While some process changes in life without hesitation, others are resistant to reworking their lives during the transition. Believe it or not, there is a certain level of psychological change in the moving process. However, having a solid mindset and a set plan in place can alleviate some pressure. Whether the move is just across town or across the country, this moving timeline guide can help set the scene for success.

Tasks To Achieve Two Months Before Moving

The secret to a successful move is planning, planning, organizing, and more organizing! Start getting the mindset in place a couple of months before moving. Prepare mentally—not only for yourself but for anyone else who will be involved in the transition, physically or financially.

Use an online calendar to send reminders of tasks that need to be achieved, or use a binder to organize a moving timeline. Things to include at this point include:

• Notifying a landlord or continuing work with a real estate agent to sell current properties
• Receipts estimating moving costs/submission to employers for compensation if potentially applicable
• Notifying current and new utility services
• Reserving a moving company if needed
• Getting a ‘game plan' ready to streamline the transition

Check These Tasks Off Six Weeks Before Moving

With some major tasks...

Handling Repair Agreements: Credit or Repair?

Should you handle a repair agreement via credit or via repair? This is a topic that comes up almost every time with home sellers when the second round of negotiations comes around with that repair list. Whenever possible,it is in the seller's best interest to go with a credit.

Options for handling a repair agreement

Options for handling a repair request are credit or performing the job the buyer requests. Among both alternatives, the most recommended is credit.

Whenever you can, reach a repair agreement through a credit. In this way, you will be able to properly meet the client's requirement satisfying their need, and more importantly, keeping them as a happy client.

On the other hand, through credit you guarantee greater security and peace of mind for you as a seller, with regard to three important points:

Credit amount

When delivering a loan, regardless of the amount of money involved, there is no way you can go wrong. That is, the credit frees you from being held responsible for any error in the execution of the work.

Customer satisfaction

When you avoid doing the work when granting a credit, you also avoid the possibility that the client is not satisfied with the repair carried out.

In short, you prevent the buyer from claiming you for a repair that is not to their liking, or that was not as expected.

Save of time and money

By managing everything through credit, you save a significant amount of time, effort and money. 

In summary

When faced with a repair request, it is best to choose to handle it with credit. This alternative saves you the possibility of arguments, additional work and complications with the buyer.

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Beer Home Team Named #1 Residential Real Estate Team in San Diego 

Beer Home Team is honored to be recognized as #1 on the 2021 San Diego Business Journal Residential Real Estate Teams List! 

The SDBJ list was determined by 2020 sales volume and units sold.The ranking highlighted our record-breaking achievement of 438 homes sold and over $336 million in closed sales volume last year alone.

Official Press Release 

SAN DIEGO, Apr. 26, 2021 - The accelerating growth of San Diego-based Beer Home Team at eXp Realty was recently recognized again when San Diego Business Journal named the company the #1 Residential Real Estate Team in San Diego County.

The SDBJ list was determined by 2020 sales volume and units sold. The ranking highlighted Beer Home Team's record-breaking achievement of 438 homes sold and over $336 million in closed sales volume last year alone.

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Homes often contain many hidden hazards, so it's important for owners to learn how to identify and remedy them. The following information examines four common home hazards and offers solutions on how to fix them.

Falls

Falls consistently top the list of the biggest hidden household hazards. Slippery surfaces, objects on the floor, and instability associated with staircases are three of the most common causes.

Loose handrails should be tightened and secured. Homeowners should install safety gates to protect small children from stairways and other areas and apply non-stick treads on uncarpeted steps. Additionally, homeowners should remove all trip hazards from floors, including toys, exercise equipment, and any other items used in common areas. Rugs with non-slip padding prevent slippery floor conditions, while spaces along interior hallways and stairways and outdoors should always be well-lit.

The CDC consistently lists falls as one of the top reasons people need ER visits. One of every five falls results in serious injury, according to statistics. Preventing common types of falls will protect everyone in the home.

Poisoning

In 2018, more than two million poisoning incidents were reported to poison control centers in the U.S. Common household items, including cleaning products, home maintenance, and medications, can cause household poisoning accidents. To prevent these hazards:

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Homeowners looking to increase their home's value can consider investing in smart tech features. While many home renovation projects don't add much of a return on investment (ROI), smart home features typically add worth. As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow, people can essentially connect everything in their households to boost convenience and security.

