Should we still buy a house even if the seller won’t lower their price?

Question: “We found a house we like that just hit the market, but the seller won’t budge off his price. Do you think we should still buy it?” Answer: You haven’t provided me the most important information: What are they asking? What do you think it’s worth? If you like the home and it’s worth
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Should I buy a home with an unpermitted addition?

Question: “I was looking at a home that had one of those California Rooms built without a permit.  Is there a downside to buying a home with an unpermitted addition?” Answer: (A California room is typically a patio style room with many windows. FYI, in Florida they call these Florida Rooms!) Three possible issues come
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How to make an offer on a home with value range pricing

Question: “We made an offer on a home listed for 725-800K with value range pricing. We offered 730K and the seller wouldn’t go below 770K, so we didn’t get the house. Isn’t it illegal and misleading to say 725K was their lowest price, but not accept an offer over 725K?” Answer: First of all, contrary
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Why wasn’t my offer accepted?

Question: “My dad and I are looking for a house in Escondido. We found the perfect one after a couple of weeks. The list price was $515,000, and we told the Realtor to offer $450,000. She said we had nothing to lose and made the offer. But the seller rejected it and now their agent
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Where in San Diego is the best appreciation rate?

Question: “Where’s the best place to buy a home in San Diego to get the highest appreciation rate?” Answer: People ask me this all the time. Call me a boring theorist, but my answer is always this: All other things being equal, all parts of San Diego should appreciate at about the same % rate
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What home repairs are the most expensive?

Question: “I’ve got a dumb question for you. We’re planning to buy a home and will definitely have a contractor inspect it for us. I know no home is perfect. My question is, how do I know the difference between normal little things that we shouldn’t worry about versus things that are a problem? Will
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How do I find off market properties?

Question: “Do you have any homes that are not on the market?” Answer: Yes! Not only do we typically have a handful of “Coming Soon” homes, I often know of other homes before they hit the market. But wait, there’s more… We’ve developed several other sources of homes we use to find just the right
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How much do I pay the agent who is showing us homes?

Question: We are starting to look for a home but are not sure about using an agent. How much would we have to pay them? Answer: Great question! The answer most of the time is… Zero! Of course, real estate agents don’t work for free. In practice, the seller almost always pays both agents. There
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Can I bring my dog when I go to see a home?

Question: “Is it okay to bring my dog inside when I see a home?” Answer: Great question. First of all, I love, love, LOVE dogs. But even though you and I and most normal people love dogs, you should never bring your dog into a home you’re viewing without permission. The owner may be allergic,
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How do you make a backup offer?

Question: “My wife and I made an offer on a home. They accepted another offer, but we asked and they said they’d keep us as a backup. But we found out the offer they accepted fell through and they sold to someone else without even telling us. Is that legal?” Answer: From your question, it
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