Articles

Fabric Bargain Market 2024

What’s Ahead for the Housing Market

Top Reasons People Move

WHY HIRE AN AGENT WHO IS A REALTOR?

SELLING A HOME IS EASY!

BUYING A HOME IS EASY!

Buying & Selling at the same time?

Home Appraisals - A NECESSARY STEP

ESCROW QUICK GUIDE - DEATH OF A PROPERTY OWNER

Woohoo! Nationally, the US housing market is getting back to normal.

PROPOSITION 19 - Q & A

The Magic of Owning a Home

Transfer Tax Update for the City of San Jose

Fixer Upper Money Pit

Closing Costs Cleared Up

5 Electric Home Dangers

5 Essentials

When it comes to choosing a home to purchase, which amenities are non-negotiable and which ones are nice to have? These are the top five essential amenities home shoppers say are must-have in a home.

american dream home

burglars begone

Home burglary generally has a pattern; criminals looking for an easy target they can rob fast. Career burglars shared this information to help you prevent break-ins.

calling in the experts

When purchasing a home, one of the most important steps is to the home inspection. While this will tell you a lot about the house, there are some items that a home inspector simply cannot evaluate.

design dilemmas

Home trends come and go, but these are the ones people are most likely to regret in 10 years, according to social media users.

dont get sidelined

There are a lot of assumptions about the housing market, but some of those beliefs may be causing you to miss out on a great house. Check out some of the biggest misconceptions that home buyers have.

future proof kitchen

The median price of remodeling a kitchen is $60,000. So how do you make sure the changes you make won't look dated in a few years? Here are some ideas to future-proff your kitchen.

HOAs: Protecting Home Values

69 million Amercians live in 342,000 common-interest communities and the majority of owners say Homeowners Associations protect home values. Find out why.

homeownership benefits

homeownership dream

Despite affordability challenges, California renters continue to hold homeownership in high regard and aspire to purchase a home eventually.

inspection

The Truth about Lead-Based Paint Liability

If you're a California homeowner, you may have seen recent news that you will be held criminally liable if your home contains lead-based paint. This is not true and is simply a scare tactic being used by paint manufacturers that recently lost a court ruling. Find out the truth below.

maintenance must dos

making the move

The average homeowner stays in their home for 10 years. Here are some telltale signs it's time to pack your bags and make the move.

mortgage musts

Getting a mortgage may seem easy, but the truth is that there are a number of hoops to jump through and hurdles to cross before a mortgage lender will issue you a loan. Here are five essential steps that many buyers don't realize are needed for a mortgage.

motivated millennials

Millennials held the highest share of homebuying activity in 2018 out of all other generations for the fifth consecutive year. They boast a strong desire for homeownership and remain committed to achieving their home-purchasing goals.

outdated advice

People who've gone through the homebuying process are often eager to give advice. Unfortunately, sometimes that advice is outdated.

Check out some of the most common advice you may hear, which no longer applies given the current market.

popular projects

58% of homeowners plan to spend money on home improvement projects this year. What are the most popular renovations?

Seller Slip-Ups

Selling a home isn't easy. Avoid these common slip-ups that can cause your home to linger on the market.

smart home hacked

As the number of households using smart-home devices, such as voice assistants, thermostats, doorbells and televisions - continue to increase, so does the potential for your home to be hacked. Check out these tips from security experts on how to avoid having your smart home hacked.

smart home tech

More builders are outfitting newly constructed homes with smart-home technology and buyers are willing to pay extra for it.

staged homes

Home staging is key to attracting home shoppers, and maybe even more so in an era where consumers are used to watching TV home-makeover shows.

The Stress of Surprise Repairs

Nearly half of the homeowners experienced an unexpected home repair in the first year of homeownership and almost one-third did not have money set aside for home repairs or improvements. Homeownership involves more than just paying for your mortgage. Be sure that you're prepared for unexpected expenses.

tackling the remodel

The chief reasons homeowners undergo a remodel are because they desire better and newer amenities or they feel compelled to repair or replace old components in their homes. Here are some of the other reasons homeowners take on a remodel.

try and try again

Prevent Wildfires

Mother Nature was not kind to California in 2017, with wildfires breaking out in all parts of the state, even during the non-traditional wildfire season. Fire officials sa that most homes that burn during a wildfire aren't ignited by dry brush, but instead by embers landing on the roof, through vents, or on decks and porches. Follow these tips to make your house more ignition resistant.

Don't Fall Victim To Wire Fraud

Scammers are stealing down payments via wire fraud and getting more clever every day. Be sure you don't fall victim to wire fraud by following these 3 steps.

California homeowners face higher insurance costs after fires

www.cbsnews.com
January 31, 2019

California's new insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara, delivered bad news earlier this week to Golden State homeowners about wildfire insurance losses and policy premiums. Lara said estimated insurance costs for the 2018 wildfires, which devastated towns such as Paradise and Redding and caused massive destruction in Malibu, had risen by $2.3 billion to $11.4 billion -- a 25 percent increase and a record for the state.

Total losses from California's more than 8,000 wildfires exceeded $18 billion last year. But the steep insured losses also mean higher premiums for homeowners and businesses, including the 3.5 million homes in harm's way from future blazes.

Just how much will rates rise? If a December 2017 report from the California Department of Insurance (CDI) -- issued before the state's worst fire year -- is any indication, those who previously paid $800 a year for a policy could now be charged up to $5,000. Insurers said additional hikes are inevitable.

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Family pets can have a significant influence when homebuyers are shopping

www.cbsnews.com
January 31, 2019

On average, prospective homebuyers visit 10 properties over 10 weeks until they find their new home. It turns out that one of the more prominent reasons a home search gets extended is furry and walks on four legs.

That’s right: if a house doesn’t pass “the pet test,” it’s out of the running.

The healthy economy that is spurring talk of a rate hike, however, isn’t permeating deeply into real estate.

A survey by Realtor.com found that 75 percent of pet-owning home buyers would pass up an otherwise-perfect home if they didn’t think it was a good fit for their animals.

That’s a significant percentage considering that finding the right property ranks as the most difficult step in home buying.

Eighty percent of the people surveyed owned pets. Of those:

87 percent took their pets' needs into account when looking for a home.

Nearly 90 percent of pet-owning buyers said that their animals' needs were important or very important in their home-search process.

90 percent of dog owners and 87 percent of cat owners said their pets' needs were important or very important during their home search. But reptiles (98 percent), horses (91 percent), and fish (87 percent) also factor into decision making.

So, what are some of the most important features for pet owners?

A large yard (45 percent)
Any outdoor space (36 percent)
A garage (33 percent)

Source: Ann Timoney, Financial Advisor and Mortgage Advisor
NMLS 233794 | CFP® - OPES Advisors
750 University Avenue Suite 275, Los Gatos, CA 95032
(408) 458-3504 Office | atimoney@opesadvisors.com