Can You Outbid a Backup Home Offer?

Question: “There’s a home next door to some friends that my wife and I just missed out on. Now our friend tells us he heard the sale is cancelling. So our agent called the seller’s agent saying we’ll raise our offer $10,000 over the asking price, but was told they had an accepted backup offer
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How Long Is Your San Diego Home Inspection Good For?

Question: “We made an offer on a house and the seller had a home inspection done 4 months ago. How long are home inspections good for?” Answer: There’s no generally agreed “expiration” date for a home inspection. But I’d say any inspection done in the past 6 months is still going to be pretty current.
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San Diego Market Update: March 2014

How’s the real estate market doing? Well, here’s a quick summary. As you know, we had gravity-defying roller coaster thrill rides: Up (2001 to 2006), down (’07 to ’11), and up again (’12 to mid-’13). Since then, the market has been a bit tamer: June ’13 thru Sept. ’13: Flat Oct. ’13 thru Nov. ’13:
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What Furniture to Keep When Selling Your San Diego Home

Question: “Hi Gary, we inherited a house that we’ll be calling you to sell.  We’ve moved out some of the furniture, but there’s still a couch,  bed, a couple of chairs, and a coffee table.” Answer: Depending on the home and the furniture, some homes look better furnished. But… Leaving just a few sticks of
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Should You Buy a 1-Bedroom Condo?

Question: “Is buying a 1BR condo a bad idea because they’re hard to resell?” Answer: No. First of all, like any real estate, they’re not hard to resell if priced correctly. But if they were undesirable, that would (or at least should) be reflected in the form of lower prices.
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How Long Do You Have to Make an Offer?

Question: “A house just hit the market that we like.  How long do you think we have to make an offer?” Answer: A day? An hour? I don’t know how long it will take other potential buyers to offer on the specific home you like.  But I’ve received offers in as little as an hour
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How to Improve Your Credit Score

Question: “Can you share any tips on how to improve someone’s credit score?” Answer: Here are several smart ways to improve your credit score… 1. Carefully review your credit report Most credit reports have at least one error that will lower your score. Read your credit report line by line and report any errors in
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Should You Set Your Alarm When Selling Your Home?

Question: “We have an alarm on our home and want to keep it on when we’re not at home.” Answer: Do you like to annoy your neighbors?  Do you enjoy frequent visits from the police?  Do you like paying fines for excessive false alarms? If so, go right ahead and set your alarm. What I’m
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Can a Homeseller Make Me Use a Certain Lender?

Question: “Can a homeseller make me use a certain lender? I’m looking at a home and the listing agent says I have to use their lender. Isn’t that illegal?” Answer: I just listened to a real estate legal seminar and they discussed that very topic. It is 100% legal for the seller to require you
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Agents Can Sell You or Advise You

Question: “Hi Gary. Thank you for coming by my condo, but I’m going to hire Joyce from ABC Realty [names changed]. You said I could only get $475,000, but I’d like to get $550,000. Joyce seemed really positive that she could get me the $550,000.” Answer: When an agent walks in your door, they can
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