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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San Diego’s Changing Housing Market

Question: “My wife and I were looking for a home a few months ago and gave up. We were tired of making offers and losing out to higher bidders and cash buyers. But I’m seeing a lot more for-sale signs. Do you think the market changed?” Answer: Yes! While most of the media is months
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How to Screen Potential Tenants

Question: “We’re in escrow buying a couple of condos as investments. We want to make sure we get good tenants. Can you suggest any tips for screening potential tenants?” Answer: I used to put on a seminar called, “Purchasing Duplex, Triplexes, & Fourplexes as a Home or Investment.” Here are some of the tenant-screening strategies
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Must I Fumigate My San Diego Home Before Selling?

Question: “Do I have to fumigate my house for termites in order to sell it?” Answer: Almost never. I’ll explain when you do have to fumigate, but first let me correct three myths about termite fumigations: Myth #1: “You’re legally required to fumigate when you sell.” Over the years, many of my clients have thought
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What to Watch Out for When Buying Investment Property

Question: “I want to buy an apartment building but I’m a little afraid the agent or seller will cook the books and my return won’t be what they say it is. What should I look out for?” Answer: You’re smart to be cautious. Here’s a list of things I look for when I buy or
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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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Can You Trade Your Pacific Beach Condo for a House?

Question: “I own a 3-bedroom condo in Pacific beach and I’d really like to trade it for a house with a yard and keep my monthly payments the same. Do you think that’s possible?” Answer: What are you willing to give up? You may be able to sell your condo and buy a small 2BR
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Don’t Leave the Loan in Your Name After a Sale

Question: (This is actually from an agent interested in buying one of my listings for himself.) “I’m interested in buying your fourplex. What if we took over the payments without telling the lender – never had the experience of lender calling the loan due – they just want to get paid. And we could put
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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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Must Sellers Disclose San Diego Home Appraisals?

Question: “I just bought a house and we closed a few days ago. We paid $550,000, but now I just heard from a neighbor that the old owner had the house appraised and it was for $525,000. Didn’t they have to disclose that?” Answer: Simple answer is “no.” But I rarely keep it simple, do
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