Once connected, all that's needed is a push of a button, a voice command, or a smartphone to use as a “remote control.” The best smart tech upgrades to consider adding to homes right now include the following options.

Smart Thermostats: Convenient Energy Management

In 2018, a smart-home survey revealed 77 percent of potential homebuyers wanted smart thermostats. Current data support these findings; this year, smart thermostats are among the three leading technologies desired in a home.

The appeal is easy to see. Smart thermostats not only adjust to occupants' energy consumption, but they can also be programmed or controlled remotely with a smart device. The best thing for homeowners? It's not an expensive device and, for the most part, brings a full ROI.

Smart Security: Keeping a Home Safe Remotely

Smart security features are also one of the top features buyers seek. Roughly 65 percent want smart security cameras, security locks, and doorbells. Security cameras...

Homebuyers and construction professionals have begun to embrace more concepts of sustainability and responsibility when building new homes. Thanks to the growing affordability and access to eco-friendly materials and more intelligent technology, going green has never been easier. The following information explores sustainable building technology and its advantages in residential construction.

What Exactly Is Sustainability in Home Building?

Statistics estimate that 35–40 percent of carbon monoxide emissions are attributable to the construction industry as a whole. These numbers are why the concept of sustainable building has come to the forefront in consumers' and contractors' minds. Eco-friendly home building aims to minimize the waste and energy expended during construction and put forth the greatest efforts possible to utilize biodegradable and renewable products.

Another aspect of creating a sustainable home is establishing a green home environment. Here are some concepts that builders are employing today to help ensure the least damage possible is suffered by both the planet and the home's occupants.

Using Biodegradable Materials in Home Construction

Biodegradable materials are classified in three ways: those crafted from recyclables, those that can be recycled post-use, and those that do not harm the environment during their creation. Some affordable ways to incorporate their use in construction and remodeling are to consider:

• No or low-VOC carpeting and paints
• Using green insulation
• Eco-friendly flooring and...

So what do you look for when you're getting ready to sell a home? Sometimes there's so much to do and it's such a big deal selling your home, so a lot of people are going to ask us, "What do we do to sell it? Where do we need to focus our attention specifically so that we get the biggest return for the dollar?" 

In my mind, the place you always start is with any kind of deferred maintenance. You have to understand that any home improvements that you make to the home are really to give the strongest and best opportunity to the property to have the least amount of objections and the best showing experience for the visitors that are going to come and view your property.

You want to start with anything that could appear to be out of order or out of function, broken, ripped, or anything like that. You could have a home that's in awesome shape, but if, for example, your door knob is completely worn out and it's just corroded, and that's the one problem area, think about psychologically what's happening. Your buyer is literally making physical contact with that door knob, and immediately has an idea that you know what, if this is not in great shape there must be something else in the property and there very well could not be.

So anything like that, any kind of ripped window screen or any kind of light fixture that's off center or just not hanging on its axis correctly and especially soiled carpet. With soiled carpet, the good news is you can most often get it cleaned through a professional cleaner, and we can give you great recommendations for that. It comes out looking awesome. But sometimes it does need to be changed. One of the biggest mistakes that we see sellers make is saying to themselves, "Okay,...

A big part of purchasing a home is doing your due diligence and properly investigating the substantial purchase you are making.  Upon opening up escrow on your new home, you will begin to receive disclosure documents of the seller knowledge of the home (repairs, remodels, etc.) since they have owned it.  In addition to the seller disclosures, you will also have the right to hire an inspector of your choosing to fully inspect the home for you.  This is a very crucial part of the home buying process.

Don't Ever Think of Skipping Your Property Inspection

I just went through an escrow where the buyer chose not to get a professional home inspection (I represented the seller). It wasn't the first time I see that happen but I just can't ever believe anyone would even dream of releasing contingencies with out one.

Buyers, Attention Please! Get a home inspection every time you purchase real estate! Got that? Good.

The Value of Getting a Home Inspection

The inspection is one of the greatest protections that you have as a buyer. It is your opportunity to inspect the property inside and out with the help of a professional. The benefits of this can't be over stated.

