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.

Paying from Your Pocket During a Short Sale

[Context: I sent a client doing a short sale the offer to sign on their home.] “Do we have to pay anything from our pocket?” Answer: Simple question, long answer… Refer to the “Short Sale Addendum,” paragraph “A.” It says: “This Agreement is contingent upon…consent from all existing secured lenders…to reduce their respective loan balances
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Do Probate Properties Sell Over Their Appraisal?

“Hi Gary. I saw you quoted in the San Diego Union. Pretty cool. Question… What do you think about probate sales? I found one probate house appraised at 700K, but they’re asking 775K. Is it normal for probate properties to sell over their appraisal?” Answer: A probate sale of real estate can happen when someone
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The Importance of Pre-Approval

“I’ve been looking for a home for 2 months and agents keep pushing me to talk to a lender. I’m looking for a good deal and if I don’t find one I won’t buy. So I don’t want to waste my time or share my personal information unless I find a home. I make good
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When You Should Hurry to Make an Offer

“The last time I bought a home, the agent rushed me to make an offer. I’m going to tell the next agent I work with that if he or she tells me to hurry I’ll dump them and use someone else. Am I being unreasonable?” Answer: Even in normal (not overheated) markets, the best homes
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Defining A, B, C and D Neighborhoods

“I’m looking into buying apartments and I’ve heard brokers talk about A, B, C, & D areas. I think I understand, but can you explain?” Answer: A, B, C, & D are subjective grades used to describe both location and property quality. For location, here’s how I’d describe it. It’s a bit tongue in cheek,
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How Prop 60 Allows Transfer of Low Property Taxes

“Hello and thanks for your newsletter :o) I’m trying to keep track of real estate, with an eye to moving from a house to a condo. What’s all this about being able to keep your Prop 13 taxes if you’ve passed your 55th birthday? Are there any catches? Keep up the informative (and entertaining) work!”
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What Happens When the Appraisal Is Low

“Hey Gary. Question. What if when you’re buying a house the appraisal comes in low? Does the seller have to sell for that price?” Answer: Great question. It’s important to remember that a residential appraisal is really the appraiser’s opinion and may or may not be “correct.” If the appraisal comes in low, one of
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Paying Mortgage Insurance on a San Diego Home

“Hi Gary. We make good income, but we don’t have a lot of money to put down on a home. I’ve heard if you don’t put at least 20% down you have to pay mortgage insurance. Is there any way around that?” Answer: Not really. Mortgage insurance is required for almost all home loans with
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The Importance of a “For Sale” Sign

“How important is it to have a for sale sign up when we sell our home? We’d rather that our neighbors not know that we’re moving.” Answer: I highly recommend that you go with the “for sale” sign. A sign is an important tool in marketing and selling your home. And believe me, when your
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How Much Are California Property Taxes?

“Hi Gary. I’m from New Jersey, which has the highest property taxes in the country. I’m living here and looking to purchase a home and I want to know how much are property taxes?” Answer: California’s Proposition 13 limits your property taxes to 1% of the assessed value + voter approved local bonds, all totaling
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