I am not just a Carlsbad real estate agent. I am a Carlsbad real estate advisor. I will help you make informed choices about San Diego County real estate ownership.
Welcome to a new year! I kept all of 2023 and 2024 in the price and inventory graphs below. Usually, we expect December to be a relatively slow month for real estate. There aren’t as many homes on the market, and many people put their home buying on hold for the holidays. So imagine my surprise when Oceanside set a NEW RECORD for sales price, at $1,031,000. Also, there was very little change in inventory
Mimi is always available to answer all my real estate questions, as soon as I’m ready to sell my condo, I will be calling her. She is the best and super honest realtor. José RodriguezSan Marcos, CA
Mimi helped me buy my first home and investment property last year. She handled all of the steps, and she continues to follow up to answer any questions. I recommend her to anyone who wants a professional to guide them and continue assistance long after the sale. Heriberto JuradoSan Marcos, CA
Mimi is not just who helped us buy our first condo couple of months ago, but has also become someone we call our friend.We had been looking for a long time, but she remained patient with us throughout the process.When we knew we saw the one!, she helped us beat out multiple offers, and we’re so grateful for all of Mimi’s help during the negotiations and the escrow process.She was even kind enough to have
Mimi helped us sell two houses and some additional vacant land last year. It was a complicated property and frankly quite a headache in a number of respects, but Mimi was unfailingly diligent, patient, and helpful, and went out of her way to make things as easy and smooth for us as possible. She went above and beyond to figure out solutions to problems, handled all the details, and brought a truly kind and thoughtful
Mimi Merlo is a great person and realtor, hard to find these days. She helped us on the purchase of our first home. Mimi was always a phone call away when we had any questions. Always willing to talk about our future home. Very knowledgeable about her work. Also a great baker. Very thankful for all the help and work she did for us. Olga L.Murrieta, CA
Mimi is fantastic! She was instrumental in helping me buy a home in 2021. It was a difficult, highly competitive market, but she was very diligent, knowledgable, and helpful with all aspects of the buying process. We looked at a lot of houses over several months before we finally found the perfect one, and she got my offer accepted over higher ones! I’m so grateful to her for all of her hard work, and for
California Residential Landlords: here are some new laws for 2025. AB 2493 – Tenant Screening Fees & Credit Reports AB 2493 applies to all residential tenancies of more than 30 days. Tenant Screening Fees Landlords can only charge an application fee when a unit either is available, or will be available within a reasonable period of time. Waiting list fees are no longer allowed. When it comes to charging fees for rental applications, landlords now
San Diego County homeowners – here’s a new way to keep track of your property tax bills. The San Diego County Assessor’s Office has set up an e-billing notification system. Homeowners can sign up to receive electronic bills, with a link to pay online. I have paid my property tax online before – so what’s new? In the past, we have been able to pay our property tax bills online, but until now, we have
Throughout 2024, we have seen a stable market, although it has been slow and often frustrating for home buyers. The high rates are keeping many would-be sellers from losing their below 3% mortgages. At the same time, the 7% rates are limiting choices for would-be buyers. Looking at November 2024 sales numbers, and, same as last month, North San Diego County hasn’t set any new price records. Still, prices remain high, and inventory has dropped
Mortgage Waiting Periods After a Bankruptcy, Foreclosure, or Short Sale How long do you have to wait before you can get a new mortgage? Mortgage waiting periods depend on what type of loan you want to use for your next home. The good news is, you may only need to wait as little as 2 years! To that end, here’s a breakdown of the waiting periods, based on the event. Mortgage Waiting Periods After Bankruptcy
Happy Thanksgiving! I just checked October 2024 sales numbers, and this is the first time in a while that North San Diego County hasn’t set any new price records. Still, prices remain high, and inventory has dropped by almost 10% in the last month. At the same time, today’s inventory is 45% higher from one year ago. Compared to September sales, the number of days on market for October sales was slightly lower. Earlier this
Is home staging really worth it? Why do so many people recommend staging when selling your home? Does it really make that big of a difference? Here are some examples of before and after photos, so you can decide for yourself. Is Home Staging Really Worth It? Staging isn’t cheap. Many home sellers pay between $2,500 – $10,000 to professionally stage their home. Why are they willing to front that considerable expense? Is it really
