From wildfires to floods, the past few years have brought a historic number of devastating climate and weather events to the United States. In 2023 alone, there were 28 individual weather-related disasters that caused at least $1 billion in damages each. These events triggered a huge influx of home insurance claims, and analysts expect the increase in both catastrophes and claims to continue.
Continue reading Home Insurance Premiums:
When you’ve lived somewhere for many years, it can be tough to say goodbye. But if you (or a loved one) currently have a home that is bigger than necessary or is too high maintenance, it may be time to trade unused square footage for a smaller, more manageable space and downsize your home.
Continue reading Downsize Your Home, Rightsize Your Life
It’s not easy being a first-time homebuyer right now. At the end of last year, housing affordability hit an all-time low. Additionally, mortgage rates have risen significantly since 2021, while inventory remains tight for many property categories, but especially for starter homes. Even lower-priced condos are harder to snag these days, as investors and downsizers muscle out first-timers by offering stronger, often cash-heavy bids.
Continue reading First-Time Homebuyer? How to Make It Work
Home prices skyrocketed in San Diego and the rest of the country last year, and odds are that your home earned more than you did.
Continue reading Home Prices Soar: Did Your Home Outearn You Last Year?
The annual inflation rate in the United States is currently around 7.5%. That’s the highest it has been since 1982. It doesn’t matter if you’re a cashier, lawyer, plumber, or retiree; if you spend U.S. dollars, inflation impacts you. But real estate investments can be a hedge against inflation.
Continue reading Real Estate: A Proven Hedge Against Inflation
Even in today’s fast-moving market, home updates and design are still important. They are one of the first things buyers notice when entering your home. Luckily, compared to many things in the real estate market that you can’t control, these are details that you can.
Continue reading 8 Popular Home Updates for 2022
Double-pane windows have lots of great benefits and will increase the value of your home. But they also have drawbacks that window companies fail to mention when promoting them and touting their energy savings. As a REALTOR, I get to see how they function (or sometimes don’t) in homes.
Continue reading Double-Pane Windows: Pros and Cons
According to the FBI, more than one million burglaries are committed in the United States each year, with victims suffering an estimated $3 billion in combined property losses. Fortunately, there are some proven tactics you can use to decrease your likelihood of a home invasion and bump up your home’s security.
Continue reading Enhance Home Security with These 7 Strategies
Learn how to determine your current net worth and how an investment in real estate can help improve your bottom line.
Continue reading Could Rising Home Prices Impact Your Net Worth?
If you’re a homeowner in the San Diego area, chances are your house is making you rich. Although there’s no guarantee that homeownership will help you build wealth, the Federal Reserve 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances found that the median homeowner has 40 times the household wealth of a renter. And if you live in the San Diego – Carlsbad area or in several other parts of California, you’ve gained a lot of equity in the last 10 years.
Continue reading Homeownership Builds Wealth