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What To Do With More Choices? My Advice for Home Buyers in San Diego

There are many great San Diego area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Value Report so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (619) 562-6800 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

My Advice for Home Buyers in San Diego

Today we're talking about what is happening in the San Diego real estate market, and what buyers can expect as we come into the summer months.

Home buyers can expect a much larger selection of homes than what we saw a year ago in San Diego County. However, there will be much more competition with a large number of buyers coming into our market. This means that you will need to set yourself apart from other buyers. 

One great way to do this is to work with a real estate agent that can serve your interests and get you the best price with the best conditions. After you have found yourself an agent, be sure to get pre-approved for a mortgage loan. This will tell the seller that you can afford to buy his/her home. Sometimes sellers will not even consider an offer if the buyer is not pre-approved to purchase a home (if you need a good lender, please be sure to ask me because I can refer one to you).

It's also important to know the difference between what you want in a home and what you need. If you know what you need (a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home with a garage, for example) out of a home, it will narrow down your search immensely. You may want granite counter tops, but you can install those any time after you purchase the home. It's important to differentiate these major needs from things that you simply desire. 

If you're looking to buy a home in San Diego in the next 60 days, please contact me and I would love to discuss what we can do for you to aid in your home search. 

I look forward to speaking with you!

Is Your Window to Sell in San Diego Closing?

There are many great San Diego area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Value Report so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (619) 562-6800 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

San Diego Real Estate Market Update for June 2014

Today I'm bringing you the latest stats and trends for our San Diego real estate market (this information will cover all of San Diego County). The market is simmering, but will it heat up even more? Let me explain for you...

• Single family homes from January 2013 to April 2013 had a median sales price of $422K. For the same period this year, the median sales price rose to $484K. That is a 14% increase in median sales prices since last year!
  
• If you're a seller this means that you can take advantage of a very low amount of inventory (we are at less than 3 months worth of inventory in San Diego). The next 60 days will be crucial if you want to sell your home.
• Now is the perfect time to put your home on the market. There is more competition right now that just a few months ago, but there are still not enough homes in our San Diego real estate market.
• If your home is in good condition and is priced correctly, you have a great chance to sell for top dollar in the San Diego real estate market.

If you're interested in getting your San Diego home on the market right now, please feel free to contact me and we can discuss all of your real estate needs.

I look forward to speaking with you!

Buying This Year Could Save $600 on Your Monthly House Payment

There are many great San Diego area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Value Report so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (619) 562-6800 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

How Much Money are You Losing by Waiting to Buy?

It may sound strange, but if you're planning to buy a home, you're actually losing money by sitting on the fence right now. Today I'll give a couple compelling reasons to buy a home now, and these reasons are backed by real estate economists. Keep in mind that all of this information is only relative to San Diego real estate.

• Appreciation is rising: Some experts are expecting home prices to rise by 12% in the next five years, but other expects are predicting a rise of 18-19% in San Diego County.
• Interest Rates are Rising: Realistically, I believe that we can expect interest rates to rise by 1% from now until next year. When you take this number and add in another 5-6% for appreciation,  the average home (nationally) would cost you an extra $300 a month by just waiting until next year! If you're in San Diego the bad news is that waiting to buy would cost you $600 a month.
• Considering this, what could you do with an extra $600 per month? You could spend it on a sushi dinner, or get a few massages every month, or you could buy a brand new car. You could also put this money away and save it, and in 5 years you would have $36,000 saved up.

If you're thinking about purchasing a home in San Diego, call me and let's talk. We can discuss your options and see if now is the perfect time for you to buy.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions about real estate in San Diego.

Richard Elias Reviews Mrs Haag

"We had a home that we initially bought because we were trying to invest in it as a rental and it did not work out so well. We were under water with the whole thing and it wasn’t getting us anywhere so we needed to sell it fast. Richard Elias actually contacted us after we showed that we were looking for someone in the San Diego area that could handle the sale of the property.  Richard understood what we needed and made every effort to go above and beyond what we asked for. We’ve worked with other Realtors previously and compared to Richard, they were all bad experiences. When you give Richard the information of what you need and the things you’re dealing with, he understands everything. He did the best he could for us to get the best price and the quickest settlement. We were just hoping to get out of our situation without owing a ton of money and not only did he help us get out of trouble, but we even got a little bit of money out of it. Richard is the most understanding Realtors we’ve ever dealt with and when you work with him, you can expect the best results in the shortest amount of time. I’d absolutely recommend him!"

Now is the Time to Sell Your Home in San Diego

There are many great San Diego area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Value Report so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (619) 562-6800 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

3 Reasons to Sell Now in San Diego 

The spring is a great time to sell your home here in San Diego, and I have come up with a few reasons for why this is true.

1. Demand is about to skyrocket: You have probably heard that the supply of homes in San Diego is very low. We probably sit at a 3 1/2 to 4 month supply of homes right now. This market is usually the most active from April through July, so demand will continue to increase until then. We will probably get buyers that have pushed off their home search from the holidays and are just now looking to buy.
   
2. Less Competition...For Now: As we start building steam in May, June, and July, more homes will be coming on the market. If you're a seller, this would make right now a very opportune time to put your homes on the market because competition is still relatively low but it will be building.
3. No Better Time to Move Up: Prices are predicted to appreciate anywhere from 4-8% in San Diego County by the end of 2015. As interest rates and prices go up, your buying power on what you can afford will go down.

These are all factors you should take into consideration this spring and summer if you're planning to sell your San Diego home. If you contact me I can give you a free market analysis on your home to determine how much it might sell for and how you can prepare for a top dollar sale.

As always, if you're looking to buy or sell in San Diego, you can contact me via phone or email. I am always willing to help you.

Want to Sell Your House? Price it Right!

 | Keeping Current Matters· by The KCM Crew · April 14, 2014

The housing market is recovering nicely. Prices have increased nationally by double digits over the last twelve months. Competition from the shadow inventory of lower priced distressed properties (foreclosures and short sales) is diminishing rapidly. Now may be the perfect time to sell your home and move to the dream house or beautiful location your family has always talked about.
The one suggestion we would definitely offer: DON’T OVERPRICE IT!!

Even though prices have increased by more than 10% over the last year, the acceleration of appreciation has slowed dramatically over the last few months. As an example, in their April , CoreLogic revealed that home prices actually depreciated by .08% this month as compared to last month’s report. What concerns us is that Trulia just reported that asking prices are still continuing to increase.

Because investor purchases are declining and there are more listings coming onto the market, we believe that sellers should be very cautious when they price their house. The alternative might be that you could lose money by overpricing your home at the start as explained in a research study on the matter.

Bottom Line
Though it is a great time to sell your house, pricing it right is crucial. Get guidance from a real estate professional in your marketplace to ensure you get the best deal possible.