San Diego Real Estate Blog

Saving for Down Payment

First of all you need to establish a “plan”, stick to it and discipline yourself in regards to putting an “end” to unnecessary expenditures. Sure it is fun to go out to dinner, or go watch a professional sports team, see a play at a theatre, watch new movies or pick-up an expensive cup of coffee etc, etc, etc… but the reality of it is that by cutting back on those type of expenditures you can and will increase your savings and it will get you closer-and-closer towards the “goal” of having a sizeable down payment for your envisioned purchase of a home.

In addition, stay “focused” - I can’t say that enough because this, by-no-means, is goi...

When is the best time to sell your home?

I guarantee you that you will hear that "this" is a good time or "that" is a good time and in addition something to the matter like "during these months" or "during those months". But the reality is - the best time to sell is when you are good and ready to sell or when there is a sudden need to sell.

As-you-know, life has a lot of ebb and flows, so it is hard and if not impossible to know what is "around the corner of life". Therefore, because of some unforeseen reason, there could be a life changing need to sell rather quickly. And as-you-know this could happen to either one of us at any time during the year.

Granted there is pe...

Here is what is said about many homeowners who are about to replace the roof of their home ⇒ the Light Reflectance Value (LRV) will initially not be all that important to them. This because what could be more of a priority, to that homeowner, is that the roof color needs to be coordinated with and/or be complementary to the current color scheme of their home exterior walls and trim.

If it is within your budget, the homeowner can also choose to change the colors of the exterior to complement the new roof color. Either way, initially the LRV is not what one thinks of first while in the initial process to purchase a new roof. I get it-believe me-I get it, the cosmeti...

That's right !... currently the Real Estate industry wants more Sellers and Buyers to take that Leap-of-Faith and jump into the "next step" that will change your life.

As the above image states, there is a REWARD FOR EACH !... what is that reward your may ask?,
(1) the Sellers can "move on to the next chapter of their life". Many Sellers: for example, want to sell so that they can move closer to their grandchildren, others are at a point where they need to downsize. And for others sellers, they more-than-likely need a larger home as their family members keep increasing.

(2) the reward for Buyers is that they indeed could be following their "life plan" of their h...

4 Home Sales - Realty : all San Diego

Make it a point to contact Oscar Castillo (Broker of record) so that he may consult you and guide you through the Selling of your home or the home Buying process.

4 HOME SALES Realty is a relatively new brokerage that can in fact save every home seller a sizable and "real" amount of money in regards to the SALE of your home. Although it is located in Escondido, that does not mean that we are limited to serving only the Escondido area (ie: North Inland).

When it comes down to it, San Diego is really not that big of a town, so why should our Real Estate sales involvement only be in the North Inland part of town? - The reality ...

Should I buy a house with a swimming pool?

A very important thing you might want to ask yourself is “am I going to use the pool frequently?” … please don’t get me wrong here because it is not that I do not want you to buy a house with a pool,  I just want to give you an idea of the maintenance, time involved and some other costs associated with pool ownership - such as additional home insurance.

Since homeowners with pools face the potential liability for pool-related injuries or even a drowning accident, your insurance provider will most likely ask you to consider increasing your liability coverage above-and-beyond what's already offered through your homeown...

Current market price of homes have reached a "showdown" between the Seller's and Buyer's.  I'm calling it a "showdown" because what is meant is that home prices appear to have reached their peak (for now) and Buyer's are showing signs that they have reached a point where they simply cannot afford to pay those prices especially if they keep going up.... An impasse? - you and I both know that something has got to "give" soon.

Even knowing that prices have reached a "peak point" some sellers are still not willing to be flexible on their list price - for now that is, and one cannot really blame them.

And then on-the-other-hand, most Buyer's are not willing to offer a...

Will lowering Mortgage Rates bring out buyers?

I get asked this question a lot lately. My answer is: Of course lower mortgage rates will "bring-out" buyers, more-so than keeping interest rates stagnant or bumping them up a tad bit, only to bring them down a tad bit.

With slow homes sales here in San Diego, it almost seems like buyers are saying... "throw me a bone" so that I can reciprocate and apply more effort in my search and home buying process. And of course we know that the "bone" here is lower interest rates which also means smaller mortgage payments.

It does not matter what side of the political spectrum you attach yourself to, but there certainly is a d...

Upon selling my home, do I owe any Capital Gains Tax?

You may be in a situation where you may owe none at all…this because (1) if there is a loss on the sale, then there is no Capital Gains that are applicable. Also know that “losses” are not deductible relative to the sale of your home.

On the other hand (2) if there is a profit on the sale, then you may be subject to owing a Capital Gains tax.

So before you panic, you the home seller needs to understand the rule in regards to a potential Exclusion of Capital Gains Taxes. There is some “details” the home seller needs to know and I will explain them as we-continue-on with this article OK?

How and how much of ...

When I say "know the temperature of your home", what I mean is that in Real Estate your home is either cold, warm or hot - this in regards to a quick or slow dragging of the time it takes to get a purchase offer once your home is on the market.

Once a homeowner decides to sell, then of course you want to get a "quick and fair" offer rather than waiting, waiting and waiting sometimes to a point where the homeowner starts to wonder if their home will sell "at all". In the eyes of a buyer, your home needs and/or should to be in the "hot" mode.

What is meant by a "hot" mode?

