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Lorraine Santirosa, San Diego Military Relocation Expert!

Low interest rates helps San Diego home buyers


Low interest rates helps San Diego home buyers - the cost of borrowing money continues to be at an all time low of less than 4% prompting many people to reflect on their housing situation. Renters are finding that when they make comparisons between buying vs renting it likely makes more financial sense to own a home. This situation gives new meaning to "It's a great time to buy."


2012 is off to a promising start as mortgage rates continue to drop and have remained under 4% for nearly three months. Home sales are strengthening and pending home sales, a measure to gauge future sales, are at their highest levels since March 2010.



Interest rates at favorable levels and a good selection of homes provide an opportunity for buyers. Here are a few things to for buyers to keep in mind:

1. Know what you can afford before you fall in love with your dream home.

2. Consider additional expenses that come with owning a home like property tax, insurance, and repairs.

3. Be flexible on the little things. It would be wonderful to find a home with everything you want, but those are hard to come by – distinguish nice-to-haves and must-haves early.

4. Have imagination and look beyond paint colors, wallpaper, or other easy and affordable things you can change.

5. Don't compromise on the big things, such as enough bedrooms to accommodate additions to the family or space for an office if you work from home.

6. Always inspect even if the surface looks great; it's important to know if anything major is wrong and what it will cost to fix.

7. Think about the future in regard to the neighborhoods, surroundings, schools, and developments.


Lorraine Santirosa is a San Diego realtor that specializes in the sales of homes. For a free no obligation consultation call 619-248-5484. http://www.buyhousesinsandiego.com
Dre#04127412

Need help selling your San Diego home?


Need help selling your San Diego home? - When it's time to move, you need someone who will advertise your home, show to prospective buyers, negotiate the purchase contract, arrange financing, oversee the inspections, handle all necessary paperwork and supervise the closing. I can take care of everything you need, from start to close.

What is My Home Worth?

Receive a FREE custom evaluation for your home, including comparisons to other homes that have recently sold or are on the market. This guarantees you'll receive the most accurate information available. To find out what your home is worth, fill out the information below:





Preparing your home for sale in a buyer’s market can seem daunting, but these five tips will help you get the best price in the least amount of time.

1. Organizing and cleaning is crucial when prepping a home for sale. Potential home buyers have a more positive reaction to homes that are clutter-free and give them the feeling that the home is “move-in ready.”

2. Presale home inspection can inform you of any trouble areas within your home that can stand out to potential buyers. An inspection can also help you make any repairs necessary before future open houses.

3. Determine replacement estimates before listing your home, even if you are not planning on making the replacements yourself. This information can help buyers to make informed decisions.

4. Have your warranties ready – especially for all those home appliances that will stay within the home after the sale.

5. Curb appeal is a crucial factor because it determines first impressions. A negative first impression can cloud their entire opinion about the home.

Lorraine Santirosa is a San Diego real estate agent that specializes in the sale of homes. Need help selling your home as a short sale? 619-248-5484. http://www.buyhousesinsandiego.com
Dre#04127412


Ready to Sell your San Diego home?

Ready to Sell your San Diego home? - National news headlines paint a doom and gloom picture of the housing market but the truth is, the San Diego market is heating up. The local housing inventory now stands at approximately 8,000 homes the lowest in four years. There are more buyers competing than available properties for sale creating a multiple offer situation on homes that have the most appeal. It's a great time to sell your San Diego home.

Now that you're ready to list, the first thing you'll need to do is to find out how much your home is worth. By completing the form below you'll receive an in depth report of recent properties sold in your neighborhood and the right information to make the best decision about the sale of your home.



Having the right real estate agent will help get your home sold at the highest price in the quickest amount of time.


Lorraine Santirosa is a San Diego realtor that specializes in the sale of homes. Need help selling your home as a short sale? 619-248-5484. http://www.buyhousesinsandiego.com
DRE#04127412



San Diego military home buyers and VA loans

San Diego military home buyers and VA loans - The decline in house prices coupled with low interest rates have motivated many military members to buy a home in San Diego using the their VA benefit. The peak in interest have not only come from those relocating to San Diego on PCS orders but from those members already residing in base housing. The main reasons many give for wanting to move off base is due to privacy, pride of ownership and wanting to take advantage of buying a bargain home with a VA loan.

In today's housing market, the qualified veteran is the only individual that can buy a home with zero down and pay NO mortgage insurance. There is a small funding fee charged by the VA but it can be financed with the loan. The funding fee was recently reduced making it even cheaper to borrow money using the VA benefit.

I often hear from military members once they get a true understanding of the financing and housing market that it "makes sense for a military member to buy a home than to rent." That it's better to put the housing allowance to good use than to pay someone else mortgage. While it's great that the government provides housing there's no other feeling than knowing you own a piece of the American dream.



Where to start the process of getting a VA loan?

My recommendation is to get pre approved with an experienced lender who has knowledge of qualifying veterans for a VA loan. This is important and can be costly in the long run if the lender lacks the experience. It makes perfect sense to also shop around and compare lenders. The popular military financial institutions like Navy Federal and USAA may not always offer the best price and customer service.

Work with an experienced real estate agent!

To complete the process of purchasing a San Diego home with a VA loan, I highly recommend partnering with a local real estate agent who specializes in working with military families. An experienced agent can save you time and money by knowing how to negotiate the best possible deal. The difference in having an expert negotiator knowledgeable about VA financing can put more money in your pocket than ANY advertised money back offered by the such financial institutions as Navy Federal and USAA.


Lorraine Santirosa is a San Diego realtor that specializes in helping military families buy and sell their home. Lorraine is fondly known as the "VA Queen," and is a former Navy spouse of twenty years. Her passion for helping military families is demonstrated in her efforts to change the VA appraisal guidelines.

Whether you are a first time home buyer or a member of the NAVY, ARMY, Coast Guard, Marines, or Air Force - Lorraine can help. 619-248-5484. http://www.sandiegomilitaryrelocationexpert.com

Chula Vista, CA homes for sale

Chula Vista, CA homes for sale- Whether your a first time home buyer, VA buyer, FHA buyer, investor or move up buyer looking for a bargain homes in Chula Vista, CA, we can help. Welcome to the Chula Vista homes and real estate portal: your single stop for finding a home in Chula Vista. Here you can search every available home for sale in Chula Vista. Pay close attention to the extra fees such as mello roos and HOA that are fairly common in the Chula Vista area and can impact the overall monthly cost of owning a home.

As of today, there are many homes and properties for sale that are available to search. You'll be able to search for homes that are short sales, foreclosures or traditional sale. Looking for a 3 bedroom, 4 bedroom, or even 5 bedroom that's single or two story? You can find those too! The number of homes changes daily, so be sure to keep coming back right here, to the best site for Chula Vista homes for sale.

When you find your dream home, chances are there may be other buyers competing for the very same house. This can be a stressful situation for home buyers and it is crucial to have a qualified agent there to help you out.

Let me take the stress out of house hunting and help you get into the home of your dreams without losing any sleep!

Lorraine Santirosa is a San Diego realtor that specializes in selling homes in the Chula Vista, CA area. Lorraine's can answer any questions you may have about mortgage financing, setting up an appointment to view homes, submitting an offer, what's the market condition and what is a short sale. 619-248-5484. http://wwwbuyhousesinsandiego.com