A home inspection will help you figure out what you are pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into. Buying real estate is a serious matter and you should be taking every precaution.

Best of all, it will give you...

When it comes to home safety, no amount of caution is too much. Break-ins happen every 13 seconds in the United States, and households that want to keep its members safe need to take precautions to ensure their belongings and their loved ones aren't at risk.

Here are several home safety tips & options for home security to improve your home's safety.

Click the image to view our full-sized infographic.

Common Strategies to Prevent Break-Ins

While the number of burglaries in San Diego decreases each year, you shouldn't let your guard down when it comes to home security. Follow these tips to prevent thieves from gaining access to your home. 

Hiding Places

Trim tall shrubbery covering windows and doors so thieves have no place to hide from you or attentive neighbors. Install motion detector lights in poorly lit areas around your home to deter intruders.

Vacation Time

The social media pictures and updates can wait until you get back—and thieves will never even know you were away. Ask a neighbor to grab any mail or door flyers that might be piling up and giving clues to your absence.

Yard Work

Thieves can easily break windows and gain access to your home. Don't provide them with tools to make the job easier. Keep your yard clear of tree limbs, toys, gardening tools, ladders, etc.

Security Alarms

Security alarms alert police of any intrusions—and...

The first steps toward buying a new home aren't attending open houses and pouring over online listings. The first step toward home ownership is preparing yourself financially for the commitment of buying a home.

Speak with your lender or a financial advisor to see what kind of down payment makes sense for your financial situation.

Why Do Lenders Require a Down Payment?

One reason lenders require a down payment is that they want to be certain that the borrower is financially invested in the home. In a lender's mind, the larger the down payment, the less likely a buyer is to go into foreclosure on the loan.

How Much Down Payment Do You Need?

Down payments may vary by lender and program. A variety of financing options are available from conventional mortgages to government insured FHA and VA loans.

• A 20 percent down payment is usually the industry standard for a conventional loan. For example, a 20% down payment on a $300,000 home would be $60,000. While this can seem like a lot of money, a significant down payment creates instant equity and the buyer will, in most cases, not be required to purchase private mortgage insurance thus saving money on their monthly payments.
• A lower down payment of 5 to 10 percent is sometimes possible, but will often require mortgage insurance. Private mortgage insurance, or...

Real estate is one of the oldest and most trusted forms of investment. Many investors are drawn to it because of the tangible state of the asset—it's one that you can see, visit, and improve to increase its worth. Property for real estate investment comes in a number of forms. Each has its own barriers to entry and its own potential for a return. Understanding each type of the following real estate investments can help investors choose the one that fits their circumstances, skills, and goals.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

Residential Real Estate Investing

This is, for many real estate investors, the first type of real estate they pick. Residential properties include single-family homes, duplexes and triplexes, and multi-family properties like apartment buildings.

A single-family home is often the easiest property for people to begin their investment efforts. People who buy a fixer-upper that they intend to live in while rehabbing and then later sell can often receive more favorable financing.

When purchasing a piece of real estate with the intention of flipping it, buyers should confirm it is worth the effort it will take to increase its worth. Many new investors underestimate the costs associated with improving a property...

Over the past year, a large majority of the buyers we worked with were typically drawn towards floor plans that had upgrades throughout the home. There are certain improvements that will speak to buyers and make a difference when selling your house. However, it is important to make improvements that you will enjoy while living in the house, yet at the same time make sense financially.

Most Popular Home Improvements for Buyers

The most sought after upgrade for buyers this past year was a fresh coat of paint on the exterior and/or the interior of the home. Choosing a lighter color paint allows each room and the hallways feel much more open and inviting for buyers. There was a strong preference towards neutral and gray tone paints in the interiors of the homes. A couple of popular gray paint tone examples are Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray or Benjamin Moore Gray Mist.

Additional home improvements buyers tend to look for are clean, functional and low-maintenance landscaping. An easy-win improvement can be simply applying new mulch, even if you have no plans of changing your existing plants or trees. Adding new mulch can give the entire landscaped area a refreshed feel and is much less invasive than other options. This may be crucial in a resale as the front yard is the first impression a buyer will see before stepping foot in your home.

