Tag Archives: sellling

Home Sellers, Negotiation, Tips and Ideas

Three Negotiating Mistakes Sellers Make

Leave a comment

Three Negotiating Mistakes Sellers MakeWhen you list your home for sale, you may think you’ve priced it right, staged it beautifully, and timed the market for a quick sale.

The reality is that buyers are full of surprises, nearly all of them predictable. They rarely pay list price; they discount or dismiss improvements you’ve made; their inspections usually turn up something for you to fix, and they may have terms that you weren’t counting on — like needing to sell their home before they buy yours.

Continue reading Three Negotiating Mistakes Sellers Make →
Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Homeownership, Renters

Rent Again?

Leave a comment

rent againAfter you take the training wheels off your bike and learn to ride it, you’d never consider putting them back on again. Similarly, once you’ve owned a home, you might think you’ll own a home from now on; but there may be some situations where it makes sense to rent again.

Big shifts in a person’s life like a divorce, death of a spouse, empty nesting or a temporary transfer to a new city are certainly things that may warrant renting, at least temporarily, until you know what your long term plans are.

Continue reading Rent Again? →
Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Homeowners, Homeownership

Should You Downsize Your Home?

Leave a comment

downsizingWith roughly 12.5% of the population over 65 years of age, it is understandable that some people are thinking of downsizing because they may not need the amount of space they did in the past. There is something to be said for the freedom acquired by divesting yourself of things that have been accumulated over the years but are no longer needed. Should you downsize your home? It does have its benefits.

Continue reading Should You Downsize Your Home? →
Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Homeowners, Homeownership, Housing Appreciation, Housing Market, Market Statistics, News

Housing Statistics Report for San Diego County and North San Diego County February 2014

Leave a comment

homedex logo housing statistics

The January numbers from the housing statistics report for San Diego County and North San Diego County show continued year-over rising prices along with possible easing and seasonal slowing. This is not surprising since January closings usually represent homes that went under contract in November and December and the market is typically less active during these months due to the holidays. Most real estate analysts also predict a slowing down of the rapid price increases we have experienced in San Diego County over the past 18 months.

While the median price for all North County home sales decreased slightly, the median price for North County single-family detached homes increased by 5.46 percent compared to December 2013 and 22.47 percent over the last 12 months. Median prices for detached homes in all of San Diego County dropped by 1.45 percent from December to January, but were still up by 21.48 percent compared to January 2013.

The median price on single-family attached homes in North County dropped by 0.59 percent in January 2014 compared to December 2013, but were still up by 18.25 percent compared to the previous year. Attached homes in all of San Diego County saw an increase of 1.67 in their median price compared to December 2013 and an increase of 24.49 percent over January 2013.

To read the full housing statistics reports, please click on the links below.

FULL COUNTY REPORT    NORTH COUNTY REPORT

Continue reading Housing Statistics Report for San Diego County and North San Diego County February 2014 →

Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Homeowners, Homeownership, Housing Appreciation, Housing Market, Market Statistics, News

Housing Statistics Report for San Diego County and North San Diego County January 2014

Leave a comment

The December 2013 housing statistics show prices continuing to increase with a 17 month trend of year-over price gains for North County detached homes and a 21 month trend for non-North County homes.

As is typical around the holidays, activity slowed down with listings of North County detached homes decreasing by 13 percent and sales dropping by 3 percent compared to November. Hopefully the new year will bring enough of an increase in inventory to maintain a healthy market. To read the full housing statistics reports, please click on the links below the snapshot.
Continue reading Housing Statistics Report for San Diego County and North San Diego County January 2014 →

Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Homeowners, Homeownership, Housing Appreciation, Housing Market, Market Statistics, News

Housing Statistics Report for San Diego County and North San Diego County December 2013

Leave a comment

In November we continued to see a slow down in appreciation coupled with a tightening of inventory. This resulted in a decrease in prices compared to October, but still gave us increases in year-over pricing for single family detached homes in the North County area at 11 percent and outside of North County at almost 15 percent.

Prices of attached homes fared even better in North County with a 10 percent increase over the previous month and 30 percent compared to November 2012.

Continue reading Housing Statistics Report for San Diego County and North San Diego County December 2013 →

Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Homeowners, Homeownership, Housing Appreciation, Housing Market, Market Statistics, News

Housing Statistics Report for San Diego County and North San Diego County November 2013

Leave a comment

As often happens at this time of year, we’re seeing a tightening of inventory but also a slowing down in appreciation. If you are looking to buy a home right now, you won’t have as many choices, but there isn’t quite as much pressure on home prices. In spite of this, we are still seeing year-over median price increases for single family detached homes at 19 percent in San Diego County. Click on the links below the snapshot to read the full housing statistics reports.

