“Hi Gary. I know from when we bought our current home that buying a home can be so emotional. In fact, this home really doesn’t even some of the features I really wanted. Can you give me any ideas to organize my thoughts and do this the right way?” ***ANSWER: Get out a sheet of

“Hi Gary. I’ve never bought a home before, but I’ve been seeing a lot of good deals and I think it’s time to take the step. I don’t know much about buying a home, but I have a question. What is the purpose of title insurance and do I need to buy it?” ***ANSWER: When

“Hi Gary. I’d like to buy a home. But the very little credit I have isn’t good. Any suggestions on how to improve my credit?” ***ANSWER: Here are five suggestions anyone can use to rebuild credit: Get a secured credit card- Secured credit cards report your credit payment history to credit bureaus just like a

“I’ve heard so many things about termites and termite inspectors. I don’t know how it all works. What should I expect when I sell my home?” ***ANSWER: Let’s go ahead and clear up some common misconceptions about termites and selling a home… Not just termites– A “structural pest control” inspection covers ANY insect, organism, or

“We want a 4BR/2BA home in Clairemont or Serra Mesa under $475,000. But for some reason my agent keeps calling us with 3BR homes and houses in other areas like Mira Mesa. This happened last time when we bought our condo. What’s the deal?” ***ANSWER: It’s because few agents really listen or take the time

“I’ve heard that if you use a mortgage broker they charge you more and just tend to cause problems. Do you advise getting a home loan from a mortgage broker or a bank?” ***ANSWER: The upside of mortgage brokers is they can shop many places to find you the best loan. Here are the three

“We have a beat-up little rental house in Clairemont that we’d like to sell. What advice can you tell us about fixing it up?” ***ANSWER: Ahhh, another fix-up question. Here are “Gary’s 7 Rules For Preparing Home For Sale”: 1. What you like in a home & what sells it are 2 different things! Unless

“My boyfriend is talking about buying a fixer-upper house to save money and let us design and decorate the home to suit our taste. Do you think he’s right? Or is it better to buy a home already fixed up so we don’t have to spend the money?” ***ANSWER: In the 90’s I sold a

“What do you think of interest only loans? Don’t you think it’s bad idea to get a loan where what you owe doesn’t even go down?” ***ANSWER: I’ll respectfully disagree because it’s not necessarily a bad loan at all. Here’s why: Your standard 30-year fixed-rate loan pays down a microscopic amount of principal the first

“Hi Gary, my wife and I want to list our home. She wanted to use her friend who’s OK, but not especially successful. You’ll be glad to hear that I convinced her to use you. I told her we needed someone seen all the ups and downs and been successful during them. Are you busier