For the vast majority of American homeowners, their home is the single largest asset they will ever own; and like the rest of their financial assets, upon their death, that asset will need to be dealt with. Most likely, if your spouse survives you, ownership of your property will be transferred to your spouse. Depending … Read more
In California we have deeds of trust rather than mortgages, and when we get real estate loans, our lenders are typically the trustees who receive a deed of trust with the power of sale (since they put up the money to purchase the property). If all goes as it should, when you finish paying off … Read more
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the City of Ukiah and County of Mendocino have been actively promoting economic development lately. Whether these efforts are driven by the desire to make Ukiah a better place to live—with more jobs and more places to shop and dine—or simply a way to increase sales and property … Read more
While I am NOT a technology wizard, I do appreciate the convenience of having helpful information at my fingertips. It seems everyone has a cell phone these days, so it makes sense that companies have poured huge resources into creating mobile applications (apps). In the real estate business, we now have apps that allow you … Read more
When properties go on the market, one of the most common inspections is the pest and fungus inspection. Most buildings, even new ones, have some reportable problems. Here’s why: pest and fungus reports include two types of findings—problems and potential problems. Section 1 includes evidence of pests and/or fungus including mold, dry rot, termites, carpenter … Read more
Natural Hazard Disclosures (NHDs) are required for virtually every real estate transaction (and if they’re not required for yours, you should get one anyway). An NHD report can be generated in varying levels of detail and as the name implies, it lets you know which natural hazards may cause problems for your property—some of which … Read more
When prospective homebuyers think about jumping into the market, they like to see what’s for sale in their price range with the amenities they’re looking for in their geographic location. They typically go online and find various sites promising to make their search easy and quick. Generally, these are empty promises, and one of the … Read more
I’ll start by saying I’m not generally in favor of government rebates or subsidies. If investing in something does not make sense without a rebate, then the rebate will result in an inefficient allocation of resources at the expense of either the taxpayer or other rate payers. However, right now the City of Ukiah is … Read more
Last week I reviewed a list of items to consider when buying a home. As a homebuyer, you typically know how many bedrooms you need, how many bathrooms you’d like and a basic layout that matches your lifestyle. But you may not realize the impact of little things like a lack of adequate storage space … Read more