How do I know if I should change my carpets?

Question: “Should I change my carpets before we sell our house?” Answer: Good question. It depends on what I call the “Eww, Oh, Ooo Test.” “Eww!” If your carpets are so torn, worn, stained, smelly, or of such an ugly color that a homebuyer would say “EWW!”, it could make your home hard to sell
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How much should I list my home for relative to its value?

Question: “How much should a person list their home for relative to the value?” Answer: Great question. To get the most activity and leave a bit of negotiating room, the optimal amount is about 2% over value, except for higher price ranges. If your home is valued over $1,500,000, I recommend you list about 3%
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How can I find an agent to accurately price my home?

Question: “I know my home is worth at least 1.1 million, but the first two agents I talked to said it’s in the 900s. Where can I find an agent who knows how to accurately price a home?” Answer: Let me first say that you could be right. Your home may well be worth 1.1
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Not every power of attorney allows you to sell property

Question: “My mother owns her home in her trust. She’s not well, so I’m handling the sale for her. I have power of attorney and…” Answer: Before we go on, we need to determine if that power of attorney is actually valid to sell the house. Now, you may be thinking, “Of course it is.
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What is the reinvestment requirement when I sell my home?

Question: “I just sold my house. How long do I have to reinvest and buy another home?” Answer: There’s no reinvestment requirement when you sell your home. The law that applies is IRS Section 121, known as the Principal Residence Exclusion. Under that law, you don’t pay tax on the first 250K of gain (singles)
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Do real estate agents have to present all offers?

Question: “I had my house in escrow and found out that I got a HIGHER offer before the house closed. But my agent never told me about it. I’ve heard that agents are supposed to ‘present all offers,’ aren’t they?” Answer: You’re 100% right! The seller’s agent is required to inform the seller of ALL
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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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How do I transfer my property taxes to a new house?

Question: “Is it true that if I’m over 55, I can sell my house and use the property ‘tax base’ as the tax base for a new purchase?” Answer: Under Proposition 60, if you sell a San Diego home that qualifies as your principal residence and buy another principal residence in San Diego, you can
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Why NOT to use open houses to price your home

Question: “Hey Gary: We stopped in at an open house at the home at XXXX XXXX. It’s listed at $700,000. We weren’t impressed with it compared to ours. We assume the main draw for that house is location and it’s on a bigger lot. Have you seen it? What’s your opinion?  It makes us think
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Do you charge a fee for your home or property estimates?

Question: “When someone is considering selling and if they want to speak with you regarding how much their property is worth, do you charge a fee for this or only give them a guesstimate? I want to make sure I understand…They have to get a separate appraisal since the value you provide isn’t considered THE appraisal, right? 
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