Buyer Strategy
How to buy without getting bulldozed. Playbooks for first-timers, move-up buyers, and skeptics.
Longer Escrow Periods Starting…NOW!
Even if it’s your first time buying a home, you probably know a thing or two about the process and timelines and like most folks, you would expect about a 30 days escrow, correct? While that was…
San Diego Harbor Parade of Lights
Its my favorite time a year, December! Not only is it my birthday month, and the waves are pumping for surfing, but its a time a year when people get together and observer family traditions. One…
Fewer Than 1% Of People Pay Off Their Home Loan Early
There are so many services offered these days that you can literally outsource your life. All you have to do is look at the capability of your smart phone to know we’re living in an amazing time…
When Buying A Home, What Happens After My Offer Gets Accepted?
You’ve done it! You made an offer and it got accepted, congratulations! You and the Seller now have a binding agreement and each of you has a set of duties you will need to perform. The first…
Things To Watch-Out For When Looking At Houses
So you’re out looking at property and don’t really know the protocol or what to watch-out for? I get it! When you’re out house hunting you want to find a house you love but you should also keep an…
Budgeting For Closing Costs
I came across some great information for prospective home buyers regarding the closing costs needed when buying a home. According to Pat Setter over at the Union Tribune, “Closing costs are an…
HOA’s Work For You, Right?
In a way I can’t blame them. Who doesn’t like to make a quick buck. Wait…scratch that, I do blame them when making that buck means overcharging others. The tradition of gouging is alive and well…
New Loan Rules Make it Easier to Buy & Refi
I still hear from lots of folks that say they can’t get a loan from a bank or their credit union. Well I have good news! New loan rules make it easier to buy & refi in 2016! There are a few huge…
What is Hazard Insurance and How Much Do I Need?
Whether you’re buying a house, condo, or multiple units you will be required to carry insurance. But you may wonder, “what is hazard insurance and how much do I need? What is it? – Hazard…
IMPORTANT Minimum Borrower Contribution Reduced
As consumer demand continues to peck away at the tight lending guidelines Freddie Mac announced an important minimum borrower contribution reduction that I’d like to highlight this week. Freddie…
Mello Whaaat? What are Mello Roos?
When a new community is built, living quarters are not the only buildings that are built; parks, recreations, schools, roads, commerce are constructed as well. The construction is financed through…
What’s The Point Of The Final Walk Through?
Many of my clients have asked me why we do a final walk through if we already had the home inspection so I want to let others out there know that these two steps of the home buying process are…
You’re Not Ready – OK, Then Let’s Find The Path
Client’s have told me that one of their favorite things about working with me and my team is that we take the time to help them get where they want to be. If you goto a bank and apply for a loan…
Hidden Gems, Tide Pools, Ocean Beach, CA
Craig@GreenMeansGrow.com
Should I Get Pre-Approved Before Starting To Look For A House?
[iframe id=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/q4GdRLlofD4″]What’s up guys, here’s another informational video. This one goes out to all of those people out there who do not want to get pre-approved…
Getting A Mortgage May Take Longer Under New Rules
Diana Olick | @DianaOlick Monday, 5 Oct 2015 | 12:47 PM ET The goal is to make the mind-numbing mortgage process much easier for consumers to understand. It’s called Know Before You Owe, which…
Embrace the Rain when Shopping for a Home
Whether you love the rain or can’t stand it, embrace the rain when searching for a home. The rain can be a big help in identifying potential problems with a home that would otherwise remain hidden…
Why Is Escrow Shorter For All Cash Buyer’s?
I recently had clients who were asking me why the escrow period is shorter for their parents who are buying a home than from when they were buying a home and the answer to that is simple: NO LOAN…
The Quickest Way To Boost Your Purchase Power
Home ownership levels are as low today as they were in 1967. One of the big differences between that year and present day is that the median income nationwide was only 1/2 the cost of the median…
To Go Green…or Not
What does it mean to be Green? Conserving water? Recycling? Tearing out your grass and replacing it with Artificial Turf? We are told so many things by so many people, but who is right? Well, me…
What Happens If The Fed Raises Rates?
If the Fed raises rates a quarter point, that does not directly correlate to a quarter-point increase in mortgage rates. The average rate on the 30-year fixed loosely follows the direction of the…
A DPA Has Gone Away – But it’s OK!
One of the most popular Down Payment Assistance Programs, the Cal HFA DPA, is gone. This last week they announced that they are no longer providing those funds to home buyers. While they certainly…
Hot homes for sale: Fall Deals
Summer is over, school has started and the housing market is slowing down. This is the time of year where you see price reductions to entice the buyers that have not found their dream home during…
Half of First Time Home Buyers Are Not Pre-Approved
Reported by The National Real Estate Post on July 14, 2015 Experian reports that 67% of future home buyers are not pre-approved. This is both unbelievable and understandable. It’s unbelievable if…
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