Carlsbad Real Estate Advice 4 - Mylene Merlo - North County San Diego Real Estate Advisor

Pre Listing Checklist -Steps to Selling Your Home

6 Steps to Preparing Your Home for Listing in the MLS

Congratulations! You have signed a Residential Listing Agreement to list your home for sale. What’s next? Here’s my Listing Checklist for preparing your home for listing in the MLS. 6 Steps to Preparing Your Home for Listing in the MLS Property Details Seller Disclosures Cleaning & Staging Photography Appointment Schedule Open Houses For Sale Sign Property Details My first step in preparing your home for listing is gathering Property Details. As your listing agent, I want the

North County San Diego Real Estate Market Report – April 2024

Sales prices continue to climb. For detached home sales, both San Marcos and Vista set new record high sales prices for March 2024 sales. In Oceanside, the median sales price matched the record high set in July 2022. Inventory continues to stay low, but there was a significant jump between early March and late April. Many would-be home sellers are waiting for interest rates to drop, as they may have doubled since their last refi.

4806 1/2 Old Cliffs Road in Allied Gardens – SOLD!

Welcome to The Cliffs Mobile Home Park in Allied Gardens! UPDATE: We closed escrow in March, for $312,000! Built in 2017, this newer Golden West home offers three bedrooms and two full baths in a double-wide, 1325 square foot floor plan. 4806 1/2 Old Cliffs Road is located in a quiet area of the park. There are no neighbors directly behind. You can just enjoy the shade of lovely oak trees for your backyard. The

Buyer Escrow Timeline – What to Expect When Buying a Home

Buyer Escrow Timeline Congratulations! Your offer was accepted, and you have opened escrow on your new home. 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 can be shorter or longer. You and the Sellers agree to an escrow timeline during the contract negotiation. Here’s a general escrow timeline for home buyers. While every

North County San Diego Real Estate Market Report – March 2024

Real estate in Q1 of 2024 has remained stable. For detached home sales, both Carlsbad and Vista reached or nearly reached their April 2022 record highs. Inventory continues to stay very low. Many would-be home sellers are waiting for interest rates to drop, as they may have doubled since their last refi. Carlsbad – $1,920,000 Encinitas/Cardiff-by-the-Sea – $2,454,000 San Marcos – $1,116,368 Vista – $950,000 Oceanside – $949,000 Escondido – $910,000 Interest Rates Rates have

San Diego Down Payment Assistance – San Diego Housing Commission

Can you afford a monthly mortgage bill, but need San Diego down payment assistance? Good news! There are San Diego down payment assistance programs for low- and median-income home buyers in San Diego County. Here are some details about the Housing Commission’s San Diego down payment assistance programs, including how to qualify, and how to apply. Deferred Loans DCCA CalHome Down Payment Assistance – Outside San Diego City Limits The DCCA CalHome program is one

Rain Barrels and Rebates for San Diego County Homeowners

San Diego County residents qualify for reduced-cost rain barrels! Why Rain Barrels? You already know that we are in the midst of a devastating drought. Even though we had snowfall in the Sierras in 2023, we do not have a surplus of water. Farming activities in the 20th century have dried up our natural water tables. Today, we use so much water from the Colorado River, that it dries up 90 miles before it’s supposed

VA Loan Programs – Buy with $0 down and no mortgage insurance

Are you or have you served in the military? Have you checked your eligibility for VA loan programs? If possible, consider taking advantage of this fantastic benefit! VA loan programs let active duty military and veterans buy real estate with: $0 Down Payment No Monthly Mortgage Insurance Easy Qualification Minimal Closing Costs, and Relatively Low Interest Rates. First, let’s review program qualifications, loan limits, types of VA loan programs, and finally, the VA Funding Fee. VA Loan Program

Home Seller Disclosures – What to Report When Selling Your Home

When it comes to home seller disclosures, what do you need to provide? When you sell your home, you are required by law to disclose to the Buyers all material facts about your property, and about the surrounding area. A material fact is any condition that can affect the value of the property. Here’s a list of some home seller disclosures that we use when selling property in San Diego County. Property-Specific Home Seller Disclosures Your

North County San Diego Real Estate Market Report – October 2023

Update: The Real Estate Market in North County San Diego Data Source: Mylene’s Real Estate Market Report uses data from CRMLS for 2021-2023 and represents properties listed or sold by various brokers. Housing Inventory In most North County cities, San Diego housing inventory has been climbing slowly since the beginning of 2023. We hope for a break in interest rates, to incentivize more owners to sell. Today, there are many home buyers who are waiting

Down Payment Funding – Solutions for Home Buyers

One of the biggest obstacles for home buyers is having enough cash up front. Many home buyers qualify for the monthly housing payment, yet they don’t have enough cash to cover the down payment and closing costs. While this can seem daunting, there are some ways to get around this financial obstacle. Check the California database of current down payment programs! When Do I Need a Down Payment? Most buyers need to provide a down

