how to buy a home: Is 15 Minutes Long Enough?
- 03/17/21 10:56 PM
Is 15 Minutes Long Enough for a House Tour?
When anxiously awaiting a particular event or occurrence, 15 minutes seems like a heckuva long time.
But when you are running late for an appointment? Oh my, that 15 minutes is gone in a flash. Much too fast!
So how about when touring homes for sale?
Our local market is crazy right now, as I suspect is true in many areas around the country. For us, this means limited time frames to see homes because of the sheer volume of buyers who are clamoring to see listings, and sellers in occupied homes wanting to limit showings, … (43 comments)
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how to buy a home: Home Buyers, Are You Up to the Competition?
- 09/19/20 12:17 PM
Home Buyers, Are You Up to Facing Today's Competition?
Buying a home in today’s market is tough. As a home buyer, are you up to facing the competition?! Are you really prepared and are you serious?
Market conditions in many areas are challenging, with limited inventory in multiple price points, and lots of buyers (due to pent up demand, and great interest rates, among other reasons) who want to buy and can afford to do so. In short, what these conditions mean is that if you want to buy home you likely will be facing competition for properties that come on the market … (34 comments)
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how to buy a home: Buyers, Do You Have 2020 Vision?
- 12/22/19 03:57 PM
Carlsbad Buyers – How's Your 2020 Vision?
This is not about your eyesight in the home-buying process. Not that good eyesight isn’t nice to have, and helpful when looking at houses, perusing listings online, and reading through all the paperwork once you are in a transaction.
This is about having a vision for your home purchase in 2020,
if buying a house is your intent.
Going about your purchase without a plan, and a vision of what you hope to have, is pretty foolish and likely to lead to frustrations and wasted time, not to mention possible failure. And it might be an indicator … (14 comments)
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how to buy a home: Carlsbad Home Buyer Resources for 2020
- 12/11/19 07:43 PM
Carlsbad Home Buyer Resources for 2020
If you are considering buying a Carlsbad home in 2020, or one in a nearby community, you’ll find these home buyer resources helpful.
HOME BUYER GUIDE
My free 2020 Winter Home Buying Guide is ready, and you can download it for FREE. If you are planning to sell your home and buy another this guide will help you, too!
As a buyer it’s important to become as educated about the home search and buying process as you can before getting started, even if you are an experienced home buyer! There’s a lot to know, and important decisions to make.
While … (17 comments)
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how to buy a home: How Much House Can I Afford? What Every Homebuyer Needs to Know
- 05/16/18 12:17 PM
Carlsbad home buyers - do you know how much you can afford? If you don't you really should, and BEFORE you start the home hunting process, and here's why this is important.
And it's not just about the mortgage but the costs of buying, taxes, and the expenses once you own a home.
The question, how much house can i afford, is one where a lot of people have gone wrong in calculating their house affordability. Unfortunately if you get this wrong, it can end up ultimately ending in foreclosure. You need to fully understand how much a house will cost … (6 comments)
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how to buy a home: Are You Watching the Housing Market Like a Hawk?
- 02/21/18 02:41 PM
Are You Watching the Housing Market Like a Hawk?
If you are a home buyer in Carlsbad and other North San Diego County communities (and other housing markets around the country), you no doubt realize inventory is very tight in many price points, and the market favors sellers.
Are you watching the market like a hawk?
The Red Tailed hawks I see in our area are ever-vigilant for that next meal…are you that watchful?
I sure hope so, given how quickly some homes can go pending.
Searching for, and buying, a home is pretty much a full time job, and in our market something you … (7 comments)
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how to buy a home: A Home Buying Strategy for 2018
- 12/29/17 12:16 PM
Home Buying Strategy for Carlsbad Buyers in 2018
If you are planning to make what will be the biggest financial investment in your life, and buy a new home in 2018, you have to have a strategy. You DO have one, don’t you?
There are key things to have in place so that you can be successful with finding, and purchasing, a house in Carlsbad or elsewhere here in North San Diego County. And there's a lot to know about how to buy a home.