Another cost-effective home improvement can be adding or changing existing fixtures. Oftentimes, accessorizing your home with new fixtures can completely revive the feel of a room. Examples are changing light fixtures and ceiling fans, adding built-ins for more storage or even as simple as dressing up the cabinetry with new...

How does a smart seller handle multiple offers on their property? How do you deal with them and how do you secure the best possible price while not scaring away your best buyers? There's a lot that goes into it. I think most people just focus their energy on “how do I get the number to the highest number I can possibly get?” Forgetting that it has to be “how do I get the number to the highest it can go with the buyer who will actually close and perform?”

There's a lot that goes into it, but here's step number one. Recently we've had a number of homes where we have upwards of 8 to 15 offers on multiple different properties. The way you handle it at first is going to determine the success. Most people's instinct is to just start shooting off big numbers and rejecting the smaller ones. That is not the right strategy. That first step, strategically thinking isn't that you're going to figure out the sales price. The first step in responding to the offers is simply to keep everybody engaged and to allow that floor to float up because what you want to know is what is your downside.

If you lose this offer, what's the offer then going to be? You want to understand what cards you're playing with so that you also understand what kind of aggressiveness you have in your control. So the first step is really just to encourage all offers and when someone calls and they say, "Hey, here's where my buyer's going to come in” and it's not quite the asking price, some people will say to them, "Oh no. If you don't come in at that price, forget it. We're not selling to you." Our response is different. It's just, hey, write the best you can, send it over, and let us do our work. Let's see what we can do. 

The reason why, let's just imagine an $800,000 home. You get a bogus offer...

Homeowners getting ready to sell their home will be pleased to know that, in many cases, they will not owe capital gains taxes. If they do, there are large exemptions, as long as the home is their primary home. The following information explores when capital gains tax may be owed when selling a home.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with an attorney, tax, or financial advisor before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

The Ownership and Use Test

In order for homeowners to qualify for a capital gains tax exemption, the home must pass what's known as an ownership and use test. First, the home must be owned at least two years and must be considered a primary home. To qualify as a primary home, the owner must have lived in it for at least two of the past five years.

The two years don't need to be consecutive, however. Someone can purchase a home, live in it for a year, rent it out for three years, then live in it one more. That would add up to two of the past five years, qualifying it for the exclusion.

A home that was purchased as an investment and rental property can be converted to a primary residence and still qualify. It will just take time living in the home to convert it to a primary residence that is exempt from capital gains taxes up to the legal limit.

Is There a Limit on the...

Buying a new construction home is a unique experience. Even if someone has bought a pre-built home in the past, they may be surprised by the overall process of building a new construction home. Before getting started, here's what buyers should know about the overall experience.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

Buyers Should Know Their Goals

Before home buyers can get started with the home building process, they must first know their goals for their new home. This usually involves speaking with other members of the household to decide what they're looking for in a house. Home buyers should have questions such as:

• What kind of hobbies will we be engaging in when we're in this house?
• Do we want neighbors who are close, or do we want to live far from the nearest home?
• Is it important to live somewhere quiet?
• Do we need to live close to services like doctors and schools?

Asking (and answering) these questions are important for helping homeowners decide where they'll want to live, how big the lot should be, how many bedrooms the house should have, and so on.

Buyers Should Consider Location

Location is critically important for a newly built home. Home buyers who are deciding where to build their house should visit a variety...

Why is it that real estate agents will list your home, even when they know it's overpriced and will not sell? Here's the truth about how our industry operates. We are taught to take the listing no matter what, even if the agent believes that it is overpriced and will not sell, because we're told to do two things. One, is to build a relationship with you over time and slowly get that price down until it finally sells. Two, is we're taught that we can use your property as a place to play so we can put that billboard in your yard, the for sale sign to generate leads from other buyers, the open houses, so that all the people that end up coming to your property will see it. Even if they don't buy your home, we can still use it to find leads that will buy other properties. We literally are told you could do two or three sales just from having a listing.

