Selling in Spring Valley, including the houses with tenants
Spring Valley fits 33,066 people, by the 2020 Census count, into about two square miles. That works out to more than 16,000 residents per square mile, roughly seven times the density of New City a few miles away. A village that crowded runs on rentals and multi-family houses, and that is a big part of what we buy here. We also buy single-family homes from owners who live in them.
Three out of four homes are rented
Census estimates put Spring Valley’s owner-occupied rate at about 25 percent, lower than in Newburgh or Poughkeepsie. Households are large too, averaging more than three and a half people. In practice that means a lot of two- and three-family houses, single-family houses with an apartment carved out downstairs, and small buildings owned by landlords who may or may not live nearby.
If you own one of those properties, the reasons to sell tend to be practical. The building needs a new roof or boiler that the rents can’t cover. A tenant has stopped paying and the court process is dragging on. The units were divided years ago and nobody is sure what the certificate of occupancy actually allows. Or you are simply finished with being a landlord and want the equity out in one piece.
We buy in exactly those circumstances. You do not need to empty the units, finish an eviction, or legalize an apartment before selling to us.
Selling with tenants: what we need from you
- Copies of any written leases, and a note on any verbal arrangements
- Rent amounts by unit and who is paid up
- Security deposits you are holding
- Any notices you have served or court papers filed
- Utility setup: which meters are shared and who pays what
With that, we can price the building honestly and plan how to handle each unit after closing. Deposits and prepaid rent are settled between us at the closing table, under the guidance of the attorneys.
Layouts that don’t match the paperwork
In a village this dense, plenty of houses have been reconfigured over the years: a basement apartment, an attic bedroom, a second kitchen. Sometimes those changes were approved and sometimes they weren’t. A buyer using a mortgage may be stopped cold by that, because the lender and appraiser go by the legal use. We look at what is actually built, compare it with the records, and price in the cost of making it right after we own it. Tell us what you know; we would rather hear it from you than discover it in the title or municipal search.
One village, two towns
The Village of Spring Valley sits mostly inside the Town of Ramapo, with a smaller piece reaching into the Town of Clarkstown. Your house is taxed by the village and also by whichever town it sits in, plus Rockland County and your school district, and the bills come from different offices on different schedules. That can make it hard to know exactly what is owed when you decide to sell.
You don’t need to sort it out alone. The title company checks every taxing authority during the search, the attorneys apportion the current bills at closing, and any back taxes are paid from your proceeds. After closing, the deed is recorded with the Rockland County Clerk on South Main Street in New City.
Plain talk, in whatever language works
Most Spring Valley residents speak a language other than English at home, according to Census survey estimates, about three in four. If you would be more comfortable with a relative, friend or interpreter on the phone or at the walk-through, bring them in. The same goes for your attorney: hiring one who speaks your language is a smart choice in any New York sale, and the choice of lawyer is always yours.
Whatever language the conversation happens in, the steps stay the same. We visit the property. We give you a written offer, usually within a day, that explains how we reached the price. If you accept, the attorneys handle the contract and a title company handles the search. With clean title, closing can come in as little as about a week; with tenants, liens or an estate, it may take longer, and we agree on the date together. No commission is taken from your proceeds.
For commuters weighing whether to stay, Spring Valley is the northern end of the Pascack Valley Line toward Hoboken, and the Thruway runs right alongside the village. For owners who have decided to go, we are a straightforward option.
If it’s the house you live in
Not every Spring Valley seller is a landlord. About a quarter of the village’s homes are lived in by their owners, and when one of those families calls, the questions are different. Can we stay until the school year ends? What happens to the furniture we don’t want? Will we have enough left after the mortgage to put down on the next place?
We can answer the first two right away: yes, we can set a later closing date, and you can leave behind whatever you don’t want to take. The third depends on your payoff and our offer, so we put the number in writing and walk you through it before you commit to anything. If the figures show you would do better listing with an agent, we will point that out.
Spring Valley owners ask
Will you buy a Spring Valley house with tenants who are not paying?
Yes. We buy occupied rentals, including units with tenants who are behind on rent or in the middle of a court case. Share what paperwork you have and we will price the property as it actually stands.
The basement apartment may not be legal. Can I still sell to you?
Yes. We look at what is built, compare it with the municipal records, and factor in the cost of legalizing or removing it after closing. You do not need to fix it before selling.
My house is in the Village of Spring Valley but the tax bill mentions Ramapo. Is that normal?
Yes. The village lies mostly within the Town of Ramapo, with a small part in Clarkstown, so you can receive village, town, county and school tax bills. The title company checks all of them and the attorneys settle them at closing.
What happens to the security deposits I am holding?
They are accounted for at closing, with the attorneys making sure the deposits are credited so we can take over responsibility for them along with the tenancies.