“How come I never see for sale signs in La Jolla?” ***ANSWER: La Jolla regulations bans all commercial For Sale signs. Interestingly, this conflicts with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that says signs up to 8″x5″ must be allowed. Given that, why no signs? Public opinion. La Jollans don’t want For Sale signs. And no

Still smiling about your parrot story, and here are a couple for you: The neighborhood pharmacist where I grew up kept a parrot, who greeted him every morning with, “It’s about time you got here!” in a sarcastic tone of voice. One night a neighbor noticed smoke coming from the building. When the fire department

“I read in the Union that interest only loans can be risky. I mean you’re not paying your loan down, so in 5 years you’ll still owe the same amount of money. Do you think they’re a good idea?” ***ANSWER: It depends. These loans can be good or bad depending on your situation. They can

***QUESTION: “Last time I got a mortgage, I shopped and signed up with a lender with a rate 1/4% lower than anyone else. But when I got my loan documents, that 1/4% savings wasn’t there–it was for the same rate everyone else quoted. I don’t think he ever intended to give me that low rate.

“I know it’s a good idea to use a broker to sell a home, but I need to get every penny out of it and I’m thinking of trying to sell on my own. Can you give me any tips?” ***ANSWER: I understand where you’re coming from. Most of my clients need every penny then

“My wife and I live in her parent’s guest house and have never owned a home. We’re finally ready to buy, but since the market is slower now, we’re thinking of waiting for it to improve before we buy. Do you think that’s a good idea?” ***ANSWER: When the market is hot, many people put

“We’ve been looking at homes in North County and sometimes we see an extra fee called Mello Roos for a few hundred bucks a month. I wouldn’t want to buy a property with an extra fee. What is that?” ***ANSWER: In California’s “taxpayer revolt” of 1978, voters passed Proposition 13 that: 1) limited property taxes

“I listed my P.B. home with an agent at $1.3 million. When it didn’t sell, I listed with my current agent for $1.15 million. Now she wants me to reduce my price again, but I’ve already come down 150K. I don’t think she’s doing a good job. What should I do?” ***ANSWER: You didn’t tell

“My husband and I will be buying a house in Scripps Ranch or UC. He wants his fishing buddy who does real estate on the side to represent us. I know that’s a bad idea, but can YOU tell him?” ***ANSWER: USING A PART-TIME AGENT IS DANGEROUS! (Excuse the yelling, but I wanted to be

“We own a duplex in North Park free and clear. We’ve had it 17 years and we’re tired of managing and thinking about selling it. Do you recommend we carry a note so we don’t have to pay taxes?” ***ANSWER: Instead of getting all your cash at close of escrow, carrying a note (called an