Licensed since 1984, San Diego real estate broker Gary Kent is a recognized authority on real estate. In addition to selling over 5,500 homes for clients, he has been an expert court witness, trainer of other agents, and he does seminars on home buying, home selling, and investing. Gary has sold homes for The Salvation Army, dozens of major banks, and Fannie Mae, amongst others. You can find Gary on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Selling vs. Renting a San Diego Home
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
“We’re retiring and moving to Georgia to be near family. Do you think we should sell our University City home or rent it?” Answer: Let me start by saying I’ve advised many people NOT to sell their homes, depending on their situation. I say that because I obviously have a self-interest to just advise you
- Published in FAQs, Home Selling, San Diego
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FHA Loans on Du-, Tri- & Fourplexes
Friday, 09 September 2011
Is it possible to get an FHA loan on a duplex, triplex, or fourplex? Answer: I was recently discussing that topic with my favorite lender, Robert Geiler of Rancho Financial. Here are the relevant bullet points of our conversation: – All FHA loans are for owner-occupants – The typical FHA loan is 3.5% down –
- Published in Home Financing, Real Estate Resources
Canceling an Agent’s Contract
Tuesday, 06 September 2011
“Help! My mother inherited a University City home. She’s not real estate savvy, so she asked me to handle it for her. I hired an agent and he hasn’t called us since listing the home 3 weeks ago. I’m planning to call him to find out what’s going on, but I can already tell we
- Published in FAQs, Home Selling, San Diego
Houses vs. Condos: Which Appreciate More
Saturday, 03 September 2011
“Which do you think will appreciate more, a house or a condo?” Answer: For some reason, many people automatically assume that houses appreciate more. It’s probably because houses are generally preferred over condos. However, this preference is taken into account by the fact that a house will sell for more than a condo of the
- Published in FAQs, Real Estate Investment, San Diego
The Five Returns of Real Estate
Thursday, 01 September 2011
No question today, but here’s some info you may find interesting: What are the 5 returns of real estate? 1. Positive cashflow 2. Appreciation 3. Sweat equity 4. Principal paydown 5. Depreciation deduction Many people only think of #1 and #2. #3 never comes up. But a benefit of rental real estate is you can
- Published in Real Estate Investment, Real Estate Tips, San Diego
Zillow: For Entertainment Purposes Only
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
“Hi Gary…I checked on Zillow and see my San Diego property is estimated at 691K, but it looks like the values listed on this site are quite high. I was thinking low 600’s. What would you estimate for the property as is?” Answer: We’re on the same page. Zillow does tend to be high. In
- Published in Real Estate Tips, San Diego
Is There Rent Control in San Diego County?
Friday, 26 August 2011
“I’m considering investing in San Diego real estate. I’m from the Bay Area where we have rent control. Do you have it in San Diego? If so, I’ll invest elsewhere as rent control is an outrageous infringement on people’s rights. It’s Big Brother telling you how much rent to charge. I hate it because it
- Published in Real Estate Investment, San Diego