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…
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…
How to Buy Down Your Mortgage Rate in California Buying down a mortgage rate lowers the interest rate on a loan, either for its full term or for the first year or two, in exchange for money paid up front…
Seller Concessions: How Much Can a Seller Pay Toward Closing Costs? Sellers can cover part of a buyer's closing costs, but the amount is capped. Every loan type sets its own limit, and for conventional loans the limit depends on…
California home buyers typically encounter closing costs when buying a home. These are the various fees and charges that occur when a person buys a house using a mortgage loan. On average, they can add up to 2% to 5%…
In this article, we will address one of the most common questions among first-time home buyers in California: Is earnest money refundable? Here are five things you should know right off the bat: Buyers often include earnest money when making…
