Steve Richards - Realtor, Extraordinary Real Estate Services, Carlsbad California

You can use any realtor whom you choose to work with. However, I would caution anyone from using the same realtor to represent both sides of a sale. There are several reasons I would caution against this. First off, a realtor works as a fiduciary which means that realtors have to work in the best interest of their clients at all times. It is very difficult to negotiate both sides of a sale effectively while still keeping each clients wishes confidential. Think about it this way, would a criminal attorney be effect if they represented both the defense and the prosecution? The answer is "no". Another reason is no matter how impartial that realtor will try to be they will have more of a financial incentive which may cause them to not negotiate or represent both sides to the fullest extent. Many people think that they can save money by using the listing agent, but in realty that agent is just making more money. Using the same realtor for both sides of a sale is not in your best interest.

Any realtor can work with any lender, but not all lenders are the same. There are differences between each lending institution and each mortgage broker. I have closed deals using all different types of lenders and over the years I have seen the good and the bad. The best lender I have ever worked with is Jill Sheldon with CMG Financial. He dedication to her customers and her follow through is the best in the industry. This would explain why she is ranked in the top 1% of all mortgage lenders in the country. My clients have had the most success when they use Jill Sheldon with CMG Financial

There is no industry standard price for selling a home. While the cost to sell a home depends on the area, the home, the realtor who is selling the home, and the amount of marketing that the particular property needs, there are some set costs when it comes to selling a home. The seller typically pays the real estate commissions for both the buyers agent & the sellers agent. There are closing costs as well. Closing costs include the fees that the escrow & title company charge for the services that are provided during the transaction. Again there is no set or standard commission but to provide some insight into the cost to selling a home, the homeowner can expect to pay 4-7% of the sales price including closing costs (depending on the factors described above). If someone sells a home with an iBuyer such as Opendoor, Offerpad, or Zillow, you could expect to pay 5-12% once all of the fees have been calculated. Contact me for a more accurate answer relating to your specific scenario.

Of course you can! If you have the time, effort, energy, & knowledge there is nothing stopping you from selling your own home. Keep in mind selling a home is a major legal transaction, and there are a lot of things, that if not done properly, can open you up to legal ramifications. I always suggest you use a realtor like myself who can ensure everything is done correctly and who can limit your liability. Liability is one thing to consider if you decide to sell on your own, but some other things to consider are separating business from emotions, proper negotiations, and managing a large transaction over a 30-60 day timeframe. If you choose to sell on your own you absolutely can do it! But would you be your own lawyer, or your own doctor, or your own mechanic? If you have the skills, knowledge, and time, great! If not, I would suggest hiring a professional realtor like myself who has years of insight and knowledge and who will work on your behalf to ensure everything is done right

I have created and utilized multiple different strategies to prevent this very issue from affecting my clients. The short answer is "no". We can design a process to ensure you aren't left without a place to live. To find out more please contact me and I will be happy to go into more detail.

I pride myself on using data and metrics to determine the health of the real estate market. I do not believe we are currently in a housing bubble. Although the crash of 2008 is still on everyones mind, there are drastic differences between the state of the market in 2006 and today. Today we have stricter lending and appraisal standards which is important but the main issue is we have is extraordinarily low inventory levels. A bubble can be defined as when there is plenty of inventory and rapidly rising prices. Today we have rapidly rising prices but our inventory levels are drastically low. It is said that as a nation we are roughly 20 million homes short of having a balanced inventory. This is a complex question, so for more information please contact me and I will gladly go deeper into the data to provide you a more complete answer