Appraisal Gap Coverage: What Bay Area Buyers Need to Know In a competitive Bay Area market, the winning offer is often well above the most recent comparable sales. That works fine until the lender’s appraisal arrives, because the appraiser has…
Family Opportunity Mortgage in California: Buying a Home for Parents Many adult children in California reach a point where they want to help a parent with housing. A parent may be retiring on a fixed income, moving closer to family,…
A few months after closing, many California buyers open the mail and find a property tax bill they weren’t expecting. It isn’t a mistake, and it isn’t a penalty. It’s a supplemental tax bill, and nearly every buyer in the…
Living in San Ramon, CA: A Guide for East Bay Home Buyers San Ramon, CA, is a Tri-Valley city in Contra Costa County that a lot of Bay Area buyers look into. It is home to the San Ramon Valley…
Living in Lafayette, CA: A Guide for East Bay Home Buyers Lafayette, California, is a small, established city in Contra Costa County known for its walkable downtown, its own BART station, and easy access to hiking trails and open space…
What It Actually Takes to Buy a $1 Million Home in California In much of the Bay Area, $1 million is not a luxury price point. It is closer to the starting line. A three-bedroom in the East Bay, a…
ADU Financing in California: How to Pay for the Build Accessory dwelling units have become one of the most common home improvement projects in the East Bay. State law has opened the door for most single-family lots to add a…
Second Home vs Investment Property in California A cabin in Tahoe or a place in Sonoma is a familiar pattern for Bay Area buyers, and how that purchase gets classified, second home or investment property, changes the down payment, the…
Prop 19 and Your Property Taxes When You Buy or Sell Prop 19 California rules changed two separate things about property taxes: how much of a long-held tax base a homeowner 55 or older can carry into a new home,…
Mello-Roos: What California Buyers Need to Know A property tax bill in a newer California development often includes a line item that doesn't show up in older neighborhoods nearby: Mello-Roos. It can add a meaningful amount to the annual cost…
