Why Won’t Agents Tell You What a Home in Escrow Sold For?

Question: “There was a house I liked, but I dithered and someone else got their offer accepted. The sold sign is up, but when I called the agent, she refused to tell me what it sold for. Is that normal?” Answer: Yes, that’s normal. Until the sale closes escrow, it could always fall through and
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What to Do on a Walk-Through Home Inspection

Question: “I’ve never bought a home before. What do I look for on the walk through inspection? Is that when you hire a contractor to look at the home?” Answer: The walk-through inspection, or as it’s now called in our contracts, the “final verification of condition,” is the inspection you do right before closing. You
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How Do Homesellers View Contingent Offers?

Question: “My wife and I want to buy a house. We don’t want to list our condo unless we have a house to buy. So we’ll have to buy contingent on selling our condo. How do homesellers look at contingent offers?” Answer: A bit cross-eyed. Homesellers do not love contingent offers because they must wait
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Make Sure Your Home Offers Are Realistic

Question: “I found a fixer-upper house in Del Mar listed at a good price. It needed a lot of repairs, which I took off the price and made an offer. But the seller rejected it. Any advice on how to convince them to take my offer?” Answer: Yes, raise your offer. I could be wrong,
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How Much to Deposit When Making a San Diego Home Offer

Question: “How much is a normal deposit when you make an offer on a house?” Answer: A typical deposit is 1-2% of the purchase price. But just because it’s typical doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the approach you should take. Offering a bigger deposit, say over 2%, is a way of making your offer appear stronger
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Deciding What San Diego Home Features to Compromise On

Question: “I own a 3-bedroom condo in Pacific beach and I’d really like to trade it for a house with a yard and keep my monthly payments the same. Do you think that’s possible?” Answer: Yes, depending on what you’re willing to give up. You may be able to sell your condo and buy a
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How Much Value Does a Pool Add to a San Diego Home?

Backyardpool by Vic Brincat is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Question: “I’d really like to get a home with a pool in the backyard. How much more is that likely to cost?” Answer: Great question. There’s a lot of misinformation amongst the public and even agents on this topic. Some people say that a pool adds no value, while others even say it makes a
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House vs. Condo: What’s a Better Investment?

Question: “Hi Gary, I don’t really want a condo. They’re not a good investment, with the homeowner fee and that they don’t go up in value. A house is a much better investment, don’t you think?” Answer: I hear that all the time, and I would respectfully disagree. Of course, you have your personal preferences,
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Do More “For Sale” Signs Mean a Hotter Market?

Question: “Hi Gary, we’re hoping to buy a home soon. We’re seeing a lot of houses for sale in our neighborhood. Looks like the market is picking up. Would you agree?” Answer: Actually, seeing a lot of For Sale signs is more indicative of the market slowing down than picking up. That’s because a hotter
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Don’t Overanalyze the Market—Ask an Agent

Question: “I’ve been tracking San Diego housing inventory to decide when the right time is to buy a home. Inventory is up 14% from last month but only 3% year over year, and…” Answer: Hold on a second. My money says you’re either an engineer or a computer programmer. Which is it? I say that
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