How Is the Crime Rate in National City Going to Affect My Ability to Sell My House?

I was fortunate to be raised in an area where there wasn’t much crime, but I had plenty of friends who weren’t so lucky.  I remember one friend of mine who lived in National City, whose mom wanted to move out of the neighborhood because of bad things happening in the area.  She tried to sell the house, but they struggled to find a buyer—not because the house was in bad shape or needed repairs, but because it was in a neighborhood with higher crime and people were hesitant to move there.

Imagine that. You have a perfectly nice home being offered for fair market value and nobody wants to buy it because of where it’s located.

This is actually a common problem, and most people don’t know when it happens to them.

The good news is, you have a friend in me.

How Crime Affects Sales

The crime rate in National City is above average. Unfortunately, that means the real estate will suffer. There have been studies which link the decline in property value to specific crimes like murder, robbery, and aggravated assaults.  While that’s probably not a surprise to you, it’s definitely worthwhile to explore just how bad crime can affect a house.

One study done by the Center for American Progress found that a reduction of homicides in one zip code resulted in housing prices increasing 1.52% for the following year.

The good news is violent crimes have dropped on average across the nation since the 1990s. National City’s crime rates have been decreasing, too (by 14% between 2010 and 2014), but in 2014, National City still had above-average rates of violent crimes compared with other cities across the U.S. This is a problem for sellers. People want safety and security for their families, and if your block has a history of violence, your home may struggle to find a buyer.

Some Tips to Help Your Home Sell

If your home is in an area, like National City, with above-average rates of violent crime, there’s no guarantee that your home will ever sell, but there are some things you can do to help your chances.

• Give it curb appeal by adding flowers or landscaping
• Put up a fence to help with privacy and give a greater sense of safety
• Add a security camera system
• List for below market value to attract buyers
• Offer incentives like paying for all closing costs
• Offer more than 6% commission to the realtors
• Add updated appliances
• Stage the house so buyers can envision what the home will look like

The only problem with these suggestions?  They all cost money.  Some of them cost only a few hundred bucks, while others can cost you thousands. And since there’s no guarantee that any of those suggestions will find you a buyer, they tend to have what we call a ‘bad return on investment’.

How Sell Your House Direct Can Help

If you really want to sell your home, then listing it on the open market is not your best option. Houses can sit for a long time and buyers can enter into deals and ultimately walk away.

Sell Your House Direct doesn’t do that.  We buy homes in any neighborhood, regardless of the crime rate. Over the years, we have purchased hundreds and hundreds of houses and we PAID CASH for every single one of them. We also take care of the closing costs and can close the deal in just a matter of days.

The process is easy and hassle-free and you won’t be expected to make any improvements or updates on the property at any time. Plus, you won’t have to fuss with realtors or expensive commissions. So if you’re looking to sell your house as soon as possible, and you don’t want to deal with the tricky real estate market, make sure you call us right away. You won’t regret your decision.