Continue reading Housing Statistics Report for San Diego County and North San Diego County November 2013 →

Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Homeowners, Housing Market, Market Statistics

Housing Statistics Report for San Diego County and North San Diego County June 2013

Leave a comment

Prices are moving up, and inventory is still tight in North County and San Diego County as a whole. Here is the North County snapshot of the May housing report with a link to both the full statistics for San Diego County and North County.

• The median price for all North County home sales – attached and detached – increased to $485,000 in May 2013 compared to $470,000 in April 2013.

• Detached homes in North County rose 3.83 percent in May 2013 to $555,500 compared to $535,000 in April 2013.

• Year-over median SFD (single family detached) price in North San Diego County jumped 23.72 percent, compared to $449,000 reported in May 2012.

• Spring 2013 has reported the highest median prices in North County since mid-2008.

• The countywide median SFD price increased five percent to $420,000 in May 2013 compared to $400,000 in April 2013.

• Year-over non-North County median price jumped 21.74 percent compared to $345,000 in May 2012, a 14-month trend of year-over median price increases.

• The number of North San Diego SFD listings (active and contingent) rose 5.35 percent in May 2013 compared to April 2013.

• The number of sold North San Diego County SFD units increased 11.49 percent in May 2013 compared to April 2013. Year-over sold SFD units increased 12.54 percent compared to May 2012.

• Median days-on-market for single-family detached homes sold in North County decreased to 18 days in May 2013 compared to 19 days in April 2013.

• The HomeDex affordability percentage for all homes in North San Diego County decreased to 34 percent in May 2013, compared to 36 percent in April 2013.

JUNE 2013 FULL County HomeDex Report

JUNE 2013 NORTH COUNTY HomeDex Report

Information taken from HomeDex™ Copyright © 2012 by the North San Diego County Association of Realtors (NSDCAR). Used by permission.

Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Homeowners, Housing Market, Market Statistics

Housing Statistics Report for San Diego County and North San Diego County May 2013

Leave a comment

I can’t speak for the rest of the country, but here in San Diego County we are experiencing low inventory, short market times and rising prices. Here is a snapshot of the April housing report along with two links to the full reports for both San Diego County as a whole and the North County area.

• The median price for all North County home sales – attached and detached – increased to $470,000 in April 2013 compared to $448,000 in March 2013.

• Detached homes in North County increased 1.9 percent in April 2013 to $535,000 compared to $525,000 in March 2013.

• Year-over median price in North San Diego County jumped 27.38 percent, compared to $420,000 reported in April 2012.

• April 2013 marked the highest price increase in North County since mid-2008.

• The countywide median SFD price increased 1.27 percent to $400,000 in April 2013 compared to $395,000 in March 2013.

• Year-over non-North County median price jumped 17.73 percent compared to $339,750 in April 2012.

• The number of North San Diego SFD listings (active and contingent) rose 0.76 percent in April 2013 compared to March 2013.

• The number of sold North San Diego County SFD units increased 9.03 percent in April 2013 compared to March 2013. Year-over sold SFD units increased 8.91 percent compared to April 2012.

• Median days-on-market for single-family detached homes sold in North County fell to 19 days in April 2013 compared to 26 days in March 2013.

• The HomeDex affordability percentage for all homes in North San Diego County decreased to 36 percent in April 2013, compared to 39 percent in March 2013.

May 2013 NORTH COUNTY HomeDex Report
May 2013 FULL COUNTY HomeDex Report

Information taken from HomeDex™ Copyright © 2012 by the North San Diego County Association of Realtors (NSDCAR). Used by permission.

Homeowners, Rental Properties

When to Sell the Temporary Rental

Leave a comment

Temporary Rental2.pngSome homeowners, who were not able to sell during the recession, chose to rent their homes instead.  In some cases, they didn’t need to sell their home at the depressed prices and opted to rent it until the market recovered.

It’s a valid strategy but there are time restrictions that could have serious tax implications for some homeowners.

The section 121 exclusion for gain in a principal residence requires that the home is owned and used as a main home for at least two years during the five year period ending on the date of the sale.  This allows a homeowner to rent their home for up to three years and still have some part of the exclusion available.

The sale of a home with a $200,000 gain that qualifies as a principal residence would result in no tax being paid by the owner.  Comparably, a rental property with the same gain could have a $30,000 or higher tax liability depending on the length of ownership and tax brackets of the investor.

The housing market has dramatically improved in the last year.  If you have a gain in a home that has been your principal residence and it has been rented less than three years, you might want to consider selling it while you qualify for the exclusion.

If you are considering a sale on your principal residence that has been rented, consult with your tax professional for advice on your specific situation.  For additional information, see IRS Publication 523.