One of real estate’s best-kept secrets is the Renovation Loan. Renovation loans can help buyers afford to buy and rehab a home. Both the purchase price and the renovation costs are tied into one single mortgage. Your loan is closed in as-is condition, utilizing the after-improved value. Renovation Loans aren’t just for home buyers – if you currently own a home, you can refinance your home with a Renovation Loan, to pay for improvements. Here’s what renovation
Happy Halloween! The weather is finally showing signs of cooling off, just in time for the beginning of the holiday season. As usual, though, the San Diego real estate market doesn’t show any signs of slowing down or cooling off. Last month, Carlsbad and San Marcos set NEW records for detached home sales prices! In spite of high sales prices, one number has changed over the past two months. The number of days on market
Mortgage Affordability Calculation – The First Step for Home Buyers Almost all home buyers begin with the same question: How Much Home Can I Afford? Only your lender can give you a definitive answer, but Nick Richardson at JMJ Mortgage has provided a simple formula to get you started. Use the 43% Rule for a quick mortgage affordability calculation. You can also use my Mortgage Approval Estimate Worksheet to help you determine how much home you can buy. Lenders Approve a Total
Wood Burning vs. Natural Gas Fireplaces After growing up with wood burning fireplaces, I was surprised to learn that natural gas fireplaces are the cheaper, cleaner, and more energy-efficient option. If you have a wood burning fireplace with a gas starter, consider making the change to natural gas. Reasons to Stop Burning Wood Here are some reasons why you should stop burning wood: It isn’t good for the earth. Wood burning emits a lot of
Seller Escrow Timeline Congratulations! You have accepted an offer for the sale of your home, and opened escrow. So what’s next? How long should everything take? Is there a general escrow timeline to follow? It usually takes between 30 to 60 days for an escrow to close. Sometimes the escrow timeline is shorter. Sometimes it’s longer. You and the Buyers agree to a timeline during the contract negotiation. Here’s a general escrow timeline for home
Fall is already here, and the real estate market continues to hold steady. Last month, August sales prices set a new all-time record for Oceanside detached homes. The number of days on market in North County is still low. Most homes sell within two weeks of listing in the MLS. But what about interest rates? The good news is that the Federal Reserve dropped the federal funds rate by .5% last week. However, that doesn’t
Mortgage Refinancing Closing Costs Are you thinking about refinancing your home? Here’s what to expect regarding refinancing closing costs. Refinancing is cheaper than taking out the original purchase loan. Mortgage refinancing closing costs are lower than buyer closing costs. Refinancing is also quicker and easier. Compared to your original mortgage, you don’t need to submit as many documents to get approved for a refinance. For example, an FHA Streamline Refinance does NOT require employment verification,
When you plan to buy a home, one of the first things to know is how much cash you need to get started. This article outlines: Buyer closing costs depend on lots of things, including the type of loan, the type of property, the final sales price, and even your credit rating. You can print this Cost to Buy a House Worksheet to estimate your buyer closing costs. This worksheet includes the upfront costs, which are paid at
Summer is winding down, but the real estate market is holding steady. For the first time in a while, last month’s median sales prices didn’t set any new records in North County. Still, you can see below that the median sales prices have been consistent throughout the year. Good news for home buyers: inventory has continued to rise slowly. Between late July and late August, the number of detached homes across six North County cities
Unless you have been boycotting all media lately (I wouldn’t blame you), you have heard that the rules have changed for buyer agent commissions. I won’t go into details about the class action lawsuits, but you can read more about the National Association of REALTORS® settlement here. Today’s home buyers should know: What are the new commission rules that I need to follow? There is only ONE new requirement for home buyers: Before an agent
When Rates Fall, You Save Lower mortgage rates can save you thousands of dollars over the life of a loan. For home buyers, lower mortgage rates can also increase your buying power. Without a doubt, anyone who wants to buy or refinance a home needs to consider how mortgage rates will affect your loan. So how much is a big increase or decrease? When the news reports a 1/2 point drop in rates, is that
