Can I Get Top Dollar for My House in Stockton?
The simple answer to that question is Yes, but, only if you add value.
For the past five years Stockton has either topped the list of or has been in the top 5 WORST places to sell real estate in the entire country. Today, the Stockton Real Estate Market remains one of the worst places in California to own an unwanted house and the forecast for the next two to three years is not much brighter.
So, what do you do if you have an unwanted house in Stockton and you’d like to sell it fast and for top dollar?
Well, unless your house is in pristine condition with no major defects, your options are limited. You can’t
expect to compete with every other “fixer upper” in the Stockton Real Estate Market and sell your house fast and at a price point you would like unless you are prepared to do something drastic to make the house less risky from a buyers perspective.
What defects can work against you?
1) You have a 3 Bedroom one bath house with no garage because it has been converted into the 3rd bedroom, but every other house on the street has a garage. While this may not have been considered a major defect when houses were in scarce supply and prices were up everywhere, it is today when 3 bedroom one bath houses are available on nearly every block with a garage.
2) You have a three bedroom 1 bath house and you have to go through one bedroom to get to the other bedroom. This is a major defect for most home buyers as people notice how badly a houses layout will affect their lifestyle.
What are your solutions?
In scenario number one you may be able to convert the bedroom back to a garage and sell the house as a two bedroom with garage. Under scenario number 2 your options may be limited. You might be able to convert the 3rd bedroom into a master bath and fix the problem that way.
Be careful though because even if you have the money to fix a major defect in a house that you own, you may never get that money back out of the house as buyers are very conscious of the depressed home prices in the Stockton Real Estate Market.
Today’s Real Estate Home buyers are fickle and unless there is an incentive to buy a house with major defects it can and will sit for months on end without even a single offer. The Best way to sell a house that has any major issues is to price it right and be aware that you have lots of competition in this Stockton Real Estate Market.
Finally, if you have a house in Stockton and don’t have the money to fix it up to at least mask the existing deficiencies but you need to sell it fast, you might consider these other cost factors.
The longer you hold onto the house the more ongoing cost you have;
1) Homeowners Insurance
2) Mortgage payments
3) Monthly Utility Cost
4) Maintenance
5) Yard Work
6) Property Taxes
7) City Code Violations
8) Vandalism
Today’s Stockton Real Estate Market presents many challenges for homeowners that have houses which have turned into a liability and sometimes the solution may not be the conventional route of listing it with a realtor. In many cases homeowners can avoid paying realtor commissions and shorten their sales timeframe if they think outside of the Box.
If you have a house that has a major defect and would like to sell it but don’t want to wait for months on end, pay high real estate commissions or pay the ongoing holding cost while the house sits on the market, your best solution may be to sell your house fast to an investor for cash.
My name is Peter Westbrook and my Company is Westbrook Real Estate Investments and I Buy Houses in Stockton. Give me a call and I will make you a cash offer. I can be reached at 209-481-7780.