“You’ve mentioned how important it is to have a good full-service Realtor if you’re selling. We’re buying a home and my friend’s sister has her license. She doesn’t really practice real estate, but she’ll kick us back $5,000. Is it worth the money or should we get a full-time agent?” Answer: You can guess my

“Hi Gary. We own a home in Pacific Beach that we’ll be calling you to sell in a couple of months. But for now we just want to find out the value and how much money we’ll net from the sale so we can do some planning. Can you help us with this?” Answer: As

“We’re looking to buy a house in the I-5 corridor. We either want a view or one where we can build up to get one. How do I know if I can add a 2nd story? What kind of restrictions are there on building up?” Answer: Great question. Here are some things you need to

“Is it possible to buy a property now and get a positive cash flow?” Answer: Yes. Of course, the answer has always been yes…if you put down 40%, 50%, or 100%! But now you can buy with 20% down (even 10% down on Fannie Mae foreclosures) and get a positive cashflow. It’s even easier to

“We’ll be selling our home in University City next year. I’m an honest person and plan to disclose everything, even though I don’t know of anything wrong with our home. But with all the lawyers and litigation in California, I’m afraid of being sued by the buyer for some technicality. What can I do to

“I’ve only been looking an homes for a couple of weeks and seen about 25. There’s one I really like, but I’m afraid it’s too soon. I know there’s no magic number, but how many homes do you suggest I see before buying one?” Answer: Tough question. Because it’s very subjective, I’m going to just

“I’m putting down 10% to buy a home and my loan person said I have to pay mortgage insurance, but didn’t explain what that is. What exactly is mortgage insurance?” Answer: It’s insurance covering your lender against future losses from a foreclosure. Often called PMI or Private Mortgage Insurance, it is typically required on loans

“Hi Gary, We would like to find something before we sell, so we are not left with nothing. I don’t believe what we want exists in our price range, but perhaps you can tell us. Our requirements are…” Answer: To be realistic, you face some big challenges: 1. Few sellers (and no bank selling a

“I’m looking at a home that needs lots of work. Is it possible to get a carpet allowance so I have some of the money to take care of the work?” Answer: Great question. It amazes me that every few weeks a supposedly professional real estate agent will send me an offer asking for a

“Can I just sell my home As Is and not have to make any repairs?” Answer: Try this fun game: Ask your significant other, “Do you promise you won’t get mad if I tell you something?” If they agree, then say, “Those pants make you look really f—a—t.” After the yelling subsides and you’ve slept