Selling a House with Code Violations in Sacramento California Severely Limits Your Options.

If your house in Sacramento is strewn with debris and garbage, has overgrown grass or weeds, trees that are dead and or windows and doors that are broken but not boarded up, a porch that is falling in and the roof collapsing along with it, be aware that a Sacramento Code Enforcement Officer can “Red Tag” your house for repair and clean-up.

Those citations are a serious matter as they come with performance dates that the work needs to be completed by and if you don’t comply the fine is only the beginning. Left undone, the City by ordinance can hire an outside contractor to complete the work and bill you. Not only that, the City is not required to get three bids. They just get the job done and send you the bill.

So selling a house with Code Violations in Sacramento California is like selling a house with a big target painted on it by the City. The Code Violations individually are a list of the material defects with a house except that once it’s issued it’s now on permanent record. Many of them also turn into health department issues and they can quickly spiral out of control.

No matter what, if you want to sell your house in Sacramento, potential buyers are going to want to know what it will cost to satisfy the city to get the blemish removed. Most cash home buyers in Sacramento are not equipped to deal with the paperwork, inspections, repairs and complexities of dealing with code enforcement officers or building inspectors.

The simple truth is that Code Violations greatly impact your ability to sell a house in Sacramento and dramatically shrinks the universe of those who are willing to buy.

Code Violations impact to the sellers:

1. Ongoing Fines and Penalties until they are cured
2. Selling a house with Code Violations in Sacramento California does nothing to cure the violations; they will continue to follow the property and ultimately the buyer will have to make the necessary repairs.
3. A limited number of Buyers will look at the house if they know the city will be watching their very move – not many cash home buyers are willing to deal with code violations and the permitting process needed to correct the defects.
4. Lenders will not finance houses with uncured Code Violations. Buyers must pay Cash
5. Cities no longer make quid pro quo deals with sellers/buyers to get a problem resolved
6. Even with all cash sales, code violations create Longer escrow periods because the Title Company will require a Zero Demand from the city to transfer title and the city will require a contract with the cash home buyer.
7. The City will not release the lien without a written promise to cure the problem and have it inspected by the City upon completion. Any other improvements that need to be made will also become a target of new permits and inspections. Permits will be required.
8. Most Real Estate Investors in Sacramento don’t want an open invitation to the City to come out and issue further fines and requirements.

Here are a few solutions:

1. 

   If you have the money to fix the issues, fix them. Contact your {market-city] code enforcement officer and find out exactly what needs to be done. Make sure to keep the code enforcement officer updated on your progress. For example, if it’s a simple mowing, mow the lawn.

2. Some code violations may not be worth the time or the money. If it is the front porch and roof that are falling apart it may not be worth the expense, especially if it means uncovering additional problems in the process. Remember houses that have deferred maintenance have other issues that are underlying and fixing one thing quickly leads to another, especially if an inspector is watching at every stage. Regardless, when selling a house with code violations in California sellers need to understand what renovations will have a return on investment.

1. List the property and sell it in its Current  “As-Is” condition and adjust the price to reflect its defects..
2. Sell the house to a cash buyer who specializes in purchasing problematic real estate.

If you want to sell but have a tenant occupying the property:

1. Ensure that the tenant is present at the meeting with the enforcement officer. This will help the tenant understand the scope of the violation and what steps will be needed to bring the property into compliance.
2. Review the lease between the owner and the tenant and determine if the tenant has any liability. A well-drafted lease should contain language requiring the tenant to maintain the property in accordance with all local laws. The tenant may be liable to the property owner, but ultimately, the owner is responsible to the local jurisdiction and must bring the property into compliance.

Remember Selling a house with code violations in Sacramento California complicates the sale but you do have alternatives and you can sell the property to the right buyer. If you would like to sell a house with code violations in California, just call us (209)481-7780 or visit our website and fill out the form. Either way, we will make you a cash offer and take the ongoing burden off your hands.

My Name is Peter Westbrook and I am  local cash home buyer located in Stockton CA. We Buy Houses in Sacramento, Stockton, Manteca and Modesto CA. We pay Cash and there are never any commissions to pay. If you need to sell your House Fast in Sacramento, even with code violations, call us for a fast no hassle cash offer.