“As a homeseller, once I get an offer, how long do I have to respond?” ***ANSWER: Great question. You have as long as the buyer has given you in the contract, usually 24-72 hours. BUT… I advise my clients that momentum is critical in every negotiation. If you make a homebuyer wait too long for

“Question. We’re looking to buy a house in the next few months and talked with a mortgage broker we found on the internet. She said she can also be our Realtor and help my wife and I buy a home. I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Is that allowed?” ***ANSWER: Allowed? Absolutely. Good idea?

Financing: I refinanced my house 2 years ago and the rate is fixed for 3 years. Because I’m low income, I can’t really afford to have my payment fluctuate each month so I’d like to refinance again and get a fixed rate. Last time, I had a broker find a loan for me but neither

“Hi Gary. We’re going to be selling our home. Do you recommend an agent who works solo or one that has a team?” ***ANSWER: Before I answer that, I should tell you that I fit in the latter category. That being said… Use an agent with a team! Why? Today, selling a home is so

“Gary, as you know the market has changed drastically in the past year. It’s gone from a seller’s to a buyer’s market. My question is whether I should buy in a buyer’s market. What do you think?” ***ANSWER: Here’s the funny thing. When we had an overheated seller’s market 2000-2005, many people said they were

INVESTING: “Hi Gary. My wife and I own a condo in U.C. and want to sell it and buy a four-unit property. I don’t know much about 1031 exchanges, but I do know if you do it right, you don’t have to pay any taxes. Can you give me the basics on exchanges? ” ***ANSWER:

“Why are real estate fees to high? If you sell a house for $500,000 at 6%, then you’re making $30,000.” ***ANSWER: Ah, I wish it was that simple, and profitable. They typical real estate agent earns about 1-2% of the price when they sell a home. Here are four the missing pieces of the puzzle:

“My wife and I want to sell our 2-bedroom Mission Valley condo and buy a house in north county. She keeps talking about new construction, but I think a resale home is smarter. Which do you think is suggest?” ***ANSWER: It depends. Buying a brand-new home can be exciting and complicated. Here are some pro’s

“How long does it take to get a home mortgage?” ***ANSWER: Most lenders take 30-45 days. But even if you give them 6 months, be ready for your lender needing a more days than planned, either due to dropping the ball or something unexpected coming up at the end. That being said, I use the

“My mother is moving into a retirement home and we need to sell her house. She hasn’t been keeping it up and we’d like to do some work on it so it looks better and can get a higher price. The trouble is I’m too busy to supervise things. Can you recommend a good contractor