With over 2,000,000 residents, Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States. As with every large city, Houston has its share of crime-ridden and run-down areas. Are you the proud owner of a great (or not so great) house in one of Houston’s not-so-great neighborhoods?
Selling a house in a bad location is a difficult challenge at best. But if for months on end you’ve failed to find an interested buyer, the challenge can appear to be impossible. The helpful tips in this article can mean the difference between sitting on your property and selling it.
When people buy a house for the first time, they know their dream house and their budget probably won’t go together. So make sure your home is a scaled-down version of what first-time homebuyers want.
Unless the existing light fixtures have antique value, consider replacing those in the living areas and master bedroom with inexpensive ceiling fans. Remove any window coverings that restrict natural light. Remove clutter to make the rooms appear larger. Make sure the home smells nice. Make sure the plumbing works properly.
Overgrown landscaping makes a house look both small and abandoned. Trim the trees and bushes. And clean up the leaves and rocks.
In addition to removing clutter, arrange any furniture to accent the home’s best features. Spend a little money to display fresh fruit (such as lemons, oranges, and apples) on the kitchen countertop. And keep at least one arrangement of fresh flowers in a visible area.
If your neighbor doesn’t keep their grass cut, offer to mow their yard while your house is for sale.
Hold as many open houses as is practical. The increased activity around your home gets the word out that your house is for sale. You might attract a buyer that already lives in your neighborhood, but wants a nicer house.
Fully disclose both the good and the bad about your property. And also fully disclose the good, the bad, and the ugly about your neighborhood. Otherwise, a potential buyer might imagine that conditions worse than they actually are.
Disclose any disputes with your neighbors too. Selling a house with noisy neighbors is a legal liability it you decide to hide it.
Don’t spend a bunch of money on improvements and expect your asking price to cover the expense. Price the property as low as possible. Remember, the price benefit has to outweigh the bad neighborhood.
If you’re selling an inherited house, or if the house is paid for, consider owner financing for first-time buyers or for those who may not have established credit. Just make sure the contract will benefit you, if the new owner defaults on the note.
For many years, Sell My House Fast Houston TX has bought houses in any condition and any neighborhood. We are not afraid of buying nice homes in bad neighborhoods—or of buying run-down houses in run-down neighborhoods. Every house—no matter the condition or the area—has value to us.
If you want to sell your house in a bad neighborhood like Sunnyside or Sharpstown, we will buy it. Whether it’s a nice house or a fixer-upper, we will buy it. Neither do we care about how nasty or noisy your neighbors are.
You won’t be waiting around for a buyer when you call us. We do everything quickly—from making our cash offer to completing the transaction. Within a few days, you will have cash instead of the property.
We buy houses for cash—our own cash. We don’t make an offer on your property and then try to get loan approval. When we make our offer, we have the cash available to pay for it.
You will get all of the cash in our offer at the time of closing. We take care of all the closing costs. And you will not be surprised by any hidden fees.
We don’t expect you to complete any paperwork after you accept our offer, other than signing and dating a few documents. All of the rest of the paperwork is on us.
In 2018, NeighborhoodScout.com reported the Sunnyside area as the sixth-worst neighborhood in the United States—according to FBI crime statistics. The entire west side of the community was an incinerator and landfill until the operation was shut down and converted to a park. Open ditches, uncontrolled garbage fires, and vacant lots are common in the area.
In the mid-1950s, Frank Sharp developed the area as the first master-planned, automobile centered community in Houston. In the early 1970s, Sharp and high-level government officials were caught up in rampant stock fraud that involved several apartment complexes in Sharpstown. The units were shoddily built and quickly became run down. Since the 1990s, the area has been crime-ridden.
During WWI, landowners sold tracts of land—large enough for a house and a garden. Over the years, the houses became dilapidated. They were sold to low-income buyers. Crime is considerably higher in the neighborhood than the national average. There are three times the robberies, five times the assaults, and double the murders as compared to the national average.
Greenspoint is one of Houston’s major business districts. But it also home to a large number of low-income residents. The 1980s oil bust caused a massive loss of jobs and a glut of residential and commercial vacancies.
Greenspoint Mall became the hub of crime. And after the abduction and murder of a Harris County Sheriff’s deputy in 1991, the mall became know as Gunspoint. The density of the apartment complexes in the area has aggravated catastrophic flooding, further deteriorating the area.
Houston’s historic third ward includes stately mansions, the University of Houston, and Texas Southern University. But the area surrounding the intersection of Dowling and McGowen Streets is among the nation’s 25 most dangerous neighborhoods.