I recently bought a smart phone here in California and was shocked at the sales tax charged. It was an HTC Incredible with Verizon service and after the "new every two year" deal and some rebates, the phone cost about $50. However the sales tax was based on the smart phone MSRP of over $500! So t
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09/23/2010
When buying a foreclosure, the disclosures a buyer receives are slim to none. The banks which own the properties have never lived in them, and only owned them a short time, so they are relieved of much of their disclosure duty. However, the banks and the listing agents probably know more about th
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09/17/2010
With the FHA spot approval going away earlier this year, we're left with getting a DELRAP or HRAP approval for some condominiums and townhomes. Now I am not a loan officer, but I do have to figure out how to get an FHA buyer's offer accepted in a non-FHA approved community and try to convince the
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09/15/2010
When buying foreclosed or flipped homes, the amount of information about the home coming from the listing agent or seller is sometimes minimal. Besides knocking on neighbor's doors to find out what they know, the buyer's agent should probably search the MLS for the past year to see if the propert
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09/10/2010
Carlsbad Crest and Las Playas are two townhome and condominium communities built between 1985 and 1987 in southwest Carlsbad, CA. With about 260 units in Carlsbad Crest and 392 in Las Playas, there are enough sales to track price changes fairly easily. It seems from mid year 2009 to mid year 2010
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09/08/2010
With the FHA spot approval that went away earlier this year for condos, FHA buyers have had a lot less choices. There are now 95% LTV conventional loans which can avoid this problem. Credit scores need to be 720 or higher, but with lower closing costs(no FHA funding fee) and only a slightly large
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09/07/2010
September 2010 San Diego Calendar of EventsPlease call ahead to confirm dates and times September 2 - 6Festival of Sail 2010 This annual event is held over Labor Day weekend each year, and includes live entertainment from a variety of genres, a petting zoo, cruises on San Diego Bay, cannon ba
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09/04/2010
In the boom days of 2002-2006, consumers benefitted because even people who should never have been able to get a home were able to do so. In today's market, serious buyers find themselves having to make multiple offers and may give up in frustration in their attempt to get a home in many parts of
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10/08/2009
As most buyer's agents know, the bank selling a home in foreclosure will often take a cash offer that is less than an offer which contains a financing contingency. That may make sense, and may seem harmless enough, but let's look at it in more detail. By taking a cash offer, you can see how a lot
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03/30/2009
Homes in good neighborhoods, priced right and in decent condition are getting multiple offers. Why is that? The number of homes being sold is definitely higher year over year, and from February to about June is the most activity each year on a seasonal basis, so that accounts for some of the comp
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03/30/2009