Should Your Agent Attend Your San Diego Home Showings?

Question: “I really don’t want to be bothered with showings of my home.  I talked with one agent who promised he’d accompany other agents for all the showings.  Would you be willing to do that?” Answer: No matter what happens, if you live in the house, somehow you’re going to be involved in the showings.
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What Will Convince Sellers to Let You Move In Early?

Question: “My fiancé and I are about to make an offer on a condo and REALLY want to be in by Christmas. My lender said there’s no way we can close by then. Since the condo is vacant, what can we say to let us move in early?” Answer: I always advise my seller-clients against
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Are There Down Payment Conventional Loans For 3% Down?

Question: “I keep hearing that there are low down payment conventional loans out there, for as little as 3% down.  Is that correct?” Answer: Mortgage lending programs keep “evolving.” A few months ago, Fannie Mae began accepting (buying) 3% down conventional loans up to $417,000 for the first time since the mortgage meltdown. Well, they’ve
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Sell Your San Diego Home Without Becoming Homeless

Question: “Gary, my wife and I want to move near the beach.  We need to sell to afford a new home.  But we’re afraid of selling and not finding a home and becoming homeless.  You must run into this all the time.  How do we handle this?” Answer: Great question!  Rest assured that in my
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How Does a Neighbor’s Ugly Home Affect Your Sale?

Question: “Does it make a difference when you sell your home if the neighbor’s property is unkept and ugly?  The house next door is a rental and the lawn is a mix of dead grass and tall weeds.  The paint is peeling and the garage door is broken.  How much will that impact selling my
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Are There Any Condos Without HOA Fees?

Question: “We rent right now and can barely afford a house, so my wife and I were thinking condo.  But I don’t want to pay those monthly association fees.  They’re a waste of money.  Are there any condos without fees?” Answer: Sorry.  Buying a condo almost always means you’ll be paying those pesky “HOA fees.” 
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Does Reducing the Price on Your Home Look Desperate?

Question: “I’m not sure I should reduce the price on my home.  Won’t that give the impression that I’m desperate or there’s something wrong with my home?” Answer: Quite the contrary. The typical reaction of agents and buyers is something like, “Oh, look, they’ve reduced the price on that one.  With a more attractive price,
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Do You Need Tenant Permission to Repair Your San Diego Home?

Question: [From a client whose rental house I listed] “Can you get me bids to make some repairs the flooring?  My property manager says I need to get the tenants’ permission to repair it.  Is that correct?” Answer: As the owner, you have the right to make repairs and you only need to give the
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Must Value Range Sellers Accept Any Offer in the Range?

Question: [From an agent (who should but doesn’t understand value range pricing) who brought an offer in the bottom half of the value range of a home I had listed] “My clients and I spent hours trying to make a deal happen that isn’t possible.  Why is there a range posted when your clients are
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Advantages of Investing in Residential vs. Commercial Real Estate

Question: “What are the advantages of investing in residential rather than commercial real estate?” Answer: Great question. Each has its advantages.  I always recommend residential for new investors as overall it’s much simpler than commercial real estate. Though I wouldn’t necessarily say residential is easier.  You could argue that dealing with residential tenant issues are
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