Every day brings a new and different challenge and as I sit down and write this article, I realize that after 10 years of buying houses in Stockton, Sacramento and Modesto, I am one of the pioneers of the cash home buyers born out of the great recession. I also realize that in the early days, there were not large numbers of us and the chatter surrounding the “we buy houses” movement was very faint.
It is 2019 and many things have changed. There are many more people and voices in real estate investing and I believe it is cumulative result of the Fix and Flip TV shows that lure people in with the stories of getting rich quick. Whatever it is, there are many companies looking to profit from what has turned into the fix and flip market place.
When I first got into the business I wanted to make a difference. It was an Old School thing… to help people. Don’t get me wrong… I wanted to make a living, but I wanted to do things the right way. We operated one house at a time and we took the time to know our customers and develop solutions specifically for them. We still do.
As I began sorting through the old videos of the houses that I have purchased, I realized the value of each one as it relates to my business and the relationships that I have built with each of my customers. It doesn’t matter whether I was a buyer or seller, I have helped so many families that I am beginning to post videos of those early houses in hopes that it will allow anyone with a house in the same situation to come forward. To know that there is at least one company that stands ready and willing to help them sort through the noise and come up with a real solution for their situation.
My name is Peter Westbrook and I am a real estate investor in Stockton, Sacramento and Modesto California. I have purchased well over 100 homes in the past 10 years and I have helped 100’s of families with complicated real estate issues to be able to move on and rid themselves of an unwanted house. Those experiences have given me a special perspective and empathy with homeowners that is not available with most home buyers.
I am local, I am not a big national company from some other state. I am a local resident, just like you and we specialize in providing real solutions when you need to sell fast or have a property that needs lots of work or updating that you just don’t want to deal with anymore. After one call of meeting with me you will know why Westbrook REI is one of the most trusted names in the house buying business.
Sell My House Fast Stockton:
About the Video on this Page: Walnut Street Stockton CA
I remember this house like it was yesterday. My wife and I were taking a Sunday drive through parts of Stockton that I had purchased other homes and we were in route to my latest project on Solari St. We were talking about where we were going to eat breakfast… Mi Ranchito or Marie Calendars… I know that is a hugh culinary divide there, but on any given Sunday she likes Mexican or I do, so the two restaurants were always in the mix. Marie’s is gone now, but that is another conversation.
Anyway, mid sentence, the phone rings, it’s about 9:30 am and I was a little startled… hmmm, I didn’t recognize the phone number, but that is ok I answer my own phone. Hello, this is Peter Westbrook how can I help you?
All I heard was… Yeah I seen your sign, do you buy houses? I replied… I do, my name is Peter Westbrook, how can I help you?
He said without a pause, I need to sell my house fast Stockton, I need you to look at my house. The City is giving me a hard time and I have some squatters and I just need to sell it.
I said. When would you like me to look at it?
His response was famous. Well… Right now, you’re three blocks away.
I thought… now how in the heck did he know where I was. It’s not like I have my GPS opened to the world. So I asked him. Well where is your house and how do you know where I am.
I mean this guy was better than my mother, right?
The next thing I knew he said, well I am right behind you. You are driving the Envoy with the sign in the back window that says I Buy Houses, Right?
It all made sense… That would be me. The famous Envoy sign. The Sign that friends and Family laughed at me about. That damn sign that puts food on my table and gives people like Leonard hope and an outlet for selling an Ugly and Unwanted House in Stockton, Sacramento or Modesto. Yeah… That is my Sign and I am proud of it.
The Challenges:
Looking back, Leonards house was not necessarily all that unique. It did have a lot of challenges both inside and out and for Leonard they were devastating. It was obvious that he had not lived in the house for a long time. He had rented it out and as time went on, one bad tenant after another, the house became uninhabitable with all of the sustained damage.
- Wood Shake Roof Rotten and Collapsing
- Termite Infestation
- Multiple Code Violations
- Condemned by Health Department
- Tall grass and weeds
- Squatters
- Unpaid Property Taxes
- Liens from the City of Stockton
- Electrical Wires stolen from the house
- Plumbing running into the yard
It was time to sell. Leonard had had enough. This Ugly house in Stockton had finally won and Leonard learned that you cannot conquer an Ugly house unless you are willing to attack the entire thing, all at once, to win. It also takes money.
Leonard was on the brink of losing everything to that house. His equity was being drained one code violation at a time by the city fines and tax liens. The final straw was the condemnation of the house and the Cities threats to level the house. Leonard saved money, future battles and peace of mind when he finally sold that house.
That was in 2013. I was four years and probably 45 houses into this business when I received that call.
There were so many issues back then. So many houses and homeowners that needed help. We picked and chose… we had to… I remember the old days, back when real estate prices were so low that you didn’t know what was going to happen when you bought a fixer upper. Whether you’d make it out alive. There is still that adrenaline rush when you buy a house and you know that you might just have bitten off more than you can chew.
Nah… save those thoughts for the next house. I helped another couple of families. The one that I bought the house from and the one that I sold the house to once I fixed it up. I love my job! When its time to “Sell My House Fast Stockton”, call Peter Westbrook at (209)481-7780
By the way… my wife and I ate breakfast that morning at Mi Ranchito in South Stockton.
Video Transcription
Peter Westbrook: Well, my name is Peter Westbrook with Westbrook Real Estate Investments. I’m standing in front of a house that I just purchased. If you have a house like this and you would be interested in selling it, I would love to turn that liability you have into an asset.
This is Walnut Street in Stockton, California. The city has red-tagged this property with a number of code violations. It needs a new roof. They have already told the owner they’re going to do it, that they have to do it, replace it. It’s a fire hazard. The owner doesn’t have the money to do it. The owner didn’t have the money to clean up any of it.
We started weed-eating yesterday, we’ve been cleaning up ever since I got the call. You’re going to see that it goes back behind the garage as well. We still have to finish that, get all the debris out, away from the base and foundation of the house. You’re going to see we’ve already pulled a lot of debris out, trees, tree branches. We have to do that on top of the roof, still. The garage is in … it’s right in there. I haven’t even seen that yet, but it doesn’t look too bad. We’ll be able to fix that.
Then the inside of the house is full of really just garbage and stuff that needs to be removed. I’m coming around and you can see … It’s not too light in here, but you can kind of get an idea, and it goes throughout the house.
Again, my name is Peter Westbrook with Westbrook Real Estate Investments. I buy houses. You can visit my website at www.ibuyhousesstockton.com, or www.westbrookrei.com, or call me 209-4817780. I am the guy behind the video. the man behind the We buy houses signs, and I’d love to hear from you.