And if you are looking to buy a vacation home, there are some essential things to know about buying … (8 comments)
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how to buy a home: Bonding with Your New House – A Special Moment
- 10/27/17 04:16 PM
You've Closed on Your New House
Now it's Time to Bond!
A special moment arrives for most buyers when you become the new owner. You might get a call from your agent that you are the new homeowner, or you might be sitting around the closing table signing documents when it finally happens. Depends on how things work in your area.
You’ve been anticipating this for a long time, with a wide range of emotions…not just weeks, but perhaps months, or longer.
But when it’s official you are the new owner, it’s a very special moment indeed. It might take a few minutes to get … (31 comments)
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how to buy a home: It’s OK to Say This House is Not the Right One and You Should!
- 10/22/17 10:42 PM
It’s OK to Say This House is Not the Right One,
and You Should!
House hunting is a pretty emotional process, with lots of excitement and anticipation once you find homes you are interested in seeing, especially when you are first starting on your search. There can be lots of ups and downs in your emotions, especially when excitement about a certain home turns to immediate disappointment when you walk in the door, or when you are pleasantly surprised at what you find.
Hopefully, you are embarking on your house search with your pre-approval in hand, and with a pretty good idea of what … (28 comments)
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how to buy a home: 10 Things to Consider When Buying a Second Home (Part 2)
- 09/29/17 12:16 PM
Consider These 10 Things
When Buying a Second Home (Part 2)
Buyers desiring a second or vacation home have a number of important considerations before making a decision about where, when and how to buy that property. And what they specifically want and need for that second home is a critical discussion to have.
These issues may differ in important ways from decisions made for your primary home purchase. So give careful consideration to what these differences might be before you get too far along in the process.
Here’s what was discussed in Part 1:
Lifestyle issues (how might your second home lifestyle differ … (9 comments)
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how to buy a home: Contract Dates Are There for a Reason so Pay Attention!
- 06/27/17 03:41 PM
Contract Dates Are There for a Reason. Pay Attention!
The Residential Offer to Purchase contract (RPA) here in California is a critical document, one that is filled with deadlines that buyers, and sellers, must adhere to.
Learn more about how to buy a home at Home Buying Tips and Advice (videos).
Not paying attention to due dates, or abiding by them, can put your transaction at risk, and maybe even cost you money. I can’t provide legal advice as I am not an attorney, but I can tell you there are potential risks when a buyer or seller does not abide by contract dates.
Here … (27 comments)
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how to buy a home: 8 Essential Strategies for First Time Buyers
- 06/26/17 01:48 PM
8 Home Buying Tips for First Time Buyers
Buying a home is a huge process and a substantial financial one. As a first time buyer there are some important things you should do in order to have a good experience and be successful in your quest to become a homeowner.
So, assuming you have made the decision to buy your first home, and are serious about it, let’s talk about what you need to do.
GET ALL YOUR PAPERWORK IN ORDER
You will be surprised at how much paperwork lenders require these days, so any upfront work you can do to get it all in … (27 comments)
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how to buy a home: FAQ: 10 Home Buying Myths To Stop Believing NOW! (If Not Sooner!)
- 06/24/17 09:14 AM
You no doubt have heard one or more of these before - they've been around for a while - but unfortunately there are still some who believe them. Well worth a read, and sharing with buyers!
If you are new (or even not so new) to the home buying process, there are 10 myths about buying a home that you need to stop believing NOW!
MYTH #1
ALL REAL ESTATE AGENTS ARE THE SAME
FACT: Buyers think anyone with a real estate license is equally capable of assisting them in buying a home. But does everyone with a driver’s … (4 comments)
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how to buy a home: Prove to Sellers You're Serious: Be Pre-Qualified!
- 06/22/17 07:29 AM
We all know how important it is to get pre-qualified as a buyer, especially in our competitive market, yet so many buyers don't seem to understand the importance and value of doing so. This will help them get it!
