Home Tips Archives - Elite Properties Direct

California Homeowners Insurance CANCELED?

Have you recently received a notice that you are going to be canceled by your homeowner’s insurance? This a hot topic that needs to be discussed right now! The reality is that many insurance companies are leaving California, and there are only…

How Accurate are Zillow and Redfin Estimates?

Today I am talking about a topic that often comes up when I am in conversation with clients: how accurate is my Zillow or Redfin estimate? In general, these numbers are within 10% (up or down). But I have noticed an anomaly…

Buying an Older Home? Things to Consider

As real estate prices and interest rates remain high, many home buyers are wondering about ways to achieve affordability with their purchases. If a new home is out of your price range, then you might consider purchasing an existing home instead. It’s…

Must-Dos Before Your 12-Month Builder’s Warranty Expires

Buying a newly constructed home is an exciting milestone. You are the first person to live in the home and really have a chance to make it your own. Day-to-day life in a new home makes you notice imperfections and possible building…

The Benefits of Hiring a Property Manager for Your Rental Property

Are you tired of managing your own rental property? Well, guess what? We’ve got just the solution for you! Here at Properties Direct, we offer top-notch property management services that will take the weight off your shoulders and make your life a…

Buying a New Home but Need to Sell Your Current One? Here’s How to Make It Happen!

So, you’re ready to buy a new home, but there’s a little catch – you still need to sell your current one. Don’t worry because I’ve got some helpful tips to make that happen smoothly and efficiently. Finding a House When Not…

The Front Yard Is the First Thing Buyers See

Think of your front yard as the first handshake to your home. Do people feel a big warm hug and welcome, or do they feel dread like they are walking into a money pit? Even if a buyer walks inside and loves…

Is It Time to Move Out of California?

Many homeowners are moving out of state at a higher rate than ever before. As remote work becomes more common, families are ready for a change. Many move to nearby states like Tennessee, Arizona, and Idaho. That does not mean that everyone…

Is It Essential to Stage a Home for Sale?

Preparing a home for sale requires repairs, cleaning, decluttering, and decorating. While it is not required to stage your home before putting it up for sale, it will always give you an edge in the market when a professional assesses, decorates, and…

Are You Renting A Home? You Need To Watch This!

Let’s talk about why owning a house is way more stable than renting a house. There are definitely pitfalls of renting that everyone needs to know about. On the surface, rents have always been a little less expensive compared to a mortgage…

Why Should You Get a Home Inspection?

Have you ever heard about getting an inspection for your rental property? Why would you need a new inspection on a home that you already own? If you have a chance to get ahead of issues before they become a big problem,…

Professional Photography: Why Do You Need It?

Is a professional photographer really necessary for your rental property? The truth is that you are competing with investors and other landlords to bring in the best tenants for your property. So how can you stand out from the rest? If you…

What to Look for with Income and Assets on a Rental Property

When looking for a tenant for your rental property, choosing someone who will be reliable is essential. The last thing you want to do is find a tenant and expect a steady rental income just to have them delay or skip out…

Pricing Your Rental Property

When you price your rental property for quick occupancy, you don’t have to worry about your place sitting on the market empty. Each month that your rental goes unoccupied is money out of your wallet. Getting the Price Right Is a Powerful…

When Should I Hire a Property Manager?

You may have one rental property or several short-term properties that do not fit into your workload when it comes to managing tenants. That’s where we come in. Let Elite Properties Direct take care of all your investment property needs so that…

Which is Better – Buying an Old Home vs Buying a New Home

It’s a big decision to choose a home for your family. Will you be better off building a home (buying new), or choosing an existing home in an existing neighborhood? Every family is different, which is why there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer…

Are You Renting A Home? You Need To Watch This!

In this video, I talk about why owning a house is much more stable than renting a house. There are undeniable pitfalls of renting that every family needs to consider. On the surface, rents have always seemed to be a little less…

Homeowner’s Associations

What is a homeowner’s association or HOA? It is a governing body that sets rules and regulations for all homeowners within a neighborhood or development. So are homeowner’s associations good or bad? They are what they are. Sometimes they offer benefits, and…

Tips for Moving Out of California

Due to increased flexibility to work from home, many homeowners are choosing to move out of California to surrounding states with more affordable housing like Texas, Arizona, Tennessee, and Idaho. Homeowners want a change but often are unfamiliar with the place they…

The Pros and Cons of Homeowner’s Associations (HOAs)

When looking for a home, are you seeking a neighborhood with an HOA or without an HOA? A homeowner’s association is a governing body that will set rules and regulations on the neighborhood at a monthly cost. While the fee may not…

