Category Archives: Home Buying Tips

North County and San Diego Housing Markets:
Buy Now or Wait for Lower Interest Rates?

North County and San Diego Housing Markets March 2024, Pam Fraser. Chart of resale housing statistics for North San Diego County

Both the North County and San Diego housing markets saw strong year-over and month-over price increases in February. This is because demand continues to exceed supply even with today’s higher interest rates.

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Buy Now or Wait for Lower Interest Rates?

Downsize Your Home, Rightsize Your Life

Downsize Your Home, Rightsize Your Life: How to Choose the Ideal Smaller Home, Pam Fraser.  Picture of the front of a home.

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.

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35 Tips to Furnish Your New Home for Less

35 Tips to Furnish Your New Home for Less Pam Fraser. Grey room with orange chair and white and grey pottery.

Buying a new home is one of the most exciting experiences in life. And if you’re like most homebuyers, you’ll be planning your furniture placement and decor before the ink dries on your offer. But furnishing your new home can be costly.

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7 Common Homebuyer Regrets:
How to Avoid Them

7 Common Homebuyer Regrets:<br>How to Avoid Them Pam Fraser Picture of a man looking regretful standing in front of a house

To avoid buyer regrets, make sure you consider your future self when shopping for a home.

Most new homebuyers don’t regret becoming homeowners. In fact, according to a survey by LendingTree, 80% of recent buyers who successfully overcame a challenging housing market say they’re glad they found their current homes. But that doesn’t mean newly-minted homeowners don’t have any regrets about their buying choices.

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How to Avoid Them

First-Time Homebuyer? How to Make It Work

First-Time Homebuyer? How to Make It Work Pam Fraser Picture of a home with a rising sun behind it

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.

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Buy Now or Rent Longer? 5 Questions to Answer Before Purchasing Your First Home

Buy or Rent? 5 Questions to Answer Before Purchasing Your First Home Picture of couple hugging standing in a house with moving boxes

Deciding whether to jump into the housing market or rent instead is rarely an easy decision. This is especially true if you’re a first-time homebuyer. But in today’s whirlwind market, you may find it particularly challenging to pinpoint the best time to start exploring homeownership. Here are some ways to figure out if it makes more sense to buy or rent.

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What Is a Mortgage Buydown?

What Is a Mortgage Buydown? Pam Fraser picture of a house, calculator, pencil and coins

Mortgage rates have more than doubled in a matter of months. This is making homes much less affordable for today’s buyers. It’s also softening the strong seller’s market we’ve experienced over the last few years. Because of this, it’s important for home sellers to use all of the tools at their disposal to make their homes as marketable as possible. It’s equally important for home buyers to make their home purchases as affordable as they can. One way you can do this is with an interest rate buydown. An interest rate buydown reduces the monthly mortgage payment for the home buying borrower.

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Your Move: 10 Tips to Make It Go Smoothly

Your Move: 10 Tips to Make It Go Smoothly woman holding a moving box

The process of buying a new home can be both exhilarating and exhausting. But the journey doesn’t stop when you close on your property. On the contrary, you still have quite a bit to do before you can begin the process of settling into your new place. And making your move more efficient and less stressful will be a big help.

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5 Ways to Write a Winning Offer in Today’s Real Estate Market

5 Ways to Write a Winning Offer in Today's Real Estate Market woman and man hugging in celebration in room with boxes Pam Fraser

Our nation is in the midst of a serious housing crunch. Over the last year, a lack of inventory and soaring prices left many would-be homebuyers feeling pinched. But now, with interest rates climbing, many of them are also feeling desperate to lock in a mortgage. This has only added fuel to the fire making it harder for buyers to have that winning offer.

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Double-Pane Windows: Pros and Cons

double-pane windows in a dining room

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.

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