“Gary… My credit scores are not allowing me to buy any real estate and I have federal tax liens. I’ve been working on the fed. tax liens and have cleared most of them, but my credit scores are still in the 500’s. I have no cash and no one to turn to to borrow a

“I’ve had 3 agents out and they all say my home is worth $700,000 to $720,000, but I know with what I’ve done it’s got to be worth at least $775,000. Is it common for agents to underprice a home to get a quick sale?” Answer: No, it’s much more common that if you interview

“My husband and I found a foreclosed home we want to buy, but it’s not on the market yet. How do we make our offer if it’s not listed?” Answer: You or your agent could contact the bank that foreclosed on it and with some persistence hopefully reach the right person to talk to. And

“I’ve heard if I sell my rental house I have to give the tenant 60-day notice. Is that right?” Answer: Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.1(a) and (b) says that landlords must provide 60 days written notice to terminate a tenancy if all tenants and residents have been in the property for at least one year.

“Don’t you feel 6% is a lot of money for an agent to make when they sell a home?” Answer: Not much. I understand how you feel. And the truth is, I agree that many agents don’t deserve what they charge. But consider the following: 1. If your home doesn’t sell, your agent doesn’t make

“Good morning Gary! I am a Canadian that has always had a life long dream of moving to San Diego. Thinking I might take the plunge to try and avoid this upcoming Canadian winter. What percentage of a down payment do you need in California for a guaranteed mortgage approval? I won’t have any credit

“What do you think of Zillow.com for determining home value?” Answer: Not much. I’ve seen the value off by as much as 40%, with an average inaccuracy of 10%+, in my opinion. I may eat these words later, but I don’t think automated software will ever replace seeing a home and objectively weighing all the

“We have our rental house managed and the contract is up soon. The manager takes an 8% fee, so we’re thinking about managing the property ourselves. What would you do?” Answer: We’re different people. I’m not a good property manager, so I’d prefer to hire a professional to take care of it. In the long

“Our home is for sale. We’ve had 30 showings in 5 weeks and just one offer at the bottom of our range, which we refused. What do you make of that?” Answer: The National Association of Realtors reports that a home priced correctly should receive one offer for every 10 showings, on average. Based on