Renting Vs. Buying a Home

With the current competitive buying market, you may be ready to throw in the towel and switch to renting. However, the reality is, even if you have to compete and make concessions to get your home right now, you will always find…

Buying New Vs. Buying Old

There are pros and cons to building a home and to buying an established home. It will all come down to what you are looking for in a home. For example, do you want an energy-efficient home with state-of-the-art appliances? Or are…

Upgrading Homes? Use Temporary Housing in Between

If you are looking to sell your home and buy a new place at the same time, a lot of things have to fall in place to make the timing work. The best tool that you can use to get the most…

Closing Escrow: What to Expect

You’re ready to buy a home: nearing the finish line to sign the paperwork and get the keys. As you approach closing, it’s important that you understand the anticipated timeline because there are multiple factors that can affect the finalization of this…

What are Mello Roos and Special Assessments?

I often hear buyers say: I don’t want to pay any Mello Roos. Immediately, I wonder if they know what Mello Roos are. It’s important that you know how these details will affect the home buying process, especially because Mello Roos are…

Closing Escrow – How Much Time Does It Take?

When you are preparing to buy a home, it’s important that you know the anticipated timeline for closing. The finalization of this sale can depend on many factors. While common pitfalls can delay this closing, a good financing team and real estate…

Buyers: How to Make an Offer More Competitive

The low inventory in the real estate market continues, making it a challenge to buy a home without a specific strategy to beat out the competition. Since there aren’t many properties available on the real estate market, newly listed homes move fast….

HOA’s: What Every Homeowner Needs to Know

What do you know about Homeowners Associations? Are they good, or are they bad? In my opinion, they are what they are – there are pros and cons to living in a neighborhood with an HOA. Homeowners Associations are becoming more common….

Buy & Sell Combos

A “buy and sell combo” means you’re going to buy a new house, but you’ve got to sell the house you’re in now. If you’re going to do a buy and sell combo, there are a few tips to help you complete…

The Importance of Knowing Your Buyers when Marketing Your Property

When listing your real estate property, one of the most important things you can do is know who your buyer is. Understanding your target demographic is essential so that you can shape the real estate listing and marketing efforts based on the…

Newer Versus Older: What to Consider Before Buying Your Next Home

If you’re looking to buy a home, you’ve probably spent time thinking about what exactly you want from it. Do you want a modern home with the latest in architecture and technology? Do you want a proven home with story and maturity? …

Why Smaller Rental Homes are Better Investments

Real estate can be a great investment. But sometimes in the marketplace, I see a landlord that owns a home that is way larger than the typical rental home. I think it’s a bad choice for a few reasons. Keep in mind…

Pre-Approval When Buying a Home

Why should you consider getting pre-approved, long before you buy a house? Too often, homeowners get caught up in the excitement of finding their dream home, and they overlook the important preparation steps that need to happen behind the scenes. Mortgage preapproval…

Why You Should Consider Hiring a Stager

In today’s video, I want to look at the reasons why you might consider hiring a staging consultation if you are listing your home. Is it necessary to spend money on these services? Creating an Edge in the Industry I’m always looking…

The Power of Video Marketing

The internet is a great way to showcase your real estate property or search for homes that are on the market. But you need to leverage your efforts to ensure that you receive the best results. Today I want to share a…

Change in Residential Purchase Agreement: Termite Reports

Recently, there has been a change in residential purchase agreements. I want to share this information to ensure that you are up-to-date on the new things that are happening in the Temecula real estate industry. Whether you are buying or selling a…

When is the Best Time to Get Pre-Approved?

Did you know that the pre-approval process needs to happen long before you buy a house? If you are looking for a home for your family, then you need to be proactive so that everything goes smoothly when you find the right…

Major Changes to Down Payment Assistance Programs

Recently, there have been some major overhauls in some of the down payment assistance programs that have been commonly used for new homeowners. If you are planning to buy a home and trying to figure out how to come up with the…

Tax Rates: How Much Will You Pay in Taxes for Your New Home?

The mortgage on your new home isn’t the only expense that you’ll have after you move. You also need to consider expenses that will come up for taxes, maintenance, HOA fees, and more. Today, I want to look at a topic that…

Top 3 Things To Do If Moving in the Next 12 Months

If you are preparing to buy a home in the next 12 months, then there are a few things that you need to consider so that you are ready for the real estate deal. 1. Save for the Down Payment Right now…

The Most Powerful Thing You Can Do BEFORE Buying a Home

If you are preparing to buy a home, then there are a few things that you can do to get ready for the purchase. Planning ahead will ensure that you are ready to buy the home of your dreams! You can start…

Is it a Good Idea to Use Home Equity and Get a Second Mortgage?

