In the process of becoming a homeowner, there are 3 essential steps that all buyers must do: prepare their finances, go house hunting, and lastly, close the sale of their new house. This home buyers guide will walk you through how to complete each of the steps and provide helpful links to other resources.      STEP 1-GET YOUR FINANCES READY         CHECK YOUR CREDIT SCORE  The first thing you need to do when considering Check Your Credit Score buying a house is to check your credit score. Credit scores usually range between 300 and 850 and help banks to determine which loans and interest rates you are qualified for. Typically, conventional and jumbo loans have higher credit score requirements because they aren’t insured by the government, while those that are backed by the government, like VA loans, have lower credit score requirements. If you are unhappy with your score after checking it, take the time to improve it. Often credit score is treated like a mysterious number that one has little control of, but you can improve your score. Even a small change and improve your choices of mortgages and loans.       SHOP AROUND FOR MORTGAGES & LOANS   Once you know where you stand, it is time to see which mortgage lender and loan is right for you. When it comes to choosing which mortgage lender to go with, the rule of thumb is to make sure you have interviewed at least three companies. While it might be tempting to take the first enticing offer, especially for first-time buyers, you can potentially save thousands of dollars by shopping around. When looking for a mortgage, you need to understand what type of loan is best for you. Each loan type has a varying percentage for down payments and eligibility requirements. While there are a lot of loan types, the most utilized ones are:   Conventional mortgages  FHA loans   VA loans   USDA loans               Mortgage loan contract   GET PRE-APPROVED   Unlike a pre-qualification letter, which is informal, a pre-approval letter is an official letter to loan you a specific amount within certain limits. The lender will have reviewed your financial portfolio: your credit score, income, assets, and debts, and decided how much the bank is willing to give you. A pre-approval letter puts you in the fast lane, so to speak, in the house buying process, as it proves that you have the means to purchase the house you want.    STEP 2 -PREPARING FOR HOUSE HUNTING         DECIDE WHAT KIND OF HOUSE YOU WANT   It’s important to know your priorities: what must the house absolutely have to feel like home to you? It is best to make a list of things you need, want, and things that are additional perks at this stage. For example, if you have children, a good school district is a need, a big backyard is a want, and a pool would be an additional perk. No house will have 100% of what you are looking for so establish the top 3-4 absolute needs.    STEP 3 – FINDING THE RIGHT PARTNER         FIND THE RIGHT REAL ESTATE AGENT   Here is the final tip–find the right partner. The real estate agent is your representative in the house buying process so they have your best interest at heart. Buying a house is a complicated and, at times, emotional undertaking, and your agent can guide you through all the nuances, confusion, and pitfalls. They will help you find homes within your budget and criteria, go to open houses and showings with you, and most importantly, help you write and negotiate your offer. The best way of seeing if the agent is right for you is by asking a lot of questions. Your prospective agent should have strong local market knowledge, experience, and a track record of success. Feel free to ask for references who are previous clients. Ultimately, you need a partner to help you through this process. Make sure that they understand you and he/she is the right fit for you.    FINAL THOUGHTS   As a top producing agent with 20+ years of experience in the East Bay, I have helped hundreds of clients buy their dream homes in the Greater San Francisco Bay area and the counties of Alameda and Contra Costa. My experience as a former appraiser allows me to help my clients understand the market and make the right offer. If you have any questions, I am here to be a resource for you. 