If you're ever wondering why would a business person take a listing? And if they don't believe in the price, why will they still accept it? And why do agents do this? That's why. I'm sharing this with you because not everybody operates that way, but you do have to understand who you're doing business with. You have to ask the right questions and we have to take a look at the data. If there's absolutely no support for what's being proposed to be done, then at least raise an eyebrow and make sure that person has the track record. I want a more transparent industry. I want to expose the truth.

Letting the public know what's really going on and how real estate operates and what agents are taught is a really good way for you as a seller and consumer to make decisions around how you're going to do business and who you're going to do it with. 

 

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There are a lot of factors in what determines your home value, but there are only three things that really make the most impact on the value of your home and how much equity you're going to be taking out of it.

#1: Competition

There's always competition for property, but typically the competition is between buyer and seller; the two of them fighting it out amongst each other. The buyer is focused on what the seller wants, what's the best price I could get, what offers should I make to get the best value?

Well, the number one factor here is you have to take the attention of the buyer, away from you as a seller, and instead pin buyer versus buyer. Creating a buyer versus buyer environment where you take control of the sale and have them fight it out amongst each other is the number one thing.

#2: Eliminate Deferred Maintenance 

These are things that are broken, torn, and obvious. Don't think about things like the oven, for example. The oven may not function, but you don't have to place that much focus or attention on it in terms of preparing for the sale because nobody's coming to your house and baking cookies during the showings. Of course, you'll want to disclose this and it will have to get addressed, but it's not going to impact what buyers will offer. However, when there's something that's just clearly out of place and distracting people's visual experience, it gets them into a place where they're thinking to themselves, “how much will it cost to fix this?” Plus, it starts to get worse from there because of course, they start to wonder what else in the house doesn't work. What else hasn't been taken care of. Ultimately ends up costing you a lot more, than had you just taken care of it.

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A lot of homeowners are facing that decision, "Do I hang onto my current property, and turn it into an investment while buying my next home?"

Here's what you need to think about when you're making that decision. You have a home that has appreciated and you are purchasing a new home. You might be in a position where you can purchase without having to sell. That’s an awesome spot to be in, but is it the right thing? A lot of people will tend to want to do that because if they do that, they feel like, "Hey, I'm building a real estate portfolio."

The thing is, you also have to think about how long you're going to be committed to that home that you're holding onto, because you currently have a tax-free gain (or at least the first $500,000 if you're married, $250,000 if you're single) of appreciated value that is tax-free. If you were to move it from your current property that you've lived in for at least two out of the last five years to the new home that you're now purchasing, you now have this tax-free gain you can move over.

That down payment that has already been taxed, that you would have been purchasing the new home with had you held onto this one, well, those are dollars that have already been taxed. You can go ahead and purchase an investment property with those dollars instead. Again, think about if you're going to purchase a home and you own a home now, that's your primary residence, you're moving up to a different property and are you going to hold onto your current property as an investment?

What you're doing is effectively turning this tax-free gain into a taxable event in the future versus moving that tax-free money into the new home and using dollars...

Everybody knows that inventory right now is extremely low, but nobody is answering the question “why?” 

I think it's extremely important that we take the time to answer why inventory is low, not just tell people that it is. The reason for that is that by understanding the workings behind it and what's driving it also helps us understand when things might change and what might be coming down the road so that we can look for those changes. First of all, there are thousands of homeowners that are really unmotivated to sell their property because they don't have to pay their mortgage. Remember that the forbearance programs are still in place. 

Also, it looks like more stimulus is actually coming down the pike here so it's hard to say exactly when that's going to change, but make no mistake about it… when we finally see those mortgages come due and people have to step up and pay, motivation will naturally change. Until then we could expect to see suppressed inventory. Secondly, the home is now so much more than a home. We are all experiencing this, whether the home is now also the office or whether it's also now a school or it's entertainment, the home is doing so much more for us. Because of that, two things happen. One, is demand is driven way up so everything that does come to market tends to get absorbed. This also makes it harder to show your property.

There's people that don't want to necessarily get their home on the market, except for, it's hard to do. So if it's also literally where your children are studying and you know, doing their schoolwork and if it's also your gym and if it's also your, your only refuge then it makes it hard to have the public come in and take a look at your property. Now, of course, that's one of the reasons why we've...