Can You Trade Your Pacific Beach Condo for a House?

Question: “I own a 3-bedroom condo in Pacific beach and I’d really like to trade it for a house with a yard and keep my monthly payments the same. Do you think that’s possible?” Answer: What are you willing to give up? You may be able to sell your condo and buy a small 2BR
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Acros Fukuoka

Acros Fukuoka
This week’s crazy building is Acros Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan. Designed by famous Argentinian architect Emilio Ambasz, this strange but little-known structure opened to the public in 1995. Acros, which stands for Asian CrossRoad Over the Sea, is a cultural center and Fukuoka’s most distinctive landmark. What makes it distinctive is obvious to anyone who
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Don’t Leave the Loan in Your Name After a Sale

Question: (This is actually from an agent interested in buying one of my listings for himself.) “I’m interested in buying your fourplex. What if we took over the payments without telling the lender – never had the experience of lender calling the loan due – they just want to get paid. And we could put
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Did A Zillow Exec REALLY Laugh At Zestimates?

Did a Zillow executive really chuckle over the accuracy of “Zestimates”, the website’s automated home valuations? Yes! At the Keller Williams real estate conference this week, Greg Schwartz, chief revenue officer for Zillow, was asked about the well-known inaccuracy of Zestimates. He laughed… nervously. “We all know the Zestimate is imperfect,” he said. “If you want an accurate appraisal, you
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Offering a Home Warranty When Selling Your San Diego Home

Question: “Do you recommend we offer a home warranty when we sell our home?” Answer: [Background: A home warranty is an insurance policy that covers certain things that can go wrong with the systems of a home, and can also include the roof, appliances, pool, etc.] “Ooh honey, I’m excited to see THAT house because
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Must Sellers Disclose San Diego Home Appraisals?

Question: “I just bought a house and we closed a few days ago. We paid $550,000, but now I just heard from a neighbor that the old owner had the house appraised and it was for $525,000. Didn’t they have to disclose that?” Answer: Simple answer is “no.” But I rarely keep it simple, do
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Free Seminar to Sell a Home in a Living Trust

There’s so much to know when you sell a home or other real estate in California—and even more when it’s in a trust of someone who passed away. You’ll need to know a variety of laws, procedures, liabilities, pitfalls, myths, mistakes, best practices, tips, and “how-to”s. All that information can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there’s a solution. On
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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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