One of the best ways to generate income is through real estate investment. Since I work with many people who are starting in this new venture and hear the errors they have made, I decided to share tips with you so that you can avoid some of their mistakes.      Real estate investment can be a source of income for you through one of several ways, like rental income or appreciation. Investors can use real estate to diversify their assets beyond traditional financial stocks or mutual funds. When done correctly, it can be a great way to create wealth for yourself and your family.                Modern house under renovation   1.KNOW YOUR RISK TOLERANCE   What type of investor are you? Do you like passive income or a quick turnaround? What is your timeline for your investment? These are fundamental questions that most investors don’t consider. They hear someone they know or see it on TV and buy into the investment idea without giving it too much thought. Later, they realize that they don’t have the same risk tolerance or the timeline that they wanted out of it. Ask yourself the following questions:    What type of risk are you willing to take?    What happens if the market changes? Are you willing to hold it for the long term?    Are you looking to make a steady income stream? Based on your answers, you will make different choices that align with your personality and investment style.    2.NUMBERS, NUMBERS, NUMBERS….   There are many metrics that I would look at for each investment. I often look at metrics so that I am objective in analyzing the investment. After all, you are looking to add to your bottom line. A couple of metrics to consider:  Capital invested – This represents how much funds is required to get the project going. This could be a down payment to purchase the property or the investment required to improve the property, such as construction costs.  Cash flow: This is the flow of funds going in and out each month. You need to know how much cash flow will be flowing in or out each month. There are situations in which you may be able to profit on your investment, but your cash flow is negative because it is locked up in the house until it has been sold.    Market Appreciation: Has the property value increased over the past year or the past 5 years? You want to know upfront that your investment will appreciate over time.    Cost per square foot: This is to ensure that you are not overpaying for your investment compared to the neighborhood or regional averages. Transaction costs: These are the other costs related to the buying or selling of the investment, such as escrow, taxes, attorney fees, etc. that will reduce your profits.    Potential/Expected Gains: what is the potential gain that you would like to make with this investment? What is the best-case scenario? Are there any downsides? What is the most likely scenario? This will help you to understand if the reward is worth the risk.     Once you know your numbers, you can decide what type of real estate investment to make.     3.INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO – WHAT TO INVEST IN?   There are many choices to make in investment. The two types of real estate investments that you should consider:  RENTAL PROPERTIES  Rental properties, the classic example of real estate investment, are great investments for those who have the capital to cover the upfront costs and are willing to manage tenants. Since you would own the property straight out, you would be able to take advantage of the equity earned to leverage other investments. Also, the tax-deductions you can take on the property can be sizeable. Don’t limit yourself only to residential property; commercial properties are potential candidates as well.    HOUSE FLIPPING For real estate investors, house flipping can offer a high return and only ties up your capital for a short time. To get into house flipping, you should have some experience in real estate evaluation, renovation, marketing, and investing. The experience is essential because what flippers look for is the intrinsic value of a house and all the other factors (location, schools, etc.) when buying the property.         Keep in mind that hot markets can suddenly and unexpectedly turn cold, tying up your capital longer than anticipated and digging into your profits. If you want to get started with flipping but don’t want to overhaul a house, try buying a property that is reasonably priced and in good condition and adding value to it.    FINAL THOUGHTS Real estate investment can seem daunting, but it isn’t if you know your risk tolerance and desired outcome. Having the right tools and information and people with experience to partner alongside you are especially important for your first time or your tenth time. If you are considering real estate investment, do your homework and talk to a real estate professional.    As a top producing agent with 20+ years of experience in the East Bay, I have helped hundreds of clients build their wealth through real estate in the Greater San Francisco Bay area and the counties of Alameda and Contra Costa. As a former appraiser, my experience allows me to help my buyers know that they are paying the right price for their investment.  If you have any questions, I am here to be a resource for you. I love talking about real estate investing. 

Inheriting a home comes with a lot of responsibilities and decision-making by the heir(s). If you have a loved one that has passed on and you’ve inherited their home or are the executor of the estate, below is a guideline to help you through the process before you decide whether or not to sell or keep the home.              Man sealing box with adhesive. Packing for relocation.   Making sure the home is secure and re-keying is extremely important. (it’s almost impossible to know who may have a key).  Notify the local police department that the property is now vacant. Speak with trusted neighbors and ask them to keep an eye on the property.  Set up lights with timers to make the home appear to be occupied.  Make sure mail is forwarded or regularly picked up and no leaflets are left at the door/porch.  Continue making mortgage payments, property tax payments, home insurance payments, and utility payments.  Make sure you can maintain the home or hire someone for the yard/home maintenance.  If the property is still vacant in the winter, you should winterize the property.  Make sure the home insurance company knows the property is vacant- this is very important!  Secure and remove all personal papers from the home (ie: wills, bank statements)  Start to inventory all items in the property of value for tax purposes and to track for all the heirs. You also may want to photograph or video the home’s contents. Heirs should start removing all items they want once the inventory has been completed.  FINAL THOUGHTS As a Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist, I work with reliable contractors to handle estate sales, clean out, trash removal, staging, and repairs. I am able to provide a comparable market evaluation of the home’s worth in its current condition (selling “as is”), as well as the value of the home with minor upgrades such as fresh paint, new flooring, and other small projects.  As a top-producing agent with 20+ years of experience in the East Bay, I have helped hundreds of clients navigate the probate process in the Greater San Francisco Bay area and the counties of Alameda and Contra Costa. My experience as a former appraiser allows me to help my clients understand the market as well as all of their options. If you have any questions, I am here to be a resource for you.