Squatters, holdovers and the difference between them
The two situations look alike from the street and are not quite the same. A holdover tenant started out lawfully. There was a lease, it ended, and the tenant stayed on. Squatters never had a right to be there at all, or had one that lapsed a long time ago.
Either way the practical position for the owner is identical. Somebody is in your property, you are carrying the costs, and getting them out is not fast. We buy in both situations and we do not ask you to work out which one you have before we make an offer.
When squatters mean you cannot get into your own property
The part owners find hardest is the access. You are responsible for the property, the taxes, the insurance and anything that goes wrong inside it, and you cannot simply walk in to look.
We do not ask you to. We will not request that you force entry on anybody, and we do not make an interior inspection a condition of the offer. We price what we can see, assume conservatively about the rest, and tell you exactly what we assumed.
Why local knowledge changes the number
The median is up 8.68% year over year as of 2026-10. A firming market gives you a little room for error on price, which is worth more than it sounds when the house is not in showable condition. At a $902,038 median, Merrick buyers are paying enough that they expect the house to be finished. A dated kitchen is a deduction in a cheaper market and close to disqualifying in this one, which is why unrenovated houses here sit while the renovated ones move. The median house here goes under contract in about 24 days, which is quick for Long Island. It is also a figure that only applies to property in showable condition.
Merrick is roughly 22,040 people in Nassau County, ZIP 11566, and the housing stock is mostly hi-ranch, colonial, split-level. Around Merrick Road and Sunrise Highway, most of it is old enough that the mechanicals are on their second or third life. The Merrick stop pulls buyers who commute, which supports the good houses and does very little for the ones that need a roof. We have been buying across Nassau County for 15+ years. We know what the Merrick Union Free School District does to a resale price, which blocks still have oil tanks in the ground, and what a house like yours is actually worth here.
Squatters, holdovers and a Merrick buyer's lender
Most contracts require the seller to deliver vacant possession at closing. For an owner facing holdover tenants that is a promise nobody can safely make, because the date depends on a court rather than on the seller.
So the sale becomes conditional on something outside your control, and those deals collapse. Ours is not written that way. We take the property occupied and the occupancy becomes our responsibility at closing.
What we bring to a squatter or holdover problem
Owners sometimes call us apologetically, as though having squatters in a property reflects on them. It does not. It happens to careful people, particularly with a house that sat empty after a death in the family or during a renovation.
We take it from wherever it is. Tell us what you know, we will tell you plainly what we can pay and what we would do next in your position, and we will put you in front of an attorney if that is what the situation needs.
How selling a house with squatters or holdover tenants in Merrick works
- 1
You give us the address
The street address in 11566 and a sentence or two about the condition, by phone or the form. No photos needed, and nothing has to be cleaned or repaired first.
- 2
We come and look at it
One visit, one person, usually under half an hour. On a hi-ranch or colonial of the age most of Merrick was built, we are mainly looking at the roof, the boiler and the electric rather than the kitchen.
- 3
You see the number
Within a day you get our offer as one written figure. Get a Nassau County agent's opinion alongside it if that helps. For a house that could go on the market as it stands, listing may come out ahead, and we will tell you if so.
- 4
Closing happens on your date
If you need it done quickly, it can be. If probate, a tenant or a move means waiting, we wait. What you skip is the 69 to 84 days a Merrick listing usually spends on finding a buyer and then on that buyer's lender.
You do not have to see the case through yourself
If nothing has been filed yet, that is fine as well, and nothing needs filing before we buy. Whether starting something makes sense for you ahead of a sale is a question for a landlord-tenant attorney, and the answer turns on facts we would not want to guess at.
We will buy the house either way. The squatters or holdover tenants come with it.
What you do not pay when you sell a house with squatters or holdover tenants
Listing a house with squatters or holdover tenants the usual way brings each of these costs with it. Selling to us brings none of them.
- Agent commission
- $45,102 at 5% of the Merrick median none
- Seller closing costs
- About $18,041 on a $902,038 sale. We can cover these. none
- Repairs to make it listable
- Whatever it takes to make it listable, paid in advance none
- Cleanout and removal
- Dumpsters or haulers by the load, ahead of any viewing none
- Carrying costs while it waits
- Taxes, insurance and utilities across the 69 to 84 days it takes to find a buyer and then wait on their lender none
What the listed route realistically looks like
The honest comparison is our number against what a listing on a house with squatters in it produces here. Months of carrying a property that earns nothing, commission at the end, and a buyer pool limited to people who can close without a lender.
The median house in Merrick sold for $902,038 and took about 24 days to go under contract, then another 45 to 60 days waiting on the buyer's mortgage. That is 69 to 84 days in total, for a house that was ready to show on day one. We are happy to walk through it with you even if the conclusion is that you should wait.
Common questions
Will you buy a Merrick house with squatters in it?
Yes. We buy houses with squatters in place and take the occupancy on after closing. Nobody asks you to remove anyone, fund anyone's departure, or finish a case first.
My tenant's lease ended and they will not leave. What now?
You have options and one of them is selling the house with the holdover tenants still in it. Proceedings in New York are slow and the timeline depends on the court, so knowing what the house is worth with the holdover tenants in place is useful information while you decide.
How long does it take to get somebody out?
Nobody should hand you a number. It depends on the court, on the specifics, and on things outside anyone's control. A landlord-tenant attorney who works in your county will give you the most realistic read available, and we can introduce you to one.
Do you need to get inside before making an offer?
We prefer it, and we work with what is possible. Not being able to get inside is one of the defining features of these situations, so we plan for it rather than treat it as a surprise.
Will the neighbors know the Merrick house is being sold?
Not from us. There is no sign, no listing and no photographs online. One visit and a private closing.