Buying a House is a lot like dating.

I never really thought about that statement until I asked one of my clients what she's learned from this experience and she immediately exclaimed, buying a house is a lot like dating.

OK, so you're not actually buying dinner and spending time with the house but you do have to feel out several before you put pen to paper. See, buying a house is a lot like dating.

Have you ever been on a blind date? Well, it's a lot like that. You trust your friends, in this case, your real estate agent to point you in the right direction. You might, at first, think they may have steered you wrong, truth is it's just the first door you're walking through.

Now depending on your frist reaction, you either think ewww or you immediately turn into one of those old Bugs Bunny Cartoons where your eyes bulge out of your head and hearts start swirling around you -- that's when you get tongue tied. Either reaction is fine.

Now, if you fall head over heels you find out that, like dating, there are things you'll find out about the other person, in this case the house that just isn't perfect. That's OK... no house ... or no date... is perfect. Trust me, I've been on a lot of dates. Buying a house is a lot like dating.

The good thing about house hunting versus dating is you don't have to have that awkward silence across the dinner table and there's no expectation to call back tomorrow. Thankfully, if the date goes bad, you won't have to remove them off your Facebook page. See, buying a house is a lot like dating.

5 things you can expect when working with me as your agent. 

When I meat new buyers they always ask the same question.  What can I expect as I go through the home buying process? I tell them the exact same thing, so here they are... the 5 things you can expect when working with me as your agent: 

Number Five--We'll sit down for a formal chat and outline your needs vs. wants.  There are differences between needs and wants.  For example, when I say, "How many bedrooms do you need?"  If you tell me three, I say, "why? "You tell me.. "I work from home and my friends are always looking for a place to crash when they visit San Diego."  That's a need.  A want is I want a pool with a built in BBQ... get it?

Number Four--I'll introduce you to several preferred lenders I work with to get you pre-approved  for a loan.   Some people ask me if they can wait on this step and my answer is always, "NO!"  Why?  Well, I'd hate to show you a home that you might not ultimately be able to afford.  The one thing I don't want to do is crush your faith in the process, so it's very important we get the pre-approval done right away.  

Number Three--We'll set you up on listing alerts to get you a feel for what's out there on the market.  This will allow you to shop for homes online before we head out and open a few doors.  Believe it or not, you'll be able to eliminate a  lot of property online.  

Number Two--I'm going to keep my eyes out for the big ticket items that could end up costing you a small fortune.  Let's say we walk into a house and you fall in love with it.  Everything you want is in this property...granite counters, cherry cabinets, subway tiles in the bathroom... are you picturing it?  What I'm going to be doing is looking for water damage in the ceiling, walking around to make sure the floor doesn't slope, checking to see if there's any cracks on the exterior of the home--I'll point these things out so when we get to the inspection process we'll be very informed. 

Finally, and this one is the most important of the 5 things you can expect when working with me as your agent, I've known this all my life and you'll agree when we meet.  I have great hair, so you will catch me from time to time looking at myself in the mirrors of your potential home.  I may tell you not to purchase the property based on whether or not my hair looks good.  Now, I know you're rolling your eyes asking yourself, "why is that important to me?  Let me tell you why--if you buy a house where my hair doesn't look good chances are we will never see each other--trust me you'll want to see me again after the transaction closes.  Why?  I'm a lot of fun and a party and you'll want to introduce me to your friends.... just sayin...

Hillcrest Bank Owned Condos.

Let me start out by telling you there are a number of Hillcrest Bank Owned Condos on the market right now. Currently we have an awesome supply of inventory and there is more on the way. According to tax records condos owned by banks right now in the 92103 zip code stand at 84. There are anoter 71 that are either in the pre-foreclosure or auction stages.

What does that mean for you? Well, it means that you'll be able to buy a very nice Hillcrest Bank Owned Condo at a very reasonable price. In some cases, these condos sold for well over a million dollars at the height of the market--they're just about half that price.

Here's the deal, interest rates are low, prices are low and well priced inventory is moving. I hear from people all the time that they're waiting for prices to fall. I get that, however, unless you have a crystal ball there's no way to actually predict what's going to happen.

Let's say prices go down and itnerest rates go up, you're actually buying yourself out of the market. What do I mean by that...well, if your interst rate goes up, your purchase power goes down. That means you may not be able to buy as nice of a Hillcrest Bank Owned Condo that you would like.

I'm happy to go check out some properties with you... just get at me.

San Diego Loan Modification

OK, so I've been getting a ton of questions from homeowners in my neighborhood interested in a San Diego Loan Modification.  I don't process loan modifications, however, I tell people who are interested in doing a loan modification the same thing, do it yourself.  That's right you can process your own loan modification.  What ever you do..DON'T PAY SOMEONE TO DO IT FOR YOU!!!!

That may seem like a shock to some but the truth is you don't have to pay someone to do your loan modification.  In fact, you'll get better results doing your own.  Now, I'm going to be straightforward when I tell you, doing a loan mod won't be easy, in fact, you'll probably be dealing with some goofball on the other end of the phone, that's  reality, face it now.  

Another thing to remember when doing a loan modification is that the person on the other end of the phone has no emotional attachment to the outcome.  They are generally reading from a script and just being told how to churn out information.  That's it. 

There are a couple things you need to understand about the loan modification process.  First and foremost, if you don't have a job, a loan modification isn't going to happen.  Sorry, I know it sounds harsh but if you're tying to get a San Diego Loan Modification, you have to have  a job.  Why?  That answer is simple, when you applied for a loan, you had a job that job qualified you to buy a house, same thing holds true now.  You have to show income in order to get  a modification of terms on your loan. 

Secondly, and this is just reality, most loan modifications don't happen and if they do, it's just a band-aid on a larger problem.  

Like I said, we don't process loan modifications, however, if you'd like step-by-step information on how to process your loan modification fill out the form by clicking the Free Loan Modification Link and I'll email one over to you.  

FREE LOAN MODIFICATION KIT!

North Park Bank Owned Properties

Let me begin by saying, I love North Park.  It's one of those hip communities where you can do just about anything and can find just about any restaurant.  I love it.  Unfortunately, there are a rising number of North Park Bank Owned Properties hitting the market. 

As of this morning, there are 36 North Park Bank Owned Properties on the market.  That doesn't seem like a large number, however, there are 75 more in pre-foreclosure.  That doesn't include the properties which are going to auction.  That auction number could change by the end of the day.  

So, what's going on in North Park?  Good question.  Like many other neighborhoods in San Diego, many people bought homes with adjustable rate mortgages or sub prime loans.  We're really starting to see the big wave of foreclosures hit the market.  North Park is made up of mixed single family, mostly Craftsman homes and small condominiums.  There is one large condo project in North Park, La Boheme, that is seeing a wave of distress. 

For a buyer, that's good news because now is the time where you can buy into the neighborhood and get a great deal on a small home or condo.  If priced well, North Park Bank Owned Properties are not sitting on the market for long. They are flying off the market at lightning speed.  

In fact, investors are buying up these homes on the court house steps and flipping them for a profit.  

For sellers who are underwater, waiting to sell isn't an option now.  For seller's wishing to buy, now is the time to make that move up in the neighborhood.  

Do I think we have it the bottom?  Well, I'm not sure.  What I do know is interest rates are low and prices are low so now is the time to get in the market to buy.