A Case Study E 6th St Stockton, Vacant House, Vagrants, Bad Neighbors and Code Violations

Vacant Houses Pose many Problems for the Homeowner and the neighborhood. Westbrook REI Resolves those Problems

Vacant houses are like magnets, they attract every bad element in the neighborhood.

John and his wife had a dream, a vacant lot right next to his mothers house and a building permit in hand. He recounted his story to me about buying the lot and saving to begin construction on the new 2 bedroom 1 bath home that they were going to build. He was proud that he was going to do it himself and when he started he had no idea that his dream was going to become a target for every vagrant in the neighborhood.

He had began the construction a year ago and was stalled almost immediately because is wife was diagnosed with cancer, He had gotten the foundation poured, the walls and roof framed and windows installed when they got the news about his wife. He scraped together his money to secure the house with siding, new and used windows, some doors and the roof with plywood. He then laid new tarps on the roof to secure it the best he could and protect it from the rain.

That is when the trouble began.

Their Story:

Vacant House
Vagrants
Bad Neighbors
Code Violations

There was nothing about this house that said Asset, But We Bought it.

John fondly remembered the excitement as he began the project and that quickly turned to anger as he recounted the thousands of dollars that he spent while working on the house for electrical and plumbing over the course of a year. He told me that he remembers finally having saved enough money to start the electrical and plumbing and so he went down and bought all of the supplies. He brought them to the house and installed the main electrical panel on the outside of the house with its riser so he could call PG&E and have temporary power installed.

He finished the work on a Friday and called in for the inspection for that Monday. To his shock he came to the house on Monday morning to meet the inspector and noticed that the main panel and riser were gone. He also noticed that the plywood that had been firmly screwed in to cover the front window was loose and hanging. He panicked and removed the plywood covering the front door. As he entered he noticed that all of the other supplies he purchased were gone as well. In a matter of two days $2,800.00 of materials gone.

If his wife’s illness wasn’t enough, this one act had broken his heart and his spirit. He was done and yet he held on for another 18 months and tried to piece together what he could but no matter what work he did in one week it was almost always undone while he was gone only to discover the damage when he was able to return.

John finally had enough and so he parked an old motor home on the property. He hooked it up to the electrical of the power he finally had installed and the waste-line of the motor home to the sewer line. He was going to protect his house and investment and decided to live on the property.

Not so fast said the City and the Health Department. They issued a Code Violation and Health Code Violation and forced him via the threat of fines and liens to vacate his own property. In addition, unless he could demonstrate that the motor home was operable he had to have it removed. The cards were not in Johns favor and the County was positioned to enforce all violations without exception. They began to levy fines and when he did not pay them they appeared as liens against the house.

Johns world collapsed. He decided to sell the lot and the house that was there in its current As Is condition.

Homeowner Concerns:

We Bought This Stockton House even with Code and Health Violations and Paid Cash

When John first called me I could tell he had given up. He was upset and he didn’t even think it was possible to sell what he had but wanted to give it a try. He said he had seen one of my videos on the Internet and thought he could trust me but he wanted me to come out to see his house.

As I drove up I saw the bones of a house covered with weathered siding from at least two years in the elements without even a primer as a coat of paint. I knew that this was going to be rough. I explained that the condition of the house was not what I expected but that I would probably be interested, but I needed to see the inside.

John was beside himself. He told me that he just wanted to sell and if I could write him a check he walk away right then and there. I explained that it didn’t work that way and he way disappointed. I explained to him the sales process and the role of the Title Company, but he just wanted to cash out and move on right then and there.

It was all so overwhelming and demoralizing. He had been victimized by his own neighbors, vagrants and vandals. Unable to secure the house, keep up with all of the debris, repairs and maintenance and was now saddled with City of Stockton Code Violation that was one step away from a court order to fix the house or bulldoze it. The problem was that he didn’t have the money to do either and the City did NOT care. They wanted the problem gone. The Neighbors were complaining and the property had turned into a problem for everyone concerned.

ONGOING CHALLENGE:

With the San Joaquin County Code Enforcement and Health Departments demanding a massive cleanup and plan for securing the property we needed to convince the City of Stockton that we were willing to make the required repairs. We immediately called for a meeting to negotiate our options. The first objective was to negotiate a time table in which both departments would be satisfied without levying any new fines and penalties.

Our strategy was aggressive and we committed to having plans for a remodel and addition submitted within one week of the purchase. We also committed to completing the project with in 90 days of building plan approval.

OUR SOLUTION:

John and I negotiated an all cash purchase that would allow him to walk away without and further liability and to close within one week of our agreement. In order to do that we needed to get the City Code Enforcement and health departments to abate any more fines and fees until we could submit a plan for the cleanup and repairs. In the process the City approved the sale by transferring all code enforcement and health code violations to us as the new owners.

Some Real Estate Problems Are Resolved with the Sale of the House

At “Westbrook REI” and “We Buy houses that are Ugly 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.

Again, we’re not real estate agents. We are actually Stockton house buyers and have our own cash… so we can make you an offer on the spot. Once we make you an offer, you can take that offer, shop it around if you want, talk it over with friends and family, and think about what you want. We won’t pressure you one bit.

If you want the best LOCAL We Buy Houses Company in Stockton, Sacramento, Manteca and Modesto then give our company a call today, we offer simple solutions to complex selling issues. Our house buying process is very easy with no hassle and we can close on YOUR time.

