How Long After Selling Can You Buy Another Home & Avoid Taxes?

Question: “I’d like to avoid paying taxes on the profit from my home. How long do I have after I sell my home to buy another one?” Answer: Well my friend, you’re either 1) behind the times or 2) confusing the rules for your principal residence with those for investment property: Until 1997, you had
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Having a Broker Caravan When Selling Your San Diego Home

Question: “How important is it to have a broker caravan when selling a home?” Answer: (A broker caravan, aka “broker open house” or “broker tour”, is typically a 2-3 hour period where a home is open for Realtors to come through and see it.) If you asked me this question 15 or more years ago,
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Should You Get an Appraisal Before Selling?

Question: “We plan to sell our home and get it on the market in the next few weeks. What’s the first step, getting an appraisal?” Answer: You certainly can get an appraisal, but you’ll be shelling out $500 for what your agent will do for free. Basically, your steps are: Find a good agent Determine
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Should You Credit Buyers Money Instead of Doing Repairs?

Question: “When I sold my house a few years ago, the buyer requested some repairs. I took care of them, but it was a big hassle. What do you think of crediting the buyer money instead?” Answer: That’s a great idea. While your homebuyer may not like the quality of work done on a repair,
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How Much Are Costs When Sell a San Diego Home?

Question: “How much are the costs when you sell a home?” Answer: In addition to the real estate fee, you will have: Just under 1% for title insurance, half the escrow fee, county transfer tax, HOA (homeowner association) documents (if any) and other smaller fees. An unknown amount for repairs the buyer requests that you
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Is the Buyer Responsible for Problems if They Waive Inspection?

Question: “We sold our house in Orange County in April and forgot to disclose that the fireplace was pulling away from the house. The buyer didn’t bother to have an inspection and now they’re threatening to sue us for the fireplace repair, which is around $5,000. Isn’t the buyer the one responsible if they decide
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Offering a Home Warranty When Selling Your San Diego Home

Question: “Do you recommend we offer a home warranty when we sell our home?” Answer: [Background: A home warranty is an insurance policy that covers certain things that can go wrong with the systems of a home, and can also include the roof, appliances, pool, etc.] “Ooh honey, I’m excited to see THAT house because
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Can You Cancel Your San Diego Home Listing & Hire a New Agent?

Question: “We listed our home 3 months ago. Even though our agent is with a big company and seemed very professional, he’s terrible. He’s made several big mistakes (wrong # of bedrooms and square footage on the flyer, etc.) and isn’t doing what he promised. Also, the price he recommended was way too high, which
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Don’t Base Your San Diego Home Value on an Appraisal

Question: “My home was appraised a couple of months ago for $725,000. What price do you think we should ask?” Answer: It depends on what your home is worth. But wait a second… You just had it appraised for $725,000, so that’s what it’s worth, right? Not necessarily. Check out the example I’ve reproduced to the right.
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Is Artificial Turf Better for Your San Diego Home?

Question: “Does replacing grass with artificial turf increase property value or not?” Answer: Great question. I used to say absolutely not. Now I’ll soften that and say probably not. But, with this water shortage, shouldn’t artificial turf make a home more desirable and slightly more valuable? As I’ve said before, people buy on emotion and
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