I have decided that I want to sell my affordable home, what do I need to do?

The first step is to contact the City of Davis Affordable Housing staff at affordablehousing@cityofdavis.org and let them know you would like to sell your home.

Staff will send you a Notice of Intent to Sell form which you will fill out and return. Everyone's name who is on title must sign this form. Please allow City staff least 14 days to calculate the maximum sales price for your home before you intend to begin showing your home to potential buyers on the Waitlist.

I am considering selling my house in the next 6 months to a year, can you calculate the sales price for me?

No, the sales price is based off the date the home intends to go on the market. When the seller has decided to put the home on the market, they must submit a Notice of Intent to Sell form and choose a date to put the home up for sale. The City of Davis is unable to provide any estimated sales prices without an owner taking these steps. These steps should only be taken when the owner knows they will put their home up for sale in the next three months.

The City of Davis calculates the sales price is based on a 3.75% appreciation per year from its original date of sale, compounded annually. Southfield Park is the only exception with an appreciation cap of 5.5% per year. The appreciate cap cannot be adjusted.

Can I negotiate the price to set for the home?

No, the appreciate cap is pre-determined and cannot be adjusted.

No, renovations or modifications will not be included into the sales price. The appreciation cap is already determined and cannot be adjusted. Any renovations or modifications will not be included into the sales price. This is to ensure and maintain affordability.

No, the sales price provided to the seller can always be LOWERED to encourage sales if a home is not selling.  However, it CANNOT INCREASE from the maximum sales price provided to the seller.

Setting the date to begin showing your home to potential buyers from the Affordable Home Ownership Waitlist 

You will determine a date you wish to start showing your home in coordination with City staff so they are able to notify potential buyers from the Affordable Home Ownership Waitlist that they can view your home. 

What happens during the first 60-business days of the home being up for sale?

City of Davis staff will reach out to potential buyers on the Affordable Home Ownership Waitlist to determine their interest in purchasing your home. Those interested in viewing your home will schedule an appointment with you or your realtor (whomever you specified on the Offer Notice) to see the home within 72 hours AND let the City of Davis know if they are interested in purchasing the home. You will only be showing your property to those on the Waitlist for the first 60-business days. 

Those interested in purchasing will then proceed through the income and asset qualification process with the City of Davis. No offers should be made by potential buyers or accepted by the seller until the household is income and asset qualified by the City of Davis to make said offer.

As soon as we have a person or persons interested in the property who can income and asset qualify, the City of Davis will notify the seller of these individuals. The seller will then choose the buyer, if there is more than one, who has qualified to purchase the home, within 72 business hours. In order to keep the process moving, the fully executed contract needs to be signed within 72 business hours of the City informing the seller of the eligible buyer(s).  The fully executed contract will be sent by the seller’s agent to the City of Davis the day it is signed.

The buyer and seller must close escrow within 90 days from the Offer Notice being received by the City of Davis.  

If they City of Davis fails to find an eligible buyer within the first 60-business days then the seller can find their own buyer. After the First Right of Refusal (60-business days) the home cannot be sold for more than the maximum sales price calculated and all other deed restrictions apply. The only change is that the buyer will not need to income or asset qualify to purchase the home.

Commission and Fees

The amount of any commission you pay to your agent will be in addition to the 1% fee payable to the City of Davis for certification of the buyer as eligible. This fee is to be paid by the seller. Buyers are not to be burdened with fees typically paid for by the seller.  Until recently, in a typical sales transaction, the commission was generally paid by the seller. In order to avoid making it more difficult for the buyer to obtain an affordable home, this practice of the seller paying for the buyer's realtor's commission will remain the same. The City’s position is that there should be no undue hardship placed on the buyer.

Close of Escrow

Anyone wishing to close escrow in less than 30 days must first discuss this with the Affordable Housing Manager to determine whether this is possible.