I have noticed over the years that many families that have inherited a House in Stockton have something in common: A relative that believes that they are more entitled to live in that house than the others. It all starts very innocent of course, but over the course of time, they become immovable objects like the chimney. In many families there are people that just want to help their family and and others that just want to help themselves to your House? Well, you are not alone.
I would estimate that in today’s Stockton Real Estate Market roughly 15% of all homes that are on the market were inherited and are occupied by a relative that just won’t go. To make matters worse the inherited house in Stockton is in major need of repair have one thing in common… the relative is NOT paying rent, NOT making any repairs, NOT performing any maintenance and has NOT paid the property taxes. To make matters worse they have also refused to leave.
It is not uncommon in today’s Stockton Real Estate Market for a Mother or Father to pass away and leave a house to the surviving children. It is more common than you would think when one of those children decide that they are entitled to live in Mom and Dad’s old house for as long as they like rent Free.
It all starts innocent enough, the family is dealing with grief of the loss and one of the siblings says something like… “I have got an idea, you know that Mom and Dad’s house will be empty now and it is going to take a while to clean it out and put it on the market for sale and I have been looking for a house and until we decide what to do, I can live in the house, pay all of the property taxes, maintain it and keep the rest of you guys from having to sell it right now. After all the market is really bad, the house hasn’t been updated in years and I can fix it up while I live there. I will even pay rent if that is what you want”
Often times the relative has already been living there with Mom and/or Dad (rent free) and did nothing while they were there previously. Of course the guilt of Mom and Dad’s passing is hard enough and none of the other siblings wants to argue… after all it is a good idea in theory and what the heck it may even be what Mom and Dad would have wanted…. Right? Wrong.
Time passes quickly and even more so when something is out of sight and out of mind and something as innocuous as Mom’s old house, is something no one wants to deal with. Pretty soon two years go by and the property taxes have not been paid, the house has not only not been updated it has also not been maintained and now if it wasn’t previously, it is the ugliest house on the block and the family member is still living there… RENT FREE. When asked why the house is in such bad shape the family member snaps back… “I can’t afford to maintain this house, it was worse than this long before I got here”.
It is Time to Sell?
When a house becomes a liability it is time to sell, but the issues that the family faces are generally overwhelming and the retrospect into what Mom and Dad would have wanted are now in complete conflict with the reality of the situation. The fact of the matter is that the house should have been sold long ago. Mom and Dad never wanted the family house to become a burden and while they hoped that one of their children would care for the house as they did all too often it is that one child that the parents knew would not.
To make matters worse, it generally falls on one Family member (the executor of the estate) to be the “Bad Guy” and the thought that they are going to have to deal with this becomes life consuming. Often times there are more than one sibling to deal with and everyone has their own opinion, but the common goal is the same… no one wants to come out of pocket to fix the house and certainly not while someone is living there.
The issues becomes very clear, the asset that was once a nice house has turned into a financial burden, a liability and now the family needs to deal with it. What are the options? Who is going to pay and in what proportion? How are we going to tell the family member living there that the rest have had enough, and who is going to tell them that they have to get out?
So the list is made and it is beyond what anyone anticipated;
1) The house is in need of repair and needs to be fixed before we can sell it
- Fix the dry rot, termite damage, and water damage from leaky old cast Iron plumbing
- New Roof
- New Paint
- New Carpet and flooring throughout
- New or remodel Bathroom
- New r remodel Kitchen
- Maintenance
- Plumbing
- The garbage needs to be removed from the house inside and out
- Window and door replacement
2) Property Taxes
3) Code Violations and fines from the City of Stockton or County
4) Choosing a Realtor and negotiating a commission
5) Establishing a sales Price
6) Evicting the Family Member in Stockton or Sacramento
This is just the short list and it doesn’t take into consideration the rest of the competition in the Stockton Real Estate Market or number of Foreclosed homes already in the market that are driving down house values. All of a sudden the house becomes an albatross that everyone needs to get rid of.
My name is Peter Westbrook and I am a Real Estate Investor in Stockton and Sacramento California. I Buy Houses in Stockton any condition and I pay Cash. I am not going to require that you spend thousands of dollars for you to fix your house and I am not going to charge you a real estate commission. I will come out and evaluate your property for free, give you a market analysis and then make you an all cash offer to buy your house in its “as-is” condition with absolutely no contingencies.
I will even help you with your family member that refuses to leave. I will even pay for the eviction because I have seen the havoc in a family when someone says to me “We Inherited a House in Stockton and it is Haunted by a Deadbeat Relative”!
If you have an unwanted house that you need to sell, you can call me directly at 209-481-7780. I answer all of my calls and if by chance you get my voice mail, I will call you back. In any case I am one of the best alternatives for you and your family to spending thousands in house repairs and waiting for a return on that investment that may never come. Most people in this situation want to deal with someone that understands and while selling the house on the open market may be a viable alternative the list of expired listing (houses NOT SOLD) in Stockton grows daily.
One phone call could set the wheels in motion for you to taking back your life and allowing me to do what I do best… clearing obstacles… including that relative that refuses to leave. Click Here to learn more
At “Westbrook REI” and “I Buy Houses Stockton“, we are the best at what we do because we work at it every day. We understand that a commitment to customer and a commitment to our business only happens with hard work. We have years of experience and a plan that we follow. We are a real company with real people that are committed to helping you achieve your goals.
We buy houses in Stockton California and its surrounding areas in Lodi, Woodbridge, Acampo, Lockeford, Linden, Ripon, Manteca, Modesto, Ceres, Tracy and Sacramento CA. If you need to sell your house fast in [market], call us… we’d love to make you a fair no-obligation no-hassle offer. Take it or leave it. You’ve got nothing to lose, but we’d love to earn your business. 🙂