“We really want to sell our home, but we owe more than our home is worth. What options do we have?” ***ANSWER: A. Do Nothing / Don’t Sell That’s an option, though it may not work for you. B. Come Up With The Difference Again, this may not work for you, but it’ll save your

“I know the seller has to fix health and safety items, but don’t they also have to fix code violations?” ***ANSWER: No, no, and no. There are very few physical requirements a homeseller in San Diego County is legally to fulfill, and they don’t include health, safety, or code items. Here’s the short list: 1.

“We’re interested in a foreclosure you have listed on XXXXX Road. But we just wasted a lot of time trying to buy two short sales and don’t want to go through that again. Is this also a short sale?” ***ANSWER: Here’s the sad and scary thing: The person who asked this question is a real

“Hi Gary. With all the dangerous loan programs out there, do you think the safest thing is to get a basic 30 year fixed loan?” ***ANSWER: I’m about to say something you and many people will disagree with: There are NO dangerous loan programs. Not one. Not the pay-option ARM loans. Not the short-term adjustable

“What do you think of having a contractor inspecting my home before I put it on the market?” ***ANSWER: It’s a GREAT idea. The one and only downside is it’ll cost you about $350. But the many benefits to you include: 1. If there are any health or safety items, you can have them fixed

“I have a problem I hope you can help me with. I’m buying a home and the seller agreed to credit me $18,000 for closing costs. The problem is that my bank will not allow a credit over 3% of the sales price, and the price is about $500,000. So there’s $3,000 the bank won’t

“My wife and I just picked up a couple of rental condos a very good price. We’ve never been landlords before. I know there’s probably a landlording for dummies book. Are there any other books you can recommend?” ***ANSWER: I’ve always liked “Landlording” by Leigh Robinson. It’s an entertaining read, full of great advice. I

“Hi Gary. I recently took my home off the market. I’m very unhappy with my old agent. She kept telling me to reduce price, but I didn’t want to lose all that money, so I refused. I feel she was very dishonest with me, don’t you think so? Her name is XXXXX. Do you know

“Is it a problem if you buy a home with a kitchen and bathrooms that were remodeled without a permit?” ***ANSWER: In my experience, most kitchen and bath remodels do not have permits. Be sure to have your home inspector check them out to be sure they’re done correctly, especially the electrical, plumbing, and gas.

“Hi Gary. We just talked with a mortgage broker and got mortgage loan approval. Buy my wife mentioned that you’ve said some loan approvals aren’t really approvals. What did you mean?” ***ANSWER: When is a loan approval not a loan approval? Sadly, the answer is: most of the time. I recently got an “approval” letter