Buyer Tips

As a homebuyer, have you ever experienced reading descriptions of properties, only to find out upon walking in that it’s nothing like advertised? It’s the old bait and switch that a lot of realtors do in their real estate ad. In today’s video, let’s talk all about the words that we, as realtors, use to get people to come and look at the property, get all excited before they walk in, and what those words really mean.

If you’ve ever written an offer in a competitive real estate market, like what we have here in East Bay, you’ve probably come across this very standard practice of writing the seller a buyer love letter. It’s very common and it’s actually something that’s part of almost every offer that gets submitted here. Recently, however, the California Association of Realtors just came up with a Fair Housing and Discrimination Advisory which states that basically prohibits writing one, if you’re a home buyer, or reviewing one, if you’re a seller. How can this potentially affect you if you’re planning to buy or sell your home? Watch my video below and keep on reading.

Is it possible to buy your dream home if you have less than 20% of the down payment saved up? The median property in East Bay typically costs around $800,000. Therefore, a 20% down payment would mean that you need to have $160,000. However, that still does not factor in all your closing costs. Now that’s a lot of money to save, especially when rent and other expenses are high. This makes 10% and 5% down payment options super attractive and a topic that pops up in almost every real estate agent’s YouTube channel. But is it really possible to purchase your dream home with this type of down? In today’s video, let’s talk about the things and strategies you need to know if you’re going to pursue a low down payment home.

A lot of people say that investing in a rental property is one of their best investment decisions. Since I also own investment properties in addition to selling residential real estate, this is a topic that’s very near and dear to my heart. So if you’re thinking about buying your own investment properties in East Bay, here is a list of things to think about before you start shopping for your first investment home.

A lot of times, my clients are always asking me “Hey! How do I know how much cash do I need to bring in to close this deal outside of my down payment?” Today, I’ll walk you through how exactly I estimate these closing costs using the Buyer’s Net Sheet Tool of my go-to company, Placer Title Company.