If you have extra equity in your home, then you might consider the option to get a second mortgage. For many years, second mortgages were frowned upon in the real estate industry because many people had bad experiences using this strategy. You…

calTEACHre – Program to Buy, Sell or Refinance

Are you a local educator or school administrator? Then you need to talk to me about the calTEACHre program that can be used to help with your homeownership goals. What is the calTEACHre Program? This program was designed for those who were…

Getting a Pre-Inspection Before Selling a Home

Most sellers agree that the most stressful time is when the home inspection needs to be completed. During the selling process, the buyer has the opportunity to complete an inspection of the property before closing on the deal. Usually, the buyer will…

Home Warranty Plans: Are They Necessary?

When it comes to the topic of home warranty plans, many questions come up from homeowners. Many people love the idea of having a warranty on their home. But, they don’t understand how these policies work. Should you use a home warranty?…

Easy Strategies to Add Value to Your Home

As a homeowner, there are several strategies that can be used to boost the value of your property. You have invested a lot of time and money into the home, so it makes sense that you want to maximize your equity. If…

Does Solar Increase the Value of Your Home?

As a homeowner, it makes sense that you might be wondering about how solar power impacts the value of your property. If you are going to invest money into home renovations, then you need to be sure that you will get the…

What is a Home Warranty Plan?

Whether you are buying an existing home or investing in a new-build, you need to ask questions about a home warranty plan to cover potential repairs after you move in. Here is a quick overview to help you understand how a warranty…

The Best Strategies to Add Value to Your Home

The value of your home has a direct impact on the equity that you can roll into a new property when you decide to move. Are you taking a proactive approach to maintaining or increasing the value of your home? Here are…

Simple Ways to Boost the Value of Your Home

Are you getting ready to sell your home? If you want to list your home on the real estate market, then it is essential to consider the simple ways to boost the value of the property before selling. But, don’t jump into…

How to Read Your Water Bill to Save Money

July is a hot month, and it is likely that these summer temperatures are having an impact on your water bill. Have you noticed that you are spending more money because you are using more water in the yard? Here are a…

Does Solar Installation Increase the Value of Your Home?

Summer is just around the corner, and unfortunately so are the high electric bills that come with running that air conditioning unit all the time. In order to decrease your energy bill, you may be considering the addition of solar panels to…

How to Protect Yourself from the 5 Most Common Home Calamities

Protecting your home is essential for the safety of your family, and it is also important to help you maintain high property value. As a homeowner, you need to consider the things that might cause damage to your property, so that you…

5 Ways to Improve the Curb Appeal of Your Home

Curb appeal matters, because it has a direct impact on how quickly you will be able to sell your home and the price that you will get for the sale. If you want to boost the results with selling your home, then…

How to Tell if Your Home has Termites

In California, we tend to think that every home is at risk for termites. We visualize a big tent covering the house and a massive job being required to rid the home of these pesky pests. Fortunately, that scenario is rare! There…

When is the Right Time to Buy a Home?

One of the most common questions people ask me is “When is the right time to buy?”. There are several factors that play into this decision, and many of them are specific to your personal (and family) situation. For instance, if you…

How to Add Value to Your Home

Sometimes it’s easy to think that by adding features or cosmetic changes to your home, you’ll increase the value by the same amount of money that you spend on the upgrade. For instance, if you spend $4000 adding a built-in barbeque to…

Is Now a Good Time to Sell Your Home?

Now that the school year is over, families often consider whether or not it makes sense for them to move during the summer. Schools and school calendars are often a determining factor when contemplating a move. But they are only one factor. …

Financial Implications of Adding Solar Power to Your Home

One of the common trends with home owners in warmer areas of the country such as Southern California is the installation of solar power. While this may help to decrease your utility bills, it could cause major issues with future home financing…

Preparing Your Home for Sale

If you are considering selling your home, or if it is already on the market, then it’s critical for you to do everything possible not only to facilitate a speedy sale, but also to bring you the best possible price. Some issues,…

5 Ways to Save Money on Your Utility Bills

Whether you are buying a new home or simply trying to save some money in the current one, it is important to consider the costs of ongoing maintenance and utilities. Many homeowners consider common expenses such as property taxes and mortgage payments,…

Protecting Your Home When You are Traveling for the Holidays

Are you planning to visit family or friends over the holiday season? It is a great time of year to visit the people that you love, but many people make home safety mistakes that could potentially lead to burglaries while they are…

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