Licensed since 1984, San Diego real estate broker Gary Kent is a recognized authority on real estate. In addition to selling over 5,500 homes for clients, he has been an expert court witness, trainer of other agents, and he does seminars on home buying, home selling, and investing. Gary has sold homes for The Salvation Army, dozens of major banks, and Fannie Mae, amongst others. You can find Gary on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

This Week’s Crazy Building: The Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque at Sunset
This week’s crazy building is the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. Also called the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, this extraordinary structure was completed way back in 1616. It has a capacity of  an incredible 10,000 people, and also contains a hospice, a religious school and the tomb of its founder. The mosque’s six minarets were a source
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How a Busy Street Affects San Diego Home Values

Question: “My wife and I want to buy a little house as an investment. We found one we both like, but it’s on a busy street. What do you think about buying a home on a busy street?” Answer: Two questions come to mind: 1) how does it impact rent, and 2) how does it
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Can You Cancel Your San Diego Home Listing & Hire a New Agent?

Question: “We listed our home 3 months ago. Even though our agent is with a big company and seemed very professional, he’s terrible. He’s made several big mistakes (wrong # of bedrooms and square footage on the flyer, etc.) and isn’t doing what he promised. Also, the price he recommended was way too high, which
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When Are Sellers Liable for Lack of Disclosure?

Question: (From clients whose home I sold in San Diego.) “We found some serious structural damage to the addition of the home we just bought here in Texas. Kelly and I would appreciate your opinion given your expertise in real estate. We were told the addition was permitted but can find no documentation of it.
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Showings with Tenants in Multi-Unit Properties

Question: “Hi Gary. I want to sell my triplex and was wondering how you handle showings with the tenants?” Answer: Typically, once you move from single family to multiple units, the showings are handled as “show with offer.” This is done for two reasons: Out of fear that if the tenant knew the property was
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Don’t Base Your San Diego Home Value on an Appraisal

Question: “My home was appraised a couple of months ago for $725,000. What price do you think we should ask?” Answer: It depends on what your home is worth. But wait a second… You just had it appraised for $725,000, so that’s what it’s worth, right? Not necessarily. Check out the example I’ve reproduced to the right.
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Why Won’t Agents Tell You What a Home in Escrow Sold For?

Question: “There was a house I liked, but I dithered and someone else got their offer accepted. The sold sign is up, but when I called the agent, she refused to tell me what it sold for. Is that normal?” Answer: Yes, that’s normal. Until the sale closes escrow, it could always fall through and
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How Much Do Property Managers Charge?

Question: “I just inherited a couple of rental properties from my dad and don’t want to manage them myself. Can you give me an idea of what property managers charge?” Answer: Happy to. Depending on the property, managers usually charge 5-10% of the rent. Of course, that’s for their services only and doesn’t cover expenses
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Is Artificial Turf Better for Your San Diego Home?

Question: “Does replacing grass with artificial turf increase property value or not?” Answer: Great question. I used to say absolutely not. Now I’ll soften that and say probably not. But, with this water shortage, shouldn’t artificial turf make a home more desirable and slightly more valuable? As I’ve said before, people buy on emotion and
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What to Do on a Walk-Through Home Inspection

Question: “I’ve never bought a home before. What do I look for on the walk through inspection? Is that when you hire a contractor to look at the home?” Answer: The walk-through inspection, or as it’s now called in our contracts, the “final verification of condition,” is the inspection you do right before closing. You
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