Whether you’ve been doubled-up and are now looking to strike out on your own or you’re thinking about finally moving out of your parents’ house, here are a few things you need to know about today’s home rental market. The competition is fierce Demand for rental properties has been on the rise since the housing market collapsed in 2007, when millions of Americans lost their homes to foreclosure and...
2014
Posted on latimes.com, April 27th. By Kenneth R. Harney WASHINGTON — Are you on the home-buying sidelines this spring because you think you won't be able to qualify for a mortgage? Do you know what sort of FICO credit scores are being accepted by lenders at the moment — they're lower than they were a year ago — and whether yours could now be good enough? You may be part of the surprisingly large...
I love where I live, but sometimes I wonder….what else is out there? Could I trade in my ocean view for more property? Or a guest room or larger bedrooms for my kids? With so many possibilities out there, what’s possible for my family and me? I recently downloaded an app called “Home Scouting” right onto my phone. It allows me to create and save searches based on my wish list of home...
Did you know that a typical 3-bedroom, single-family home in California uses approximately 174,000 gallons of water per year? A whopping 57% of water usage per home is spent on landscaping. Add in 9% of water usage on "overwatering" and your land is clearly gobbling up the majority of the water you're using! In addition to adjusting your sprinkler schedule and maybe working more succulents into your...
Everyone's heard the long and horrendous stories of going through a short sale. Is it really that bad? It doesn't have to be! Especially is you seek the expertise of a real estate agent with experience in short sales. Our very own Maria Roller has closed OVER 200 short sale transactions. Check out this article below for a brief explanation of WHY short sales often take a long time to close, and how...
Originally posted on Forbes.com, 3/5/2014:Is renting or buying a better financial bet? Every six months, Trulia’s chief economist Jed Kolko runs the numbers to answer that question and help you stay on top of the trends. So what does Trulia’s Winter 2014 Rent vs. Buy Report tell us? Although the gap between renting and buying is narrowing across the U.S., homeownership is still 38% cheaper than...