real estate: Why the next 3 months are the BEST time to buy a house...
- 11/09/15 03:35 AM
West Coast Design and Photo Want to know the hottest time of the year to buy a home? Spring, you say? That’s obvious, right? It’s when inventory starts to increase, with families looking to sell so they can get their kids all settled before the new school year starts. No, it’s got to be summer, when homes on the market hit their peak and anyone who hasn’t already made their move is typically looking to. Actually, this year, it’s all about the next three months, according to realtor.com. “Low mortgage rates, declining home prices, and homes that are lingering on the market longer are three main … (2 comments)
real estate: New Mortgage Changes: What You Need To Know
- 10/07/15 11:03 AM
US News New changes have come to the mortgage industry, and they’ll either: Delay your closing and give you a big headache Or delay your closing but keep everything on track And it all depends on who you’re working with, starting with your real estate agent. First, a little background: “Mortgage lenders and real estate agents are bracing for the…implementation of a five-year-old law that has forced them to overhaul the way they process sales,” said the Wall Street Journal. “The changes, prompted by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial law, are meant to help consumers better understand the terms of their mortgages before they sign on the dotted … (0 comments)
real estate: Is Buying a Condo right for YOU???
- 09/17/15 06:44 AM
If you’re getting ready to buy your first place, you may have your eyes on a condo. Perhaps it’s because the idea of low-maintenance living is attractive, or maybe because it’s all you think you can afford. OK, who are we kidding: it’s TOTALLY because you think it’s all you can afford. But there’s a lot more to consider about condo living than the sales price—especially when your financing is coming from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). FHA condo requirements The truth is, buying a condo with an FHA loan is a tough fit. “Often times, there are restrictions regarding mortgage financing on condos,” said US News. … (0 comments)
real estate: Real estate agents and the lies we tell.....
- 09/17/15 05:49 AM
CNBC I lied today. And I don’t just mean once. I lied six times that I can recall. In fact, I lie all the time. And you know why? Because I’m a real estate agent. Real estate agents are professional liars. It’s the truth (no, really!). We lie because we have to. Because: clients. It’s no secret that buyers and sellers have high expectations for their transactions. But are our expectations where they should be? Do we expect our clients to live up to their obligations and do so with some common sense and some humanity, or have we lowered the bar for them … (2 comments)
real estate: Is it a good time to buy in the San Fernando Valley?
- 08/31/15 12:06 AM
Pachd Are you being priced out of the Valley? If you’ve been looking for a home in the area, you know that prices haven’t exactly been hospitable lately. In fact, “The median price of a previously owned home in the San Fernando Valley hit $600,000 in July, its highest level in eight years, and sales reached their highest total in 27 months,” according to the Southland Regional Association of Realtors, said the Daily News. Granted, high prices driving buyers away here is hardly a new phenomenon. I’ve had plenty of clients and friends who ran off to Santa Clarita because they couldn’t afford to … (0 comments)
real estate: Why Zillow is killing the real estate industry
- 08/20/15 05:08 AM
Zillow is the real estate agent’s worst enemy. And it isn’t any kinder to buyers and sellers. Harsh, right? So is their basic home pricing structure, cleverly called “Zestimates,” which feeds the public’s need for information with blatant inaccuracies that misinform buyers and sellers, exacerbating an already widely held opinion that real estate agents are: greedy, are idiots, don’t have clients’ best interests at heart, or all of the above. Yeah, harsh. The growth of third-party websites like Zillow, which has reported up to 75 million unique visitors in a month(!)—far more than lesser-known cohorts Trulia and Redfin—might seem harmless. But … (1 comments)
real estate: 10 Things Agents Can Do To Fix Our Bad Reputation
- 08/05/15 11:33 PM
I came across a Harris Poll the other day that, unfortunately, was not shocking. It listed real estate as the least prestigious profession. The Day America Told the Truth, a book by advertising mavens James Patterson and Peter Kim, had real estate at No. 13 on the list of Top 20 Sleaziest Ways to Make a Living (behind drug dealer, crime boss, TV evangelist, prostitute, and eight more questionable pursuits), so there’s that. But it was written in 1992. Is it possible our reputation has only gotten worse since then? Boston.com I don’t know about you, but I’m not OK with it. I’d like to … (2 comments)
real estate: Dealing with the Los Angeles drought: 27 ways to make it easier
- 07/13/15 05:03 AM
CBS The drought California is facing is no picnic. Especially because there are few lush green lawns left to spread out on. The most recent gut punch is a round of mandatory cutbacks that went into effect on June 1, requiring “statewide savings to average 25 percent.” Even more harsh are the possible fines involved: “Local water agencies in Southern California can fine property owners up to $500 a day if they don’t abide by the new restrictions,” said ABC7. Ouch. The state has ordered restrictions (L.A. DWP customers can’t wash their car without a hose that can self close and shut … (2 comments)
real estate: Is LA affordable for Home Buyers?
- 07/06/15 10:01 AM
Realtor.com The question, “Is L.A. affordable for homebuyers?” will elicit everything from groans to guffaws depending on whom you ask. Paying a premium to live in the most gorgeous area in the world, with a backdrop of beaches and bluffs and beautiful people is what many of us just accept. It quite literally comes with the territory. We may complain a lot about rising prices, but that doesn’t mean we’re about to pack up the car and move to the Midwest. For many of us, it’s L.A. or bust—a fact that showcases our civic pride but also leaves many buyers on the … (0 comments)
real estate: Too many seller restrictions: the home sale killer
- 06/30/15 12:25 AM
You’ve got a newborn. A couple of big, loud-barking dogs, and a two-year-old that doesn’t yet grasp the idea of “one toy at a time.” Yet you’ve listed your house, you want to get it sold quickly, and you’re going to listen to your Realtor so you can make that happen. Well aren’t you a good little seller. Unfortunately, not everyone is like you these days. In fact, unreasonable seller restrictions are a growing problem, and one that only seems to be getting worse. If you want to know what “unreasonable” means in the lexicon of seller restrictions, it pretty … (5 comments)
So you’ve scrimped and saved and that five percent down payment is burning a hole in your bank account. You better fasten your seatbelt. It’s going to be a bumpy night. Or season. Or year. Seriously, it could take a while to find a place. The truth is, in some areas in and around our fair city of Los Angeles, it doesn’t matter how much you have socked and stashed away for a down payment. If you’re not a cash buyer, you’re not a buyer—period. Curbed reported last year that “One in three home buys in SoCal is now made … (0 comments)
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