Prove to Sellers You're Serious: Be Pre-Qualified!
Be Pre-Qualified for your Mortgage before you go and view homes!
There, I've said it. First thing. Right out of the box. So it can't be missed.
I place that advice right at the top of this post in bright colors so it's not overlooked. And because it's such a very important message, especially for buyers … (14 comments)
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how to buy a home: Buyers’ Expected Costs in a Real Estate Transaction
- 06/20/17 04:21 PM
Buyers’ Expected Costs in a Real Estate Transaction
There are multiple costs a buyer will need to pay in a real estate transaction here in the Carlsbad, and it’s important to understand what to expect so there are no, or few, surprises during the process of buying a Carlsbad home.
Your buyer agent should review some of this with you, of course, and you will also be apprised of costs associated with getting your loan, if applicable, by your lender.
Keep in mind that these real estate transaction fees will vary depending on where you are buying the property, perhaps the type of … (15 comments)
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how to buy a home: Buyer FAQ: How Do I Pay my Property Taxes and When are They Due?
- 06/19/17 04:44 PM
Buyer FAQ:
How Do I Pay my Property Taxes and When are They Due?
You've probably heard that nothing in this world is certain, except death and taxes. Or some variation of that. That, of course, includes California property taxes.
Buyers commonly ask about property taxes when buying a home here in Carlsbad, or elsewhere in San Diego. Usually the first question is how much the taxes are for a particular house.
An important question, really a 2-part one, is “how do I pay my property taxes here in San Diego and when are they due?”
If you are getting a loan and are … (21 comments)
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how to buy a home: Buyer FAQ: What Does “You are Clear to Close” Mean?
- 06/17/17 08:14 AM
Buyer FAQ:
When Getting a Loan What Does “Clear to Close” Mean?
For home buyers in Carlsbad, there are several common phrases typically heard in a real estate transaction that will bring a smile to the face, and perhaps a more jubilant reaction.
The first is “your offer has been accepted.” Who doesn’t rejoice when this is heard, especially when there are multiple offers?!
The second is commonly “the appraisal came in at value” or “the house appraised.” Waiting for the results of the appraisal is always a tense time, especially when your offer is high or above asking price. I just went through … (21 comments)
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how to buy a home: Buyer FAQ – Can I Make an Offer Contingent on Selling My Home?
- 06/14/17 06:23 PM
Buyer FAQ:
Can I Make an Offer Contingent on Selling My Current Home?
While not a common question, some buyers, those who own a home and need to sell it in order to buy a new one, ask if they can make an offer on a home here in the Carlsbad area that is contingent on them selling their current home.
There’s a simple answer, and then one of those “it depends” answers.
The simple answer is, yes of course you can do this. Here in California we have a special form, the California Form Contingency for Sale of Buyer’s Property (Form COP), to … (19 comments)
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how to buy a home: Buyer FAQ - How Do I Make an Offer in a Multiple Bid Situation?
- 06/13/17 08:25 AM
Buyer FAQ:
How Do I Make an Offer in a Competitive Bid Situation?
No buyers really want to have to compete against other buyers for a house they have fallen in love with and wish to buy. It’s tough enough just going through the offer process! And it’s pretty scary for first time buyers who have no experience with this real estate stuff!
But the reality is that in many markets, as a buyer you will have to do just that, so you probably are wondering how to go about it? The truth is, some of the things we’ll talk about are important to … (12 comments)
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how to buy a home: Buyers, What Are Your Deal Killers?
- 05/26/17 01:35 PM
Buyers, What Are Your Deal Killers?
Knowing what you want in a new home, or better yet what you need and why, is essential in any house search in order to be effective. I’ve talked about this before in my series on how to buy a house. You’ll waste plenty of time if you really don’t have a good idea of the things that are important, which of course includes knowing your budget and what you qualify for if a loan is needed.
Location, say a particular community, might be very important for lifestyle and other reasons. You may require a certain number … (28 comments)
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Is 15 Minutes Long Enough for a House Tour?
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