Down Payment Assistance – CalHFA Loan and Grant Programs

The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) was established in 1975. CalHFA provides home financing and down payment assistance programs for low to moderate income Californians. If you take out an eligible CalHFA first mortgage loan, you may be eligible for additional CalHFA down payment assistance: MyHome Assistance Program, which can be combined with the Zero Interest Program (ZIP) Conventional, FHA, and VA Programs School and Teacher Employee Assistance Program (formerly Extra Credit Teacher Home Purchase Program) Cal-EEM

Owner Alert Service for San Diego County Homeowners – FREE to sign up

Owner Alert Service – FREE for San Diego County Homeowners Thanks to the San Diego County Assessors Office, there’s a new measure you can take to protect yourself from fraud. Why Do I Need Owner Alert? Companies and individuals can record documents that link to either you, your trust, or your property. This can be a lien, a forged grant deed, or a number of other records. Unless you know to look for it, you

North County San Diego Real Estate Market Report – July 2023

Selling with Solar – Selling Your Home with a Solar Lease or Loan

Selling with Solar – What You Should Know More and more homes in California have solar systems. If you have solar panels on a house you’re selling, what should you know? Will the solar panels help you sell the house, or will they make the house harder to sell? This article answers some common questions about selling with solar: How will a solar system affect the sale? Can a Buyer assume a solar lease or

Home Maintenance Quick Tips – Tree Trimming Season

Trees and Your Home Real estate agents love trees. They boost property values, and they enhance the walkability of neighborhoods. Research has even shown that people drive more slowly on tree-lined streets, which makes neighborhoods safer and calmer. As a volunteer tree steward with Tree San Diego, I advocate for tree installations all over San Diego County. Trees improve air quality, protect our watershed, support our wildlife, and beautify our neighborhoods. A well-positioned tree can cool

Make Your Home a Rental Property and Buy a New Home

Have you thought about investing in rental property? What about renting out your existing home? If your home would make a good rental property, and you are enjoying a super low interest rate, keep it! You can use up to 75% of its potential rental income to qualify to buy a new home. Here’s how it works: let’s say your home could rent for $1,000 per month. Instead of selling it to buy your next home, covert it

North County San Diego Real Estate Market Report – June 2023

Update: The Real Estate Market in North County San Diego Data Source: Mylene’s Real Estate Market Report uses data from CRMLS for 2021-2023 and represents properties listed or sold by various brokers. Housing Inventory San Diego housing inventory has been climbing slowly throughout Spring 2023. We hope for a break in interest rates, to incentivize more homeowners to move. Currently, there are many would-be home buyers, just waiting for more homes to come on the

2-1 Buydown Program for Home Buyers – Yes or No?

2-1 Buydown Program for Home Buyers – Yes or No? Recently, lenders and real estate agents have been promoting a 2-1 Buydown Program. So…should you consider it? If you are buying a home, will a 2-1 Buydown provide relief from high interest rates? This article covers: What is the 2-1 Buydown Program? How does it work? What is the 3-2-1 and the 3-1-1? How much will I have to pay long-term? What other mortgage programs

Smart Irrigation Controllers – FREE for San Diego County Residents!

San Diego County residents are eligible for a FREE Weather-Based Smart Irrigation Controller. Both homeowners AND renters are eligible! A professional will come to your home and replace your old controller with a weather-based smart irrigation controller. You could save $$$ on your water bill. WaterSmart’s Free Smart Irrigation Controllers WaterSmart San Diego currently offers free weather-based smart irrigation controllers. Funding comes from Synergy, the parent company of SDGE. The program provides both the equipment and installation

North County San Diego Real Estate Market Report – March 2023

Update: The Real Estate Market in North County San Diego Data Source: Mylene’s Real Estate Market Report uses data from CRMLS for 2018-2023 and represents properties listed or sold by various brokers. Housing Inventory San Diego housing inventory has gone down, in many cities, since the beginning of the year. We hope for a break in interest rates, to incentivize more homeowners to move. At this time, there are many would-be home buyers, just waiting

Choosing a Solar Power Contractor – Residential Solar Power, Part 3 of 3

Part 3 of my Residential Solar Power series is Choosing a Solar Power Contractor. Here are some questions to ask before hiring a solar power contractor to install solar panels on your roof. Solar panel installation is mostly simple (read about Solar Power Basics). There are established guidelines that most contractors follow, depending on the direction of the panels, the roof’s pitch, and other factors. If the solar array is installed properly, there should be little variance in energy efficiency from one company to another. Solar panel installation

What to Do Before You Buy Solar Power – Residential Solar Power, Part 2 of 3

Part 2 of my Residential Solar Power series is What to Do Before You Buy Solar Power. Here’s a checklist of what to do before installing solar. These steps could save you thousands of dollars. Before you buy solar power: Make your home energy efficient. Check your energy use. Check energy costs. Decide how much energy you want to produce with a solar system. Make Your Home Energy Efficient The first step to saving energy, money, and the environment, is

Solar Power Basics – Residential Solar Power, Part 1 of 3

Solar Power Basics: What You Need To Know Solar power advertising is everywhere. Salespeople call, knock on doors, set up booths at fairs, and cover the Internet and television with solar power ads. It’s hard to know where to go, what to ask for, and how to know you’re getting a good deal. As an advocate for green technology and sustainable living, even I approached the solar industry with caution. I was confused by all