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Avoid home improvement gimmicks that hammer resale value
Q: We are considering listing our vacation home, and I have a question for you on whether it would be worth it to invest the money putting siding on it or selling it as is? The home is located on a golf course and has a magnificent view of the first hole and surrounding lakes and mountains.
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Sizing up purchase deposits
In most states, it's customary, or required by law, for the buyers to include a good faith deposit when they make an offer to purchase a home. The deposit should not be given directly to the seller, but held by a trustworthy third party that maintains a trust account specifically for home purchase deposits, such as an escrow company.
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Appraisal rules tough on additions
Recently a homeowner in the hills above Oakland, Calif., applied for a refinance. An appraiser visited the property and measured both levels of the house. The appraiser called the homeowner a few days later to find out if the lower level had been added with a permit. The public record indicated the house had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and 1,513-square feet.
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Assessed vs. market value
DEAR BENNY: In 2006, the assessed value of my house had climbed to $756,000 and then dropped to $714,000, trailing the declining market. I filed an abatement based on erroneous information that my town was using, and was successful. My house was reassessed at $531,300, very close to my suggested valuation.
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CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
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Fast Facts - Median Prices, Affordability Index and Mortgage Rates!
Calif. median home price: May 2010: $324,430 (Source: C.A.R.)
Calif. highest median home price by C.A.R. region May 2010: Santa Barbara So. Coast $905,000 (Source: C.A.R.)
Calif. lowest median home price by C.A.R. region May 2010: High Desert $126,430 (Source: C.A.R.)
Calif. First-time Buyer Affordability Index - First quarter 2010: 66 percent (Source: C.A.R.)
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Presale inspections for smoother sales
Homes are selling for less. Everyone's trying to cut back. Yet, many real estate agents think it's wise for sellers to provide presale inspections for buyers to review before they write offers. Is the cost, which could run from a few hundred to $1,000 or more, worth the expense?
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Not all buyers are worth a counteroffer
After mustering the emotional energy to make an offer on a listing, it can be devastating if you hear nothing back from the seller.
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Neighbors pry over condo sale etiquette
DEAR BENNY: My wife and I own a condo in a two-unit building. Our downstairs neighbor, who bought the property only two years ago, recently put her unit on the market. Her inability to cover her mortgage obligation is the reason she is forced to sell now, instead of waiting for the market to improve.
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How pros drill through masonry
When it comes to drilling holes in concrete, concrete blocks, stone and other masonry, using a standard drill can be a real exercise in futility. The rotary motion of the drill bit -- even a carbide-tipped masonry bit -- is simply not sufficient to power through tough masonry surfaces.
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How does your garden grow?
If you’d like to have a garden, but think you don’t have the space, think again. Urban gardening techniques are allowing small-space gardening to take root in unlikely places, such as balconies, raised planters, roofs, windowsills, and postage stamp-sized backyards. Condominium dwellers and homeowners alike are getting their fingers dirty and growing their own produce, succulents, and flowers in these tiny slivers of dirt.
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