Can I get a home loan with bad credit?

Question: “I have pretty bad credit, so it’s not even worth trying to get a home loan…” Answer: Maybe. Maybe not. One of our lenders just got someone with “awful” credit a mortgage and they were able to realize their dream to own their own home. So unless you’re a professional mortgage lender, let a
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What is the best deposit amount?

Question: “How much should my deposit be?” Answer: Great question! In my experience, I’ve found that 1% of the purchase price is the minimum acceptable deposit. But if you really want to impress the seller to help your offer get accepted, you might want to do 2-3% of the price.
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How can I find foreclosures in San Diego?

Question: “Where do I find more information about buying foreclosures in San Diego?” Answer: The very good news, though not good for your plans, is that foreclosures in San Diego are exceedingly rare. And they’ve been that way since 2012 when our market turned around. So you can hunt around for foreclosure info, but in
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Do You Know the 13 Magic Words?

There’s one magic phrase that you can use to get the best possible service from your real estate agent. Here’s what it is. Do you know the 13 magic words that will get your real estate agent to do the best possible job for you, to go the extra mile, and to help you achieve
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Is it possible to buy a home 20% below market in San Diego?

Question: “What’s the best way to get a good deal? We’d like to find a home at least 20% below market.” Answer: Not sure how to answer that, but I’ll try. First of all, not to sound harsh but your odds of success are just above zero, if that. Opportunities to buy property at such
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Can I trust an offer from a flipper?

Question: “We just got a surprisingly good offer from a flipper. Should we be suspicious?” Answer: Yes! In the past, flippers have made offers on my clients’ homes at attractive prices and gotten us to sign the contract and take the house off the market. Sometimes, the flipper had never even seen the property. Then
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Can a lender deny a loan if they don’t believe you’ll live in the home?

Question: “Years ago, I wanted to scale down and buy a condo in my neighborhood and keep my old house. But the lender denied my loan because they didn’t believe I was actually going to move into the condo. Is that even legal?” Answer: Yes. In fact, it just happened on one of my transactions.
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Learn the Ins and Outs of Staging at Our Home Seller Seminar

What can you learn at our upcoming Home Seller Seminar? Check out this sneak preview. If you’re getting ready to put your home on the market or are just beginning to think about doing so, you’re in luck, because you’re invited to our upcoming Home Seller Seminar! This great seminar will cover how to stage
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Thorncrown Chapel

The Thorncrown Chapel feels at home among the trees of Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains. This unique structure receives over 2,000 visitors each day. It was designed by E. Fay Jones and built in 1980. Jones, one of the top students of Frank Lloyd Wright was recognized with the 1990 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal for a
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Ryugyong Hotel

The imposing Ryugyong Hotel towers above its neighboring buildings in Pyongyang, North Korea. The name means “capital of willows” and comes from a historical nickname of the city. Its unusual shape is thought to be symbolic of a mountain and determined by the exclusive use of concrete as a construction material. Normally a building of
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