Finding good investment properties in Stockton

February 19, 2019

Real estate is like no other industry, has always made its share of millionaires and that may be why so many people are looking to get started in real estate investing. As an active real estate investor in Stockton and Sacramento, we get asked to talk about what we do frequently.

Fortunately, I like to share.

When it comes to real estate investment everyone has questions.

What’s the real estate market like now? Can you find any good deals out there anymore? I’ll bet its not a good time to buy real estate market now? How can I find a good Investment property? Are we going to see another real estate Bubble? Is the Real estate market overheating? What’s the secret to finding good investment properties in Stockton?

Finding good investment properties is like finding any other diamond in the rough. You have to actively look, do some research, decide what you are looking for, understand the market, recognize every properties potential, evaluate the possibilities, consider your exit strategies, and then finally be ready to take action when the opportunity reveals itself. There is no magic, no investment hot sheet and there are no daily bulletins that break down the numbers and provide you with a list. Finding good investment properties is just a lot of persistence and hard work.

The real estate market has changed dramatically over the past 9 years. There used to be an opportunity on almost every block and every neighborhood and zip code across Stockton and Sacramento. It has taken all of eight to nine years to fully assimilate those opportunities back into the housing market and it is by and large the work of the real estate investors that one by one have saved neighborhoods from the plight of previous years. What remains today is a very different real estate market that has some serious affordability problems that need to be addressed.

The problem with the Stockton real estate market today, as it is in most other California cities, is that there are no longer multiple sources of new construction at every price point in the market. The residential construction industry has changed so dramatically in the past ten years and we are now seeing the effects with no new entry level houses available to keep pace with the pent up demand. Gone are new houses starting at under $200,000.00.

This is a serious problem when you consider that to build a modest 1500 square foot house in Stockton, the City and/or County, building permit plus the connection fees for sewer and water alone average over $50,000. When you add on top of that PG&E connection fees of $4,000 to $7,000 the cost becomes excessive and you have not even purchased the the land.

As a result, the cost of new construction has escalated and it starts at your local city hall and County Seat. Of course convincing Cities or Counties to rethink it’s fee structure is difficult because it means that they would have to accept some responsibility for the crisis and at the same time accept lower revenue to their coffers. The constriction of the market equates to higher and higher prices for all houses. So today’s opportunities are just a lot more expensive, and that spells trouble for the overall real estate market. Without any new construction at the lower end of the market, there is no competition to balance the cost of existing homes that are being sold and that means a lack of competition that has inflated real estate cost at all levels.

In today’s article I’ll share my insights and ideas that help me find good investment properties in Stockton.

My name is Peter Westbrook and I am a local real estate investor with Westbrook REI and Westbrook REI Construction (CSLB 1047535) After almost 10 years, I might understand the nuances of the Stockton and Sacramento real estate markets from the ground level. I have created a niche and its very simple. I am a Cash home buyer and I usually buy my properties from homeowners directly. It allows me to cut out the middleman and it allows the homeowners that I buy from to put more cash in their pocket. and I pay cash.

Real Estate Investing is NOT a Get Rich Quick Scheme. It is a business that needs to be worked every day and it requires someone willing to roll up their sleeves and dig in to help people with problems and issues that need serious attention.

With the flood of foreclosure all but dried up … investors are having to get work harder and get more creative in finding the best deals on good Stockton Investment Properties.

There has never been a single source of properties for investors. We find our properties from a variety of marketing sources… online, offline, direct mail, cold calling, etc… so there is no one way that is the best way to find good investment properties in Stockton. It boils down to persistence and hard work.

Finding good investment properties is all about recognizing the opportunity. Its having your resources ready. It’s understanding that everyone that owns a property has a different objective and motivation and with that, a different way of solving a problem by looking at the desired outcome. Some people will call a real estate agent. Some respond to post cards, We Buy Houses signs, but most will just Google, “who buys Houses Stockton?”

As an investor you need to be ready because there is not one approach that will work every time. It is all of them together that create the strategy that gets your phone to ring.

Most investors are not champions of competition – they believe that if they offer any information, that someone will use their ideas and somehow seize on a missed opportunity.

That is not how we work.

We talk and we share and because of it our ability to address customer needs are enhanced. We share our philosophies here because we want to improve the quality of our own service and in the process build stronger communities. Ultimately, we’re all investing in the same places, so it makes sense to do it right and let people know what it should look like.

