Is Now a Good Time To Buy a San Diego Home?

Question: “We’ve been on the fence. Do you think it’s a good time to buy right now?” Answer: That’s a version of what I call “The Crystal Ball Question.” Let me explain… What determines whether it’s a good time to buy? Factors include: Will prices go up or down? Will the for-sale housing inventory decrease
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Should You Apply for a Home Loan from a Credit Union

Question: “What do you think about applying for a home loan from a credit union?” Answer: There are pros and cons. In my opinion… The pro: Very occasionally credit unions may have a slightly lower rate than most lenders The cons (these are tendencies): They’re a little slow They have less loan options than other
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Don’t Wait for an Open House to See a San Diego Home

Question: “There’s a house I’d like to see on Conrad. I’ll just wait until they do an open house. Do you know when it will be open?” Answer: No, but you could be waiting a long time! Many people mistakenly believe that homes for sale are held open constantly AND that open houses are the
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Are Banks to Blame for the Bureaucratic Loan Process?

Question: “[Bank name] is ridiculous! I just refinanced and they asked me for the stupidest things to verify things that shouldn’t even matter and frankly isn’t really any of their business. I will never use them again…” Answer: I don’t blame you for being angry. And frankly, I get mad and frustrated with lenders too.
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Accepting Offers from People Who Haven’t Seen Your Home

Question: “My condo is listed for sale and I got an offer from someone who hasn’t even seen it yet. Should I accept it?” Answer: It depends… If you just put your condo on the market, I’d say NO. You don’t want to take it off the market during this prime early time and risk
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3 Homebuying Tips If You Can’t Find What You Want

Question: “I’m having trouble finding a home to buy. There isn’t a lot to choose from and all the nice ones seem to already have an offer. Any tips you can give me?” Answer: Here are three… Don’t automatically skip over homes with poor pictures. They could be real gems that are being overlooked due
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What’s the Best Way to Make Money Fast Investing in San Diego Real Estate?

Question: “What’s the best way to make money quickly investing in real estate?” Answer: Sorry, but if there were any get-rich-quick ideas that actually worked, everyone would do them…and they would no longer work. The closest thing to a useful answer I could give you is to wait until we have another downturn (2 years,
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The Downsides of Virtual Home Staging

Question: “Have you heard of virtual staging, where photos or graphics of furniture are added to photos of a vacant home to make it look staged. Do you recommend that?” Answer: I’ve heard of it. It’s a creative idea, but I recommend against it for 3 reasons: Homebuyers will be expecting a much nicer home
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Are There San Diego Condos Without HOA Fees?

Question: “Hi Gary. Could you please email me a list of condos without HOA fees in P.B., Clairemont, U.C., and nearby areas…” Answer: That would be a very short list. As in VERY short. I’d estimate that 99.9% of condos have HOA fees. The rare exception would be a 2-4 unit property converted to condos w/o
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1031 Exchange vs. Stepped Up Basis on Your San Diego Home

Question: “I inherited a condo from my dad last year and want to sell it and buy a rental property here. Should I do a 1031 tax deferred exchange?” Answer: [A 1031 exchange allows someone to sell an investment property, reinvest the proceeds in a new property, and defer some or all tax on the
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