Why You Should Buy Instead of Rent in the L.A. & Orange County Area

Considering Buying? Click here to search all available homes in your area 

Considering Selling? Get a Free Home Evaluation

You may also call me at 562-900-9430 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today we are going to look at a dilemma that many people face at one point in their life: whether to rent or whether to buy a home. In our opinion, buying a home makes more sense than renting, for a number of reasons.

One of the best reasons to buy is that owning a home is a hedge against inflation. When you buy a home with a fixed-rate mortgage, you don't have to worry about your payment changing at all during the life of your loan. You don't get that same guarantee that rent will be the same over that time. Even if rent just went up by 5% per year, your payments would be doubled in just 14 years.

Another thing buying a home does is give you the opportunity to build a nest egg. When you rent, you are paying rent to your landlord and that money is going towards their mortgage. When you own your own home, you are paying off your mortgage every month, and eventually, if you keep making payments, you will own the property free and clear.

These are just a few of the top reasons why many people choose to buy instead of rent. I hope this gave you some valuable information. If any questions come up, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to speaking to you!

How to Sell Your Home or Investment Property Tax-Free

Considering Buying? Click here to search all available homes in your area 

Considering Selling? Get a Free Home Evaluation

You may also call me at 562-900-9430 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Hey everyone, today I would like to discuss how to sell your property in 2015, tax-free.

One of the great benefits of owning real estate is that the IRS has set up ways for you to sell your property tax-free, without having to pay any capital gains.

The first question you need to ask yourself to determine if you can do this is, "Is the property owner-occupied?"

Even if it's not current, if you have lived there for 2 out of the last 5 years, you can sell the property and have up to $250,000 of tax-free capital gains if you're single, and $500,000 if you are married.

Another way you can avoid taxes on the sale of real estate is if the property is considered an “investment property” by the IRS. A 1031 Exchange is where you sell your investment property and purchase another one whereby your tax basis transfers to the new property, and you do not have to pay capital gains at the time of sale.

There are specific requirements to do a 1031 exchange, so if you have any questions, make sure you talk to a tax professional to see if you could qualify.  If you have any other questions, let us know.  We would be happy to answer them and send you some more detailed information if you need it. 

The Perils of Online Home Searches

Considering Buying? Click here to search all available homes in your area 

Considering Selling? Get a Free Home Evaluation

You may also call me at 562-900-9430 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Hey everyone, today I am going to discuss the hazards of online home searches and home evaluation websites. As you will see, there are a lot of inaccuracies in them that can be solved by looking elsewhere.

The top real estate sites in the country like Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com play an important role in our industry. On one hand, they are a good source of local real estate trends. On the other hand, they aren't so good at providing accurate value estimates or information about homes for sale. Why aren't they as accurate as some other sites?

For starters, they gather data from tax records, which is not always accurate in terms of providing fair market information. For example, if somebody sold their home to a family member or relative, they may sell for less than market value on purpose. However, this value will skew the home's value.

Another technique these sites employ is an algorithm to determine your home's value. This algorithm is only taking into consideration public information from public records - things like bedroom count, bathroom count, and square footage. The problem is they are not taking anything from inside the home into account. You may have made some great improvements to your home, which increased its value, but that won't show on these sites. This could lead to your home being undervalued by as much as 25%.

If you are looking to buy a home, you need to know the home listings online are typically delayed anywhere from 1-5 days. What often happens is that by the time a home is listed for sale, every agent and every buyer working with an agent is already aware of this property. If you are in a hot market, it has probably already been sold.
 
If you want to have access to homes the instant they go on the market, the only way to do that is by working with a real estate professional, like myself, who can get you access to the MLS.

If you have any questions for me, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to talking with you soon!

Five Ways to Increase Your Home's Value

Considering Buying? Click here to search all available homes in your area 

Considering Selling? Get a Free Home Evaluation

You may also call me at 562-900-9430 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today I'm going to go over five different ways to increase your home's value. It's relatively easy and inexpensive to do, and with the spring selling season approaching I thought this would help you to prepare for a great sale.

1. New Front Door: This can really help with curb appeal and in drawing potential buyers inside. It's quite amazing what a change a door can make on a home. 
2. New Interior Doors: For around $100-$200,  you can replace your interior doors, and this can really elevate the feel of your home.
3. Window Replacement: A lot of the homes here in Long Beach have old, wood windows which really don't insulate very well. By replacing them with newer, vinyl windows you can increase your curb appeal and also save on heating and air conditioning because the windows will insulate much better. 
4. Kitchen Remodel: Kitchens are known to sell houses, and an updated kitchen is a tremendous way to modernize your home and increase your pool of potential buyers. A good kitchen remodel can get pricey, but in my opinion, when it is done well, a kitchen remodel can return 2-3 times the investment. 
5. Bathroom Remodel: Consumers love seeing updated kitchens and modern bathrooms. You can typically spend around $3,000 for a bathroom remodel, but even little changes can add a lot of value.

Believe it or not, a lot of renovations don't add a lot of value to your home, but these five are certain to increase the worth of your home. They'll cost you up front, but you'll reap the benefits when you sell in Long Beach.

If you have any questions or would like to get in touch with good contractors, please don't hesitate to contact me. As always, use me as your #1 resource for Long Beach real estate.