We Buy Houses Stockton CA, Get Your Offer at http://www.ibuyhousesstockton.com or call Peter Westbrook today at (209) 481-7780.

We Buy Houses in Stockton, Sacramento & Modesto

I Buy Houses Stockton Introduction (209) 481-7780 We buy Houses Stockton

My name is Peter Westbrook and I am a local real estate investor and the owner of We Buy Houses Sacramento and Westbrook Real Estate Investments. I am NOT a Real Estate Agent or Broker and for good reason. I purchase real estate and I am NOT going to ask you to pay a commission or a fee.…I pay CASH and because I do, I can close on the day that I tell you.

For those of you that already know me or have already called me you can attest that I answer my own phone and I return all phone calls. When you call me at 209-481-7780 you are calling me on the same number that my mother and my closest friends call me at.

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Hear What Others Have To Say…

The City of Stockton was getting ready to tear down my old house. I was no longer able to maintain the Stockton House and after years of trying to keep up with code violations, needed repairs and vandalism, I finally called Peter

Westbrook. He came right out and told me what he could do. He contacted the city and county and even cleaned up the property before he bought it. He paid the back taxes for me and gave me an advance on the purchase of the house. Without his help I would have lost everything. I called real estate agents and other investors but no one wanted to help and no one offered to pay as much as Peter Westbrook. He completely remodeled the house and I smile every time I go by. Thank you Peter.

Leonard S

We inherited our parents house with one of our brothers living there . The property taxes had not been paid and it was in Tax default. We called Peter Westbrook and he found that the title was still in our parents name, so the Stockton House never went through probate. Peter also found that there was an old auto loan that had a lien on the

title and an old bankruptcy ruling to take care of that lien had never been filed with the courts. Peter handled everything including paying the back taxes, paying for the hiring a Probate Attorney and filing the probate and paying for and hiring a Bankruptcy Attorney to finalize the removal of the lien. He was patient, understanding and he took care of everything including evicting the tenants that were living in the house. We talked to real estate agents and other I buy house people. None of them had the answers for our situation. Without peter we would have lost everything. We got paid cash.

Steve H

We inherited my parents Stockton house with a mortgage. We decided to rent it out. The tenants destroyed the house. I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t have the money to fix it and the city had already issued code violations.. I called an “I Buy Houses Stockton Sign” on a telephone pole and Peter Westbrook answered. In 4 days he paid the bank and bought my house. We would have lost everything if it weren’t for Peter Westbrook.

Mike B

I inherited my mothers house with a mortgage. When my husband and I lost our jobs, we got behind in payments. Then the Bank posted a default with a auction date we didn’t know what to do.

We didn’t have the $15,000.00 and we only had two weeks to do something. We called Peter Westbrook and form the beginning he was confident he could stop the bank. Within 4 days he bought the house with cash, paid off the bank and stopped the Foreclosure. Without Peter we would have lost everything.

Brenda T

I saw a sign on a telephone pole and against my better judgement I called. The last thing I expected was a person answering the phone. I was surprised, Peter Westbrook answered the phone. I had a lot of questions and Peter had the right answers. My mother needed to get as much as possible out of the house and we had talked to several real estate agents and they all wanted to sell it cheap and wanted a 6% commission. They all told us unless we put thousands of dollars into it could not be sold for what we wanted. Not Peter. He made a fair cash offer and since then we have sold him another house. Peter and the title company handled everything. I couldn’t be happier and I would recommend Peter Westbrook to anyone.

Cathy W

I needed to sell my Stockton House. I called a phone number I saw on a sign and talked to Peter Westbrook. The City of Stockton said that they were going to take away my vacant Stockton house, knock it down and send me the

bill to do it. I did everything that I could to try to make them happy. A neighbor offered to buy the house and then Peter offered me twice as much. He did everything he said he would do and I just had to go to the Title Company and sign the papers. He did all of the work and now the City of Stockton is his problem. Thank you Peter.

Ann C

I inherited my Fathers Stockton house. The front porch was falling in, the walls had holes from being vacant and vandalized. The City of Stockton fined us, red tagged the property and forced us to put on a new roof so we had to get loans and we still couldn’t rent it out.

I called one of those “I Buy Houses” signs and Peter Westbrook came out and made a cash offer. The House closed escrow and we got our money for a house we though was worthless. Thanks Peter!”

Broderick R.

“Our Grandfather passed away and my brother, sister and I inherited his Stockton house. He was a junkman and hoarder. He was also 90 years old and had not made a repair to the house in years. He had garage sales almost every day. The house and the yard were full of junk. We tried to get everything out so we could just see the house. We had family and friends come over on the weekends but the cost and effort was consuming all of our time.The house was a mess.

I called Peter Westbrook and he made us a cash offer for the house and he said he would take care of all of the clean up. Thank God I called. The City had issued code violations and fines on the property and even before we closed escrow Peter and his crew had the house and yard cleaned (4 large Dumpsters later) . I recommend Peter Westbrook to anyone that has a problem house. They were fast and professional”

Connie J.

“I had tried to sell my Mothers Stockton house for two years. Realtor’s told me to tear it down. I didn’t have the money for that and my Brother and his family were living there. Peter Westbrook made me a cash offer and closed escrow with my brother still in the house. Peter Westbrook is my savior. I don’t have to worry about the house any more. If you have a Stockton house that has become a burden and you don’t have the money to fix it to sell it, call Peter Westbrook.”

Rosemary R.