, Spence, and St. Matthews. If your house is a little outside those lines, in Wolseley, West Broadway, or Armstrong’s Point, we buy there too, and across the river in River Heights. You can see the full list of Winnipeg areas we serve.
How a West End sale with us works
Tell us about the house, including anything that worries you about it. We will arrange a time to see it, then come back with a cash offer based on its condition and what similar homes nearby have sold for. There is no fee, no commission, and no obligation to accept. If the number works, you choose the closing date. If it does not, you have lost nothing but a short conversation. The full process is laid out in how to sell your house fast in Winnipeg, and what cash home buyers actually pay explains how we arrive at a number.
Get a cash offer for your West End house
There is no cost to finding out what your house is worth as-is, and no pressure attached to the answer. 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 rooming houses and converted suites in the West End?
Yes. The West End has more converted rooming houses than anywhere else in Winnipeg, and we buy them with tenants in place or empty, licensed or not. You do not have to bring the conversion up to code before selling.
Will you buy a boarded-up or fire-damaged West End house?
Yes. Boarded, vacant, and fire- or water-damaged houses are what we buy most often in the West End. Selling as-is also ends the City's vacant-building permit, inspection, and empty-building fees from the day we close.
Can you buy a West End house that has a City compliance order on it?
Yes. An open order or an outstanding vacant-building bill does not stop us from buying. We take the property with the order attached and deal with the City ourselves after closing.
Why can't I get a regular buyer for my West End house?
Most West End houses were built before 1940 and many still have knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized plumbing, and old foundations. Insurers decline those homes, lenders follow the insurer, and a financed buyer's deal collapses. We pay cash, so none of that applies.