You're a Home Owner! Welcome to a Ton of Junk Mail!

You're a Home Owner! Welcome to a Ton of Junk Mail!

Congratulations!  You just bought a home and have moved in. As a home owner, you will get a ton of mail sent to you in the first few months.  When you close escrow, the transfer of property is public record and many businesses will contact you.  Most will likely be junk mail and there even may be some pieces that look official, but aren't.  Here are the three most common types of junk mail you'll see:

-"Mortgage Protection Insurance" offers.  These will explain that your mortgage will be paid in case of death if you purchase their product.  Basically they are advertising term life insurance that would pay an amount if you die.  If you want to buy life insurance to cover that, or other expenses that your beneficiary may have, I suggest talking to an insurance agent that you trust.

-Homeowner's Exemption services.  If you live in your home, you can get a Homeowner's Exemption, which will reduce the assessed value of your home by $7000 for property tax purposes (basically this reduces your yearly tax amount by about $70).  The Tax Assessor will send you the Homeowner's Exemption claim form automatically, or you can download the claim form. The companies that offer to get you the Exemption want to charge you a fee, but you can do this yourself for free.  You will most likely get a piece of mail that looks official because it includes a copy of your deed. If they charge a fee, then it's probably junk mail.

-Ads for different services.  No warning here, but you'll get lots of ads for different home owner services and products.

Of course you'll also get "real" mail from your lender and also the San Diego County Tax Assessor and San Diego County Tax Collector that you'll need to pay attention to.  If you get some mail that you're unsure whether real or junk, make sure you contact your Realtor, Lender or County Tax Assessor or Collector.

Deborah Engel, Prudential California Realty, is a recognized San Diego and Carmel Valley Realtor for top client satisfaction.  If you'd like to learn more about Deborah, visit her website, www.PropertyByDeb.com, email her, Deb@PropertyByDeb.com, or call her at 858-829-1989.