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General Landlording & Rental Properties

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Kathy Johnson
  • Real Estate Professional
  • Hayfork, CA
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House in California for 15K?

Kathy Johnson
  • Real Estate Professional
  • Hayfork, CA
Posted Jan 2 2023, 20:14

There is a 2 bedroom house in Trona, CA listed for sale at $15,000.  There is only one photo from the street outside of the house and tenants are in the house so I am guessing that the unbelievably low price is due to some sort of issue about the tenants.  The inside could be totally trashed, but the outside doesn't look as bad as other houses listed for more than twice as much in the same area.

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Nathan Gesner
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Cody, WY
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Nathan Gesner
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Cody, WY
ModeratorReplied Jan 3 2023, 04:54
Quote from @Kathy Johnson:

There is a 2 bedroom house in Trona, CA listed for sale at $15,000.  There is only one photo from the street outside of the house and tenants are in the house so I am guessing that the unbelievably low price is due to some sort of issue about the tenants.  The inside could be totally trashed, but the outside doesn't look as bad as other houses listed for more than twice as much in the same area.


The median price in Trona is $65,000 which is a 26% increase over a year ago, but it's already dropped 3% this year and is expected to go lower.

Good news: I can't find a single property for rent in Trona, so it shouldn't be hard to find Tenants.

Bad news: A 2bed/1bath trailer is selling for $45,000 so this house must be really trashed. I would consider this a D- property and the town is probably the same. It sounds cheap, but I bet it comes with a lot of headaches.

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Carini Rochester
  • Investor
  • Rochester, NY
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Carini Rochester
  • Investor
  • Rochester, NY
Replied Jan 4 2023, 12:35

Look at the exterior (about 6 photos on Zillow.) Look at the neighborhood. Use Google street view to see the vicinity. What a mess! I wouldn't touch it.

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Greg M.#5 General Landlording & Rental Properties Contributor
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Los Angeles, CA
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Greg M.#5 General Landlording & Rental Properties Contributor
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Los Angeles, CA
Replied Jan 4 2023, 12:59

Trona! 🤣🤣🤣

A dying town, far from a major city, with lousy hot weather and no rain, and no job opportunities other than illegal drugs if you're willing to drive closer to Inyo.

There are worse places in CA. Not many, but there are. If you're looking for really cheap, look north where you can find homes in much nicer rural areas. 

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Henry T.
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Henry T.
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Replied Jan 4 2023, 15:50

I love it! A house with sewer for 15k. I'll take twenty please. No, just kidding. Yeah, the landlord has most likely given up. It's California. The thug dealers and their pitulls refuse to leave, and they don't have to, it's California. How much do you want to spend to get them out?  Better call Tony Soprano. You'll need a gang bigger than theirs. Looks like asbestos CAB siding, not a big deal. You can bury it in the bakyard, no one will care. Might find a few landlords back there too.

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Jack Mawer
  • Lender
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Jack Mawer
  • Lender
Replied Jan 4 2023, 16:53

Landlord has likely given up, I would look for something else even though the cheap price is tempting - unless you plan on tearing it down and building/some sort of fix/flip 

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Henry T.
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Henry T.
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Replied Jan 5 2023, 21:51

Google yourself down the street, half the houses are boarded up. ANd the yards double as garbage dumps. It's  def a dying town. Fascinating history, but DEAD. Sad. Unless you're running out of Borax.

Check out the Trona pinnacles , thousands of years old.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=tron...

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Henry T.
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Henry T.
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Replied Jan 5 2023, 21:53

Hey, Trona is in the encyclopedia of forlorn places.

https://eofp.net/trona.html