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.

Making Offers On San Diego Real Estate

“Hi, do you think the bank will consider an offer of $150,000 for this place? According to the latest statistics, Julian homes have taken a 75% hit.” ***ANSWER: Julian has not dropped even close to 75%. The statistic you refer to is based on one June home sale, which is not statistically significant. When you
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Difference Between a Short Sale & an REO

“What’s the difference between a short sale and an REO?” ***ANSWER: Great question. Right now, there are basically 3 situations homes are in when they’re for sale: standard, short sale, & REO. By “standard”, I mean your typical situation where Mr. & Mrs. Smith are selling a home. Nothing unusual about it. A short sale
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Renewing Mortgages In San Diego

“I’ve seen how many homeowners who don’t pay their mortgages are being helped out with lower interest rates, having their mortgages re-done. How about those of us who have high interest loans but pay the mortgage every month and are never late. It seems unfair to us. Is there any help? We are also upside
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Termites In San Diego Homes

“When I buy a home, does it have to be tented for termites? I don’t want me or my 2-year-old to breath in all those poisonous chemicals…” ***ANSWER: First of all, homes only need to be tented for termites if there is evidence of active infestation of “drywood” or swarming termites. If not, no tent
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Using Credit Line To Buy A San Diego Home

“I want to buy another home in a few months using the credit line from my current home…” ***ANSWER: Let me stop you right there and give you this advice: Use it or lose it! Did you read the Union-Trib article three weeks ago about a gentleman whose bank slashed his credit line in half?
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Selling A San Diego Home

“Hi Gary. My wife and I thinking about selling our home. What’s your marketing plan?” ***ANSWER: Great question, and here’s an even better one: “What is your complete plan to sell our home?” Marketing is but one of several key steps to successfully selling your home. Here they are the major things you hire an
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How Banks Price San Diego Foreclosures

“How do banks price their foreclosures?” ***ANSWER: Great question. Typically, my bank clients will get price opinions from me, an appraiser, and another agent. They then analyze all three opinions and come up with a price. Occasionally, the size of the loss the bank is eating impacts their pricing. Of course, this has nothing to
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Saving For A Down Payment

“Hi Gary. My wife and I make good money, over 100K, but we haven’t saved for a down payment. Can we still buy a home?” ***ANSWER: Yes! Because you have a high income, you won’t qualify for any government down-payment assistance programs. However, you still have three great options: 1. VA If you or your
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Fumigating San Diego House

“Are you always required to fumigate your house for termites when you sell?” ***ANSWER: Not necessarily. I’ll explain when you do have to fumigate, but first let me correct three myths about termite fumigations: Myth #1: “You’re legally required to fumigate when you sell.” Over the years, many of my clients have believed this. There’s
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Selling & Buying In San Diego

“Hi Gary, I have thought about possibly trading my home for a townhome, so you might tell me about how many people do that. Thank you…” ***ANSWER: AS I mentioned in a recent newsletter, a literal trade (as in “I’ll trade my property for yours”) is rare because for that to happen: * You’d have
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