Ask Phyllis! Preparing For A Future Home Sale Dear Phyllis, I am retiring in September and will be selling my home and moving. What can I start doing today so that come September I can get my home on the market before the holidays? We have lived here for 30 years […]
Ask Phyllis! Can I Afford To Move? Dear Phyllis, I look forward to reading your real estate news because you discuss a lot of timely topics. If you have answered this before my apologies. We recently learned that I am pregnant with our third child and can’t imagine another baby in our small three […]
Ask Phyllis! The Waiting Game Dear Phyllis, Our real estate agent has been showing us homes for quite some time. Last week we finally found the perfect one and we made a formal offer. Our agent was back and forth with the seller’s agent for more than a week and we still did not come […]
Ask Phyllis! Reverse Mortgage Pitfalls Dear Phyllis, Years ago my parents obtained a reverse mortgage; my father passed first. After our mother became ill, my brother moved back into the home and was her primary caretaker; mom passed a year ago. As both parents are deceased, the bank is […]
Ask Phyllis! How to Determine Your Asking Price Dear Phyllis, Last year, thinking we were going to remain in our home for many years, we refinanced to combine our first and second loans and to take advantage of a lower interest rate. Our home appraised for $950,000. Zillow says my home is worth $933,000. […]
Ask Phyllis! How Long Does It Take To Get Your Offer Accepted? Dear Phyllis, For nearly ½ of last year we have been looking at homes and made offers on several. Every time I think I know the drill, something is different. In the summer we made offers on a couple of homes but […]
Ask Phyllis! Is It Time To Fire Your Realtor®? Dear Phyllis, In August I signed a contract with a local real estate agent. Other than one open house and a few ads, he has done nothing special to sell my home. I really need to get my home sold and am very frustrated. How do […]
Ask Phyllis! Selling Options Dear Phyllis, We have a very unique home which has been on the market for several months. The asking price is $1,500,000. We finally have the home in escrow but the buyer can’t get a mortgage because his bonuses are a substantial part of his income; the lender requires another […]
Ask Phyllis! Closing Without Possession Dear Phyllis, We are scheduled to close our home sale in two weeks. Our Realtor® suggested that in order to secure the home over other bidders we agree to allow the seller to remain in the home rent free for a month. We incorporated this in our offer, which was […]
Ask Phyllis! New Construction Dear Phyllis, We just had our offer accepted for a new home in Agua Dulce. As the home is brand new, do you still think we need to hire an inspector to check it out? Joe R. Dear Joe, Congratulations on your new home. Yes, you should hire an […]