Tip #1: Get your complex FHA approved. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), between the years 2004-2016, 22% of all loans used to purchase homes were FHA loans. Further, the FHA Single Family Market Share Report 2016 Q3 indicates that percentage to be holding steady at just a tad below 22% during 2016. This means that if your complex is not “FHA Approved,” you have potentially eliminated roughly 22% of all potential buyers for your home. Furt

For as long as I can remember I’ve heard “location, location, location” chanted by experienced real estate professionals and investors. From my own personal and professional experience, I can attest to the importance of carefully evaluating the pros and cons of location before making a decision to buy, or to pass. In a low-inventory environment such as now, buyers who are qualified and motivated to make a purchase can become frustrated. Not only can it be difficult to find an

I’ve been selling real estate full-time since the beginning of 2003, and even before I received my license I made a business decision to never “double-end,” or represent both the buyer and the seller in the same transaction. Here’s why: Typically, Sellers pay a broker a fee to help prepare, list, market and negotiate the sale of their property on their behalf. The listing broker can either share that fee with an agent who brings the BEST buyer to the finish line, or keep the

RISMEDIA, Tuesday, April 11, 2017— Mortgage lenders have never felt more optimistic about the economy than they do now—an outlook that could come with more relaxed standards for homebuyers, who continue to contend with tight conditions as the spring home-buying season gets underway. The share of lenders recently surveyed in Fannie Mae's Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey® who believe "the economy is on the right track" burst through to a survey high in the first quarter of

RISMEDIA, Wednesday, April 12, 2017— Renters are in better financial straits than they were just six months ago. Is homeownership next? The answer, according to a recent Freddie Mac survey, is unclear. Although 41 percent of the renters surveyed reported having more cash left over after payday, up from 34 percent in September 2016—and ideal for saving on a down payment on a home—only 15 percent reported working toward homeownership, down from 21 percent in September. Thirt

RISMEDIA, Wednesday, April 12, 2017— Investment home sales dominated the second home market in 2016, off the charts by 4.5 percent to total 1.14 million, according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) recently released 2017 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey—but vacation home purchases plunged, down 21.6 percent to a total 721,000. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun attributes the vacating of vacation home sales to low supply and unaffordability—the same is

RISMEDIA, Thursday, April 13, 2017— The following information is provided by the Center for REALTOR® Development (CRD). In the fall of last year, at the request of its members, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) created a new program to oversee the its efforts related to sustainability in real estate. Two key goals of the program are to begin a dialogue with NAR members around this important and accelerating issue, and to position REALTORS® as leaders of change fo

RISMEDIA, Thursday, April 13, 2017— For all the hurdles to homeownership, one obstacle is stubbornly more insurmountable than the rest: the down payment. Renters are having trouble stacking up the savings to place a down payment on a home, according to the recently released Zillow® Housing Aspirations Report (ZHAR). Seventy percent of renters surveyed in the report say the down payment is more of a hindrance than debt (cited by 50 percent of those surveyed), job security (

RISMEDIA, Thursday, April 13, 2017— Real estate season is underway, and house hunters have one goal in mind: a ranch-style home. According to a recent survey by realtor.com®, ranches are the most in-demand style of home this year, with 42 percent of homebuyers eyeing a rambler in their search for a home. A distant 28 percent of homebuyers—the second highest share in the survey—are in the market for a contemporary. Younger homebuyers, however, have a tendency toward a ro

University Heights is a bustling “village” neighborhood in the metro-area of San Diego. Located adjacent Uptown District, University Heights is a thriving, walkable, bike-able community with wide streets, shade trees and abundant palms, and architecture as diverse as its residents. In close proximity to Balboa Park, Downtown, the San Diego Coastline, Airport, shopping, transportation corridors and more, this location offers a unique blend of urban convenience and suburban war