Someone is living in your house, and it isn't you.
Selling a House With Squatters in California
We buy occupied properties as-is. You don't have to get anyone out first.
Yes, you can sell a house with squatters in California, and you do not have to remove them before selling. What changes is who can buy it: retail buyers and their lenders will not touch an occupied property with unclear possession, but cash buyers who purchase occupied houses can close with the occupants in place and handle the situation after closing, lawfully and at their own expense. Before anything else, one distinction matters: whether the people inside are squatters who never had permission or former tenants who stopped paying, because California treats those situations differently and the removal process is not the same. An attorney can confirm which one you have in a short conversation. Either way, the house can be sold.
How this usually happens
The house sat vacant after a parent passed or a tenant left, and someone moved in. By the time you found out, they had been there for weeks. This is one of the most common calls we get from Stockton and Sacramento, where vacant houses do not stay vacant long.
You may have been told you cannot remove them yourself, and that is true: California requires a legal process, and self-help measures like changing locks or shutting off utilities can put you, the owner, on the wrong side of the law. Do not let anyone talk you into shortcuts.
The mortgage, taxes, and insurance are still yours while it drags on. That is the real cost, and it is why an as-is sale to a buyer who takes the occupancy problem with the house is sometimes worth more than months of process.
You did nothing wrong. This is a property problem with a market solution.
Squatter or former tenant? The distinction that runs everything
A squatter entered without any agreement. A former tenant had one and stopped paying, or stayed past it. The removal process, the timeline, and the notices required are different for each, and getting it wrong resets the clock. We are not attorneys and this is not legal advice; a California landlord-tenant attorney can usually identify your situation in one consultation, and if you sell to us, resolving it becomes our job and our expense, guided by our counsel, through the lawful process.
Your Options, Side by Side
Real numbers. Real timelines. No surprises.
| Comparison | List Traditionally | Fix Then List | Sell As-Is for Cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timeline | Months: legal process first, then listing | As fast as 7-14 days after clear title | Varies |
| Upfront Costs | Attorney fees, court costs, carrying costs while it runs | None | Whatever the attorney quotes |
| Stress & Coordination | High, and it is yours the whole way | Low. One walkthrough, sometimes exterior-only | Moderate |
| Repairs & Cleanout | Whatever the occupants leave behind | None. We buy it occupied and as-is | Not yet knowable |
| Certainty | Depends on the process and the market after | Cash. No lender to object to occupancy | Low until possession is resolved |
| Best For | A clean case with a cooperative timeline, a house in good condition underneath, and the patience to see it through. Highest gross if it all goes smoothly. | Occupied now, bleeding carrying costs, or an inherited house you manage from out of the area. The price reflects that we take on the resolution, lawfully and at our expense. | Resolving occupancy first, then deciding between listing and a cash sale with the house empty. Sometimes right when the occupants are ready to leave and the house is valuable underneath. |
List Traditionally
Fix Then List
Sell As-Is for Cash
Column one is resolve-then-list. Column two is sell to us occupied, as-is. Column three is resolve first, then choose. Which is right depends on the occupants, the house, and what the carrying costs are doing to you.
What affects the number we can offer
- Whether the occupants are squatters or former tenants
- How long they have been in the property
- The condition we can verify, from inspection or exterior review
- Whether utilities are on and in whose name
- Any damage, accumulation, or belongings involved
- The house's underlying value in its neighborhood
- Estimated time and cost of lawful resolution
Stockton, Sacramento, and the Central Valley
Vacant-house squatting concentrates where houses sit empty: estates in probate, rentals between tenants, and homes whose owners moved away. In Stockton and Sacramento we see it most in older neighborhoods with deep lots and detached garages, and county-level data on vacancies tracks what our phone tells us. We buy occupied houses across the Central Valley and the Bay Area, in any condition, with the occupancy problem included. Start with the address and what you know about who is inside: (707) 202-5153.
How It Works
A simple, transparent process—no pressure at any step
Tell Us What's Going On
Complete our 2-minute form or give us a call. Share your situation—no judgment, just understanding.
We Review Your Property
Send photos or schedule a brief walkthrough. We look at records and ask a few clarifying questions.
You Get an Options Report
Not just a number—a clear breakdown of your paths forward with real net-to-you figures.
Choose Your Closing Date
If it fits, pick the timeline that works for your life. We handle all the paperwork and logistics.
You can say no at any point. No pressure, no obligations.
When you should not sell to us
If the occupants are ready to leave on their own, or your attorney tells you resolution will be quick and clean, resolving it and then listing a vacant house will usually net you more, and we will say exactly that in your Options Report. We are the right call when the situation is entrenched, the carrying costs are compounding, or you are done spending your life on this house.
Common Questions
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