A "hot" home on-the-market is considered to be one that has a 75% or higher-chance of ge...

Wood Front Doors need your "Love" also !

Are your front doors and/or door showing drastic signs of being highly weathered and the topcoat/finish is cracking, peeling or has completely deteriorated?  If your answer is YES - then it is best to "refinish" the wood sooner rather than later. Do this before any further damage is done by the exterior elements such as the sun, rain and humidity.

Furthermore, the unprotected wood (with no topcoat) can further be damaged to the point where the wood will start to split or crack... remember front door replacement costs are expensive. The odds are in your favor in avoiding the replacement of any doors if you inspect them ab...

Great ground cover on slopes on your property are dual purposed. One is the beauty of the plants and the other purpose is that it helps in the prevention of any dirt and water run-off.  

We all know that slopes/hillsides on most properties are usually larger areas than what is depicted in the above pictures used for this article. The pictures are meant to give you an idea of what can be done to beautify the hillside while at the same time you are taking preemptive action in regards to avoiding any potential water run-off and soil erosion due to heavy rains.

If you know that someday you will be selling your home, a great and well thought out ground cover adds to the...

If you live in a neighborhood where asphalt street maintenance appears to not be a priority of your City Street Department, this could be costly to you as a homeowner because continual unsightly potholes and dry cracked asphalt are attributable to driving the value of your home "downward" and/or at the minimum they hinder the increase of value in comparison to similar homes at nearby neighborhoods that have better maintained streets.

For example if you have your house for sale and it is very obvious that the asphalt has not been maintained on a routine basis, potential buyers will see this street neglect thus making your home/neighborhood less desir...

Have some baking soda around your home? Many household surveys state that baking soda is a great product to have at home because it can be utilized for many household purposes. Some uses are listed in the picture above but below I have also included more uses for what I personally call a "magical and brilliantly created product".

PERSONAL HYGIENE CARE USES FOR BAKING SODA

1)  Make Toothpaste - a paste can be made with baking soda or sprinkle some over your tooth paste and brush thus giving you an extra boost to cleansing.

2)  Freshen Your Mouth - Put one teaspoon in half a glass of water, swish, spit and rinse. Odors get neutralized, not just covered up.

3) Soa...

It is easy to say “I do not need flood insurance” because my house is not in a flood zone or that you have been told that I (homeowner) cannot get flood insurance because of the location of my home. These statements validate what many homeowner’s think in regards to flood insurance coverage on their homes/property.

Initially, flood insurance may not be on every property owner’s mind, but the reality is that it is more important to have coverage than most homeowners think.

Many homeowners do not think that flooding will have any affect to their property – until it’s too late.

Sadly there is also many homeowners who are not aware of what their homeowner’s insuranc...

OK so you bought a house, you are all settled-in and then a couple of weeks later you receive in the mail a “Supplemental Property Tax Bill”. Your first words that come out probably will be… What the heck is this?  Then you start thinking that you were told that all your property taxes are to be paid via your escrow impound account – mortgage holder/Lender (also known as an escrow account)…. and you also specifically remember being consulted that in addition to your monthly mortgage payment, one-twelfth of your annual property taxes is to be included in that monthly payment.  Keep that thought as we continue along on this page OK ?

Note:  You are not alone in receiv...

The following is a condensed version of how electricity is generated and how electricity travels through the various stages of the power-distribution-grid. Ultimately the electricity is safely transmitted to our homes, place of work and/or business.

How do we generate electricity ?

Electricity is produced at Thermal Power Plants. All aspects of producing and the distribution of electricity are important but the first step is to produce heat. The production of heat can come from various fuel sources… such as coal, oil, natural gas, or nuclear energy. Coal, oil and natural gas fuel sources are fed into a combustion chamber.

The heat from the combustion chamber is used...

Ever see one of the above pictured beauties alongside a road or on the side of a home?  They come in various sizes depending on the amount of water flow that they are meant to handle.  They are called “Backflow Preventers”  (aka: Backflow Prevention Assemblies).

What type of water flows through them - drinkable or irrigational ?

What flows through is what is known as piped “Potable Water”. This is the “field” sanitation standard name which defines "Potable Water" as water that meets the quality standards prescribed and identified in the U.S. Public Health Service Drinking Water Standards. In-other-words, “potable water” is known as water which is approved for drink...

A “Homestead” simply means a person's primary residence which encompasses the house, the land, and any outbuildings (ie: sheds, a barn, workshop and/or a detached garage) that are on that property.

The wording “Homestead Exemption” is socially well known, but far too often is not fully understood.

(A) The term “Homestead Exemption” does refer to various exemptions from property taxes that homeowners can claim.

(B) Also the “Homestead Exemption” is referred to as a homestead protection which is designed to protect a person's primary residence in the case of financial hardship, such as the death of a spouse or another example is if the homeowner becomes severely and...

If you plan on applying for a mortgage, you should be on the lookout for “junk fees”. Your lender’s junk fees may leave you paying much more than necessary at closing.

When you apply for a mortgage loan, your lender will give you a Good Faith Estimate (GFE). The GFE provides you with an itemized list of the fees your lender intends to charge to process your loan and close the deal. Each fee should be clearly listed on your GFE.

Closely scrutinizing the charges listed on the GFE is the key to catching junk fees early in order to challenge and negotiate them.

A general consensus states that most buyers go through a mortgage loan process maybe 1-to-3 times in a li...