Can I sell my parent’s house to Bay Area cash buyers?

If we are blessed enough to live into old age, we will have to come to terms with the fact that we are not able to live on our own anymore. In the latter stages most of us will need assistance on a daily basis. This could mean moving into a care facility, with family or another similar arrangement. Regardless of where we spend our last days we need to determine what to do with the home we are leaving behind. This is a decision many Baby Boomers are facing today as they move their parents out of their long-time home and into a situation with more support. Often selling the home makes the most sense so that the proceeds can pay for living expenses. Let’s learn more about how you can sell your parents Bay Area house.

How long does it take to sell my parent’s house?

If you decide to hire a real estate agent to list your house on the market it will likely take 2-3 months to complete the process depending on what part of the Bay Area the house is located. The house will be one the market for a while then once you accept an offer escrow normally takes 30-45 days. This overall timeframe does not take into account if the buyer backs out and you have to start all over or many other factors that can extend the sales time. If you work with a trusted Bay Area Cash Buyer then you can have the sale closed in 7 days, cash in hand fast.

When should seniors sell their house?

This answer is very individual but based on our experience it is time to sell your parent’s house when they are no longer able to maintain the home on their own or need assistance with their daily care. Once household responsibilities start getting neglected the property and value can decline quickly. Similarly and more importantly, once your parent is unable to live independently it makes sense to move them in with someone who can assist, family or professional. This is usually hard to accept for the parent but it is better to get ahead of the situation. Ignoring clear signs can literally be a matter of life or death.

Proud Start, LLC is an experienced Bay Area Homebuyer, we will provide a quality, professional transaction. Give us a call today to see how we can assist.

Are you planning to sell your house? If so, you owe it to yourself to consider selling to a cash buyer like, Proud Start, LLC, before listing it with a real estate agent. Below are some of the many benefits of working with us:

No Agent Fees

If you list your house with a real estate agent, you will be responsible for paying both your agent and the agent for the buyer. In today’s market the standard agent commission is 5-6% of the sales price. This amount will come from the money owed to you from the sale. When you sell to us, there is no agents so you do not have to pay the commission, this means more cash in your pocket.

No Closing Costs

In a typical sale, the closing costs are split between the seller and buyer. These fees include; title insurance, escrow fee, county/city transfer taxes, recording fees and other miscellaneous items. As the seller, this will cost you thousands of dollars. When you sell to us, we cover all the closing costs. The sales price we agree to is exactly what you get, there are no hidden expenses.

No Repairs

During the standard sales process, the buyer is going to get a set of inspections completed then request that you repair any issues found, especially those related to safety concerns. If you are unwilling or unable to complete these repairs the buyer can back out of the transaction. We will purchase your house ‘as is’ and will not request that you make any repairs.

Close in a Week

Most buyers will be using a traditional mortgage to purchase your house, it takes up 30-45 days to set up this sort of financing. We are a cash buyer and can get the sale closed in 7 days.

Time After Close to Vacate

Most buyers who are interested in your house are looking for a place to live, they do not have the desire or ability to offer you time after the sale is complete to vacate the house. We routinely offer 30 days after the sale is closed to vacate. This will allow you to use the money you get from the sale to pay for your move.

In summary, selling your house to a cash investor is very different than selling through a real estate agent. Our process is designed to be quick and stress-free. Before signing a listing agreement with an agent, give us a call for a no-obligation consultation. (925) 240-3096

Have you been affected by the devastating fires in Napa and Sonoma county?

Many people just like you lost their home in the fire, now that some time has passed, it’s about deciding how to move forward. Should you stay and rebuild or collect the money you can and move somewhere else? The option that is best for you and your family will depend on multiple factors but one of the biggest is your property insurance situation. Let’s go through a couple different scenarios:

No Insurance: You have lived in your house for many years, the mortgage is paid off and you decided to stop paying for home insurance. Given this, there will be no financial assistance coming your way, you are responsible for covering the cost to repair/rebuild your house. Depending on the extent of the damage this may not be financially possible for you. There is value in the land you own though, you can sell your Napa or Sonoma burned lot for cash and use that to purchase your next home.

Under Insured: You have property insurance so you assumed that the cost to repair/rebuild your house would be covered at no additional cost to you however while speaking with the claim adjuster you were informed that the amount of coverage you have is no longer sufficient to pay for all the work needed and that you are responsible for contributing the rest. Over the years as property values have gone up and inflation has occurred, your insurance coverage amounts should have increased as well, but no one told you that you needed to do that. It is a very sobering realization, one that unfortunately too many Napa and Sonoma home owners are experiencing. Proud Start can help, you collect your insurance money then we will purchase your Bay Area fire damaged house. You can take both checks and go purchase your new home.

This disaster was truly that, causing massive destruction and loss. The damage has been done, the question is how will you move forward? If you are educated on your options, it is possible you can come out of this in an even better position. Give us a call to see how we can help with your Nap and Sonoma fire damaged house.

We’ve all seen the “We Buy Ugly Houses” billboards or other marketing from cash for houses companies here in the Bay Area. You’ve probably asked yourself two questions: Is this legit? And will I get a fair price? When you work with the right company, the answer to both is Yes.

Are We Buy Houses Companies Legit?

As with any industry, there are scammers and crooks. There are also fair, honest companies in this space that provide a valuable service, it’s up to you as the client to do some research and make sure you know who you’re working with. Here are some things you can do you vet a company you are considering selling to:

Search online: Google search the company name, make sure that a website pops up, they should also have a business result that shows with a physical location.

