If you are thinking of buying sometime in the next year, here are a few reasons why you should go ahead and talk to a lender now rather than waiting: Continue reading
Making the Decision to Sell
If you are a homeowner, the idea of selling your house has undoubtedly crossed your mind at least once. There are countless reasons why people consider selling their homes. Maybe it’s time to trade up to something larger or downsize to something smaller. Maybe your kids are nearing school age and you’d like to be in a better district. You could be considering a job transfer or a change in family situation. Making the leap from “considering” a home sale to actually listing your house can be a difficult process with many considerations. Here are some things to consider as you make your decision. Continue reading
Tips for First Time Home Sellers
Buying a home for the first time is generally an experience that is both monumentally exciting and agonizingly stressful at the same time. If you have made it through that process and are now enjoying the pride and benefits of owning your own home, you have successfully jumped one of life’s major hurdles. However, if you are like most first time homeowners, you did not buy your dream house – you are more likely living in a great starter home that is hopefully going to enable you to build equity and move up to a bigger and better home. Continue reading
When You Can’t Afford What You Want
Every once in a while, I’ll turn on the TV and see one of those California tourism ads that show young, tanned people splashing in the ocean, going on wine tastings, enjoying Disneyland and mountain biking around the state. Those are the ads that make my East Coast friends green with envy when I say I’m soaking up the 85-degree weather here in Los Angeles in February. However, anyone who has ever lived in LA will probably agree that all that California sun comes at a price – a ridiculously high price. If you are considering buying a home in LA – especially if you didn’t grow up here or are moving here from another state – you are probably experiencing some major sticker shock right now. Continue reading
Types of Lenders
For most people, the first serious step in the home buying process is talking with a lender about getting pre-approved for a loan. These days, buyers generally understand that in order to know what their purchasing power is – and to have the ability to actually submit an offer on a house – you have to start with a loan pre-approval. But who should you talk to in order to complete that process? Continue reading
You: What Your Agent Needs To Know
I recently had the opportunity to help out some colleagues in my office by writing an offer on their listing for some buyers who saw the property during an open house and didn’t have an agent. Most people probably think that agents love this type of situation – we get a call to write an offer for someone without having to do any “work” to help them find a house. However, the truth is that writing an offer is a fairly personal experience – one that can actually be kind of awkward if the buyers and the agent don’t have any kind of established relationship. Continue reading