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.

Are Agents Responsible for Finding & Disclosing Home Problems?

Question: “Hi Gary. A friend of mine bought a home and it turned out to have several problems, including a lot of mold behind a couch. Is an agent responsible for finding and disclosing things like that?” Answer: An agent is legally required to “conduct a reasonably competent diligent visual inspection of reasonably and normally
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This Week’s Crazy Building: MGM Grand Macau

Casino Resort MGM Grand, Macau by Diego Delso used under the license CC BY-SA 4.0
This week’s crazy building is the MGM Grand Resort in Macau, China. The building cost $1.25 billion to construct, and consists of 35 stories with 600 hotel rooms. The resort also includes a 5-acre casino, a convention space, and a dozen food and beverage outlets. But it looks more like three separate buildings stacked on top
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When Low Owner-Occupancy Hurts Your Condo Value

Question: “I live in a four-unit condo complex. Three occupants are owners and the fourth is a vacation home for the owners. Now one of the owners plans to move and rent his unit. Does this hurt the value of my condo?” Answer: If a condo complex falls below 60% owner-occupied, financing gets more difficult
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Selling Your San Diego Home with an Agent vs. a Team

Question: “Is it better to list my home with a real estate agent or a team?” Answer: Full disclosure: I lead a real estate team and it’s possible I’m biased. That being said… You will definitely be better served with a successful team. Here are just a few of the reasons… Selling a home today
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How Much Should You Pay for a San Diego Home You Love?

Question: “We could use your advice. We’ve been really studying the market and looked at over 50 condos. We finally found the perfect condo for us. We offered and the seller’s bottom price is $435,000, but that model has been going in the 420s. Any words of wisdom?” Answer: I have three comments – I
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Ulm Minster

Ulm Minster by Martin Kraft under the free license CC BY-SA 3.0
Construction on this immense structure began in 1377, but factors such as the Thirty Years’ War, the Reformation and even the discovery of the Americas led to a lull of nearly 300 years in the building process. It wasn’t completed until 1890—over 500 years later! A close call came in December 1944, where most of
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Can You Do 1031 Exchanges with Property Outside the U.S.?

Question: “Can I do a 1031 exchange from my San Diego rental into a property in Italy, or can I only exchange for something in the U.S.?” Answer: You can only exchange your San Diego property for another investment property in the U.S., or possibly U.S. territories or U.S. possessions. Temporary Regulations issued in 2005
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Are Agents Paid When People Buy a Loved One’s San Diego Home?

Question: “Do agents get paid when family members buy a loved one’s home?” Answer: As long as everyone gets along in the family and the parties feel comfortable, they don’t necessarily need an agent for a sale to a family member. But some people have had me handle such cases because they really want a
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Can You Outbid a Backup Home Offer?

Question: “There’s a home next door to some friends that my wife and I just missed out on. Now our friend tells us he heard the sale is cancelling. So our agent called the seller’s agent saying we’ll raise our offer $10,000 over the asking price, but was told they had an accepted backup offer
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Hayden Planetarium

Rose Center for Earth and Space by Spheroide licensed under the term of Public Domain
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