What Should Be Repaired Before Selling?

“Question: I had my noisy central air conditioning at my Pacific Beach home looked at and recommendation was to get a new unit for about $3,000. You think that’s something that really should be done before house goes on market?” Answer: It’s a judgment call, but I recommend you do not change it now. When
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Pricing Your San Diego Home Right Gets More Offers

Question“My neighbors just listed their San Diego home and I know they got several offers the first week. Do you think that means they should have asked a higher price?” Answer: Not necessarily. Yes, San Diego homes that are priced too low usually attract multiple offers. However, you can also get multiple offers if your
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Finding the REAL Worth of Your San Diego Home

“I’m thinking of selling my La Jolla home and buying a bigger one. And I’m concerned about asking the right price. Everyone talks about list price, sales price, CMA, appraised value, etc. But what is a home really worth?” Answer: Great question. Recently a young man told me his condo had just appraised at $460,000.
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5 Options for Selling a Home & Buying Another

Question “We live in Clairemont and we’re ready for a bigger house, but I don’t know how to go about this. I don’t want to sell mine until I’ve got another one, but I have to sell to get the money to buy the next one. How do people do this?” Answer: I hear San
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How Much Are Closing Costs When Selling?

“How much should I expect to pay in closing costs when selling my home?” Answer Depending on how much your San Diego home sells for, a rough rule of thumb for seller’s closing costs is .5% to 1%. The .5% is more for multi-million dollar homes. For simplicity, use 1%. Note that this does not
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What to Disclose When Selling Your San Diego Home

“Hi Gary, my husband and I will be calling you next month to sell our La Jolla home. I’m doing my homework now and have a question: What are we supposed to disclose? We want to do the right thing and also avoid any problems after we sell…” Answer: You’re legally required to disclose anything
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Selling Your Home vs. Continuing to Rent it Out

My mom, who is 60, lives in OC and owns a townhome. She has a situation with the renters. She doesn’t know whether to just sell or continue renting it out. My mom has several health issues and feels this “rental” is causing her extra stress. I told her to make a pro’s and con’s
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Sellers, Just Sign Those Escrow Papers

From an owner whose home is in escrow: “I’m not going to sign the escrow papers until I know how the physical inspection went…” Answer: You’ve already signed the contract and signing the escrow papers makes you no more or less committed. But waiting to sign could lead to delays as escrow needs to know
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Reducing the Price of Your San Diego Home

“Hi Gary. I own a University City home that I need to sell because I’m moving to L.A. I listed with my sister’s friend who I don’t know at all. It’s been on the market over 3 months and she keeps telling me to reduce the price. I don’t want to go any lower because
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Why Do Sellers Pay Title Insurance?

“There are so many costs to sell a home. Why am I supposed to pay for title insurance? I know there are no liens against my home. I’m sure a simple title search would show this.” Answer: Great question. Several clients have asked me this over the years… Title insurance covers more than just recorded
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