Rating sites: Is the company registered with the Better Business Bureau, Yelp or other rating company.

Professional organizations: Is the company a member of the local Chamber of Commerce or other professional organization.

Title company: Does the company plan to use a title company to handle the transaction? A title company serves as an independent third party to ensure the sale is handled in an appropriate fashion.

Will I Get a Fair Price from a Bay Area Cash Buyer?

Yes, you will receive a fair offer based on the current condition of your house. To understand this further let’s breakdown how we determine what to offer for a specific house. When we purchase a house, we will be renovating it then selling it to someone who will likely be living in it. The price we can sell the house for is based on what similar sized, remodeled homes are selling for in the area, these are known as comparable sales or comps. Once we look up comps and determine our resale value we simply subtract our costs and profit to arrive at the offer price. It’s a subtraction problem that looks something like this:

Resale Value - Repair costs - Purchase costs - Holding costs -Sales costs - Profit = Offer Price

Often times people will look on websites like Zillow since they provide an estimate of value, this is based on sales of homes in all conditions so it can be very far off if your home needs substantial repairs. If your Bay Area house needs a fair amount of updating it’s not going to be worth as much as the completely remodeled house down the street. These estimates also assume you would be selling your house through an agent meaning you would have to pay agent commission and closing fees, both of which you avoid with a cash buying company.

If you have questions about how a cash buyer arrived at their offer, feel free to ask them, they should be able to provide you with clarification so that you are confident moving forward.

In short, there are several credible Bay Area house buying companies, Proud Startt, LLC being one of them. It’s up to you as the seller to make sure you do a little research so you align yourself with one that will get the job done for you.

What is a code violation?

A code violation is when an aspect of your house does not meet the building or safety standards for the city or other municipality in which it is located. Local government is responsible for ensuring that all of the homes within it’s jurisdiction are safe for it’s citizens. These violations can be anything from having grass that is too tall to having an unpermitted two-story addition in your backyard. Regardless of the severity of the violation, once identified by Code Enforcement, you will be cited and required to correct the issue. If you correct the issue and pay a fine then all goes back to normal. But what if you don’t have the money or ability to correct the violation or pay the fine? This is when things can escalate quickly. If the issue is not resolved Code Enforcement will continue to issue fines and charge you interest on those fines, they will place a lien against your Bay Area House so that you can not sell it without paying them off.

Complications to selling your house

Having code violations on your Bay Area House can make it harder to sell. If you decide to sell the house without correcting the issue the violation will be passed along to the new owner. The city will collect their fines from you through the lien they place on the property but they will still go after the new owner to have the violation fixed and will start issuing finds to them. This will make your house less attractive to potential buyers as they may not have the ability or desire to correct the violation.

Code violations may also make it more difficult for potential buyers to obtain a mortgage to purchase your house. Banks are less inclined to lend money for a house that has safety issues.

Selling a house with code violations requires the right buyer, someone that has the ability to correct the issues and who doesn’t need bank financing. Luckily for you, we are exactly that kind of buyer. We purchase Bay Area Houses with code violations with no problem and can get it closed fast. If you are facing code violations and want to learn more about how we can help you give us a call. Trade in that bag of problems for a bag of cash.

In late June I received a call from Barbara who was looking to sell her Mother, Sharon’s house in Oakley. Sharon had recently moved in with Barbara due to health concerns as well as the financial burden of maintaining her own home. The two were now living on the east coast and wanted to sell a house across the country in a stress-free manner for a fair price.

After speaking with Barbara and viewing the house we sent over a purchase agreement, they were happy with the price and accepted. We closed on our purchase of the house in early July. A notary was sent to Sharon and she was able to sign everything she needed to from the east coast.

One thing that was important to them was that they were allowed to remain in possession of the house for sixty days after we purchased it. This was critical because Cheryl, Sharon’s other daughter, was living in the house as well as Sharon was planning a trip out here to collect any possessions she wanted to take with her. We were happy to accommodate this request and it was included in our purchase agreement.

During the sixty-day period the three ladies went through and removed all that they wanted from the house and now they all live together on the east coast. They left anything they didn’t want behind and we disposed of it.

Barbara and Cheryl were both generous enough to provide us with a little feedback on their experience:

"Proud Start what can I say it's all in the name. My mother was at a cross roads. Her health failing, living in a home she could no longer afford and desperately trying to figure a way out. That's when I contacted Chris from Proud start he understood and knew exactly what we needed he got to work that same day and from start to finish made the whole process quick and easy. He was accommodating for our time line and was so kind. Instead of my Mom having the bank take her home and ending up in debt and losing everything. She walked away debt free, and with money she could begin her new life with. She walked away from the situation with her dignity in place and not feeling a failure. I would recommend Proud Start, Chris and Marilyn to all my family and friends no matter what the situation if you need your home sold fast these are the people you want to speak with. They make it happen fast and easy and work to make you as comfortable with the process as possible. Many thanks to you both."

- Barbara

"First Thank you both so much for all the professional help you gave my mom and our family in such trying times. My mother was always stressed out wondering if she'd ever be free from her house troubles. You both did what you said you would and this truly helped us. The process was quick and easy, and I would recommend you to anyone in need of your services. Again, thank you both so very much."

- Cheryl

This is just one example of the many unique situations we deal with every day. If you want to sell your Bay Area house quickly and at a fair price give us a call to see how we can help. We have lots of experience navigating whatever obstacle you may be facing.