Finding Good Investment Properties in Stockton

We adhere to tried and true core principles that are important to understanding the overall market and if you want to get involved in real Estate Investing we can help you find the best investment properties available.

First, it’s the long game

Real estate is a large industry. Residential, Commercial. They are not the same and yet real estate as an industry It moves slowly and unless there is a crash somewhere else it doesn’t act or react like the stock market. Real estate is literally a main street idea – its not just numbers plus or minus on a screen.

Understanding that is important because it’s next to impossible to make a lot of money in a short-term real estate transaction, because like winning the lottery, those are rare opportunities and come every once and a while.

Thinking long-term means understanding the past history to better anticipate the future so you can anticipate what the market is going to do. It takes work.So don’t expect to “cut the fat hog” on your first attempt, or think that you’re smarter than the people who have been working at this for years.

It also means that if you don’t find the local investment properties you’re looking for right away… it’s normal.

That’s why it’s a great idea to find multiple sources of properties that fit your criteria ( our Stockton Investment Property Buyers List >> ) so you have a greater ability to find properties to look at. In 2009 I needed to make 24 offers just to get one accepted. Back then I was looking at 150 properties a month. Today I am lucky to look at 20.

Second, focus on networking

The real estate investment community in Stockton is smaller than most people think.

There are really are only a handful of investors that buy most of the properties in Stockton and some of the most successful investors are conspicuously conducting their business, away from the crowd. I know because I dont want as much as I share can just as easily fade into the background. More than anything I want be as productive as possible so that I can to accomplish what I do daily by helping others that truly need my help.

Most investors are visible. You can find them with a simple Google Search. You can call them and they will call you back. We are a group that is used to working with the same people on a regular basis. It’s worth the time and effort to find them and learn from them. If you can, work with them.

Find your local Real Estate Investor Group and find the people who are active and talk to them. Ask them which real estate agents they use, and let everyone you can find know that you are looking for investment properties that fit your criteria. Learning how to find a good investment property in Stockton isn’t necessarily a hard thing… but relationships can be a key element in getting some of the best deals on properties that no one else has access to in the Stockton market.

Who should you get to know?

A couple real estate appraisers who deal with the types of properties you deal with
A few of the top investment friendly real estate brokers in Stockton
Look for the property rehabbers in the area
Title agents that deal with investment properties a lot

Third, target your investments.

Investment are like many other aspects of life – the people who are the most focused will generally succeed. You have to find your niche. Some like apartments, storage units or commercial buildings (I don’t own either, my mistake)

I like single family residential and duplexes or small apartments. If you take the time and do your homework, you can look at the different elements of each market to see which opportunities are truly the best for you. Remember your resources guide your investment. Once you find exactly what you want to own, you can create a plan to find out how to buy it by finding out who owns it and make sure that they know to call you when they want to sell that property.

This takes a lot of work, but it’s a a simple long-term investment strategy. Remember that not all things happen in a recognizable order and understanding that an event may not immediately resemble your plan but, you may need to be flexible. It also means that you may have to pass on some opportunities until you have the resources yourself to make it happen. That is why its important to know other investors. because they will allow you to monetize some of those first transactions that come your way, developing your strategy one step at a time.

Finally – use technology.

We find properties all of the time and wile we dont regularly part with them before improving them we sometimes do. When we do we secure them and then sell them for a discounted rate to the people on our list who are ready, willing and able to invest. There are other ways to get notified about properties on the open market – you should get familiar with searching the multiple listing services with the rest of the herd because every once in a blue moon a great deal shows up. I know because I have bought them with in that past 30 days.

subscribe to receive a list of properties as they become available, and we’ll notify you via email when we have a good investment property for sale.

We’re not real estate brokers, and our business is a niche within Stockton, Modesto and Sacramento.

If you’re looking to seriously invest in Stockton, we’d love to talk with you to learn what you are looking for. We don’t always have properties on hand that we want to remove from inventory, (we rehab most of what we buy locally) but when we do, we also want to sell them fast.

I am hopeful that you have a better understanding the ins and outs of finding good investment properties in Stockton. If you have questions give us a call or join our buyer’s list below!

Give us a call (209) 481-7780 or fill out the form to get started now.

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.

Sell My House Fast

Contact the area's #1 And Most Trusted House Buying Experts to Sell Your Home. We buy houses in ANY Condition. There is no obligation or cost. What do you have to lose?

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.