Tagged : orange county homes for sale

Hot Tip For Home Sellers - Take Care of Your House's Ragged Edges!

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 at 8:45pm. 247 Views, 0 Comments.

Take a look at this short video that focuses on a minor detail that, it overlooked, can torpedo your chances of selling your home for top dollar and in the fastest time possible.

Buyers will look for ANY opportunity to find fault with your home and deduct huge dollars for it from their offer.  Peeling wall paper, as innocent and unimportant it may be to you, is a BIG DEAL to buyers.  When one of my buyer clients saw this peeling wall paper, she immediately (yes, IMMEDIATELY) said "Oh, these people are hiding something." Don't give buyers looking at your home any possible reason to doubt the quality or value of your house.  Fix the wall paper.  Glue it down. Rip it out.  Paint over it. Whatever it takes to remove it as a noticable flaw in your house…

Buy a Fixer Orange County Home with FHA Financing

Thursday, January 7th, 2010 at 12:49pm. 321 Views, 1 Comments.

Buyers who find the perfect Orange County home for sale, but are using FHA financing are sometimes at a disadvantage to other buyers because FHA has certain requirements about the "livability" of the home.  The FHA 203k Rehab Loan program is designed to help people buy a home that needs some work.

FHA 203k Program

Basics of the Program

Essentially, this program allows you to buy a home that is listed for sale below the market price because it needs repairs, and build the cost of those repairs into your financing.

There are obviously a few requirements to qualify for the program.  Here's a quick rundown:

• The program is for "owner occupied" purchases only - no investors/income properties
• Single Family homes, Condos (with some restrictions)…

Attention ALL Orange County Home Buyers - Tax Credit Expanded

Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 1:18pm. 314 Views, 0 Comments.

Great news came from Washington D.C. today for all Orange County Home Buyers.  The House approved a bill that would not only extend the current tax credit for first time home buyers, but also expand the benefit to additional home buyers too.  You can read the Washington Post article which also discusses other items included as part of the bill expected to be signed into law by the President shortly.  The main points for home buyers to note are:

New Home Buyer Program

• $8,000 Tax Credit
• Applies to buyers purchasing a home for the first time in three years
• Sign a contract by April 30
• Close by June 30

Additional Home Buyer Program

• $6,500 Tax Credit
• Applies to buyers who are buying a primary residence AND
• Have owned their home for five…

Selling Your Orange County CA Home for a Profit - What's That Mean to Your Taxes?

Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 10:11pm. 388 Views, 0 Comments.

So, you are selling your Orange County CA house and walking away with a boat load of cash.  What are the Real Estate tax implications you need to be aware of? When you sell your home, you can realize up to $250,000 in profit if you're a single owner, $500,000 if you're married or joint tenants, and not owe any capital gains tax.  Anything above that amount, consult your tax professional for more detailed information on your tax liability – as it depends on the length of time you’ve owned the home and your tax bracket. But wait – there’s more! There's no limit to the number of times you can use the home-sale capital gains tax exemption. If you plan and play the game according to IRS rules, you can make tax-free profits of $250,000 (or $500,000 depending on…

Joint Homeowners, Joint Accounts?

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 12:10pm. 283 Views, 0 Comments.

If you have been following me on Facebook, you know this issue has come up, but not in the way you think.  I am toying with the idea of putting together a blog entry detailing some of my most "interesting" real estate transactions.  Not to spoil it, but let's just say, opening a joint bank account for 2 days should never be part of the escrow process.  Below is some good advice for any couple, not just homeowners, about how to handle their finances:

When you own a home with a spouse or partner, the issue of what's mine, what's yours, and what's ours can be a divisive one.

Each household has its own money management methodology and, according to financial talk-show host Suze Orman, most leave significant room for improvement.

In this 4-minute…