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.

Loans and Points?

“Gary, can you answer a question about loans and points? On the home we’re buying, we’re trying to decide if it’s worth paying points on our loan. We’re kind of lost. How do you figure that out?” ***ANSWER: Whether you pay points primarily depends on how long you plan to keep the loan. (Other factors:
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San Diego Home Buying

“Hi Gary. My wife and I are very interested in a home we just saw. I was told the seller wants to rent the house back for 30 days. If we make an offer, what rent should we expect them to pay?” ***ANSWER: Rentbacks are usually requested by the seller, as is your case. So
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Tips For Choosing A Real Estate Agent

“Hi Gary. We’re trying to choose an agent to sell our home in UTC. One of them suggested a higher price, but I’ve never heard of his company. The other is with XXXX [a large firm], so he’s probably pretty good. Who do you think we should go with?? ***ANSWER (Part 2 of 3): Last
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San Diego Home Inspections

“What if I buy a home and find a problem after I move in? Does the seller have to fix the problem?” ***ANSWER: Unless you have proof that the seller knew about the problem and didn’t disclose it, it’s your home and your problem. That’s why most people get home inspections and home warranties and
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1031 Exchange

“We just bought a fixer-upper house to fix and flip. The repair work is about done. We want to sell it and buy another and not loose a lot of $$ to the taxman. Can we do one of those 1031 exchanges so we don’t pay no taxes?” ***ANSWER: Two excellent real estate agents that
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Choosing A Real Estate Agent

“Hi Gary. We’re trying to choose an agent to sell our home in UTC. One of them suggested a higher price, but I’ve never heard of his company. The other is with XXXX [a large firm], so he’s probably pretty good. Who do you think we should go with?” ***ANSWER (Part 1 of 3): First,
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San Diego Home Buying

“With this buyer’s market, I’m dying to finally buy a home, but my work schedule is crazy and I’m constantly out of town on business. What things require me to be here?” ***ANSWER: You can do absolutely everything long distance, via phone, fax, email, and FED-X. But I strongly recommend you show up live to
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The Real pre-approval

“I just talked to a lender for about 10 minutes and I got pre-approved for a $550,000. That seemed a little to fast. I thought getting a loan was a little more complicated. Do you think I’m really approved?” ***ANSWER: No, I don’t. You’re right to be dubious. There’s pre-qualifying, there’s pre-approval, and there’s REAL
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San Diego Home Values

“We’re planning to sell our home in Carlsbad this June. Homes in our neighborhood are going in the 700s, but ours is much better than average, so we expect to at least get in the 800s. Do you think the low 900s would be pushing it?” ***ANSWER: Before I answer your question, please answer these
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School and Housing

“Hello Gary. We have a question for you. We’re looking for a home in Pacific Beach and we want our kids to go to Kate Sessions Elementary with their cousins. How close do we have to be to the school so our kids can go there?” ***ANSWER: That’s a great school. My kids went there
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