Sackin-Stone Team - Realtor

We highly recommend doing a final walk-through. We would want to make sure there is no additional damage or concerns from when you submitted the offer. If repairs were negotiated to be completed prior to the close of escrow, this would also be the time to check in and make sure they were in fact done.

We highly recommend scheduling a general home inspection at a minimum. There are many other inspections available that might be necessary as well. If you need a referral to a great home inspector, we have you covered!

We would first like to find out why. Was it something in our terms, was it price? Something different altogether? We would then see if there is an opportunity to be placed in the first backup position (if the buyer would like). Homes do fall out of escrow, and being placed in Backup Position #1 gives you the chance to be first in when the home becomes available again.

This depends on what the expiration clause states in the contract. The California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) forms have a preset in the purchase agreement of 3 days. This clause can however be shortened or extended, in writing.

I would say this would be more of a personal question. We’ve had clients of ours fall in love with the first home they saw in person. Conversely, we’ve worked with clients who wanted to look for about a year. Usually on our first outting together, we try to schedule 4-6 homes to preview. That way if you do fall in love with one of those on the first day out, you at least have several to compare to. 95%+ of home buyers look at the homes online first. And technology has advanced to a point where we can preview these homes virtually before we even step foot inside. Buyers that preview the home virtually first, tend to schedule less in-person appointments.

Every situation is different. There are different loan products out there as well. You can utilize a VA loan which offers 0% down options, an FHA loan which has 3.5% down options, conventional loan amounts as low as 5% down. So essentially there are loans that range from as low as 0% down on up. We can help connect you with a mortgage professional that can go over the differences and options.

Different mortgage professionals, brokers, banks, etc. have different requirements. Your credit score typically impacts your overall mortgage interest rate. We are not licensed mortgage professionals, and cannot specifically answer this question, but can point you in the right direction of who can.

$0. Zero. Buyer’s Agents are customarily paid through the commission offered by the Seller.

A buyer’s market is a combination of high supply and low demand. In reverting back to the “Month’s Supply of Inventory” in the Seller’s Market question, 6+ months of supply has historically been considered a Buyer’s Market.

A seller’s market is a combination of low supply and high demand. We follow a statistic called “Months Supply of Inventory.” The “Months Supply of Inventory” is the time it would take to sell off the existing supply of listings, assuming no other listings would come to market. Historically, anything below 4 months supply has been considered a Seller’s Market.

With lower inventory, the home search can take a little longer than normal. The length of an escrow is generally between 21-45 days. 30 days being the time frame we see most often. So figure an average of 3-8 weeks for a home search, plus another 4 weeks for the length of escrow.

The first step is to meet with a residential Real Estate professional (a Sackin-Stone Team member of course) to go over your wants, needs, goals, and dreams. From that initial consultation, we will be able to put you in touch with a mortgage professional that we feel would be best suited for you. In addition, we will have an understanding of what to look for in creating a custom home search, specific mailing campaign, and procure a list of off-market listing opportunities that fit your needs.

In this current market (Summer 2021), if you need to use the proceeds of the sale to purchase your new home, I would say yes. Most sellers will not consider an offer contingent upon you successfully selling your current home. It is possible, but extremely difficult, practically impossible right now. Ask us about our “Sell and Stay” program where we put you in a position to stay in your current home, after the sale, and give you plenty of time to find your next one.

That all depends on if you’re looking to buy, sell, or invest. As I type this answer (Summer 2021), inventory is at some of the lowest levels in history, and buyer demand is way up. Property values continue to appreciate. This is in part due to the fact that mortgage interest rates are at some historic lows as well. Homebuyers are taking advantage of the low rates and getting out of high rental prices.

Here in Southern California, we do not experience the seasonalities that others do across the country. Showings don’t stop here due to shoveling snow off the driveway or scrubbing ice off our windshields. There are arguments made that it’s actually better to sell during the holiday season in Southern California because there are more corporate moves locally, less competition, the buyers that are actively looking are more motivated, and homes tend to show nicer.