Long Beach Real Estate Podcast with Tim Majka

When settling the estate of a recently deceased loved one, there are three key steps you need to take. In the unfortunate event of the loss of a loved one, what steps do you need to take to handle their estate?  According to Reba Birmingham of Long Beach Law, since it’s possible you might not be thinking clearly at the time of said loved one’s death, the first step is to capture documents that might be important later and throw them into a folder...

There are three guidelines you can follow if you’re a home seller and you have a pet to ensure your home gets sold quickly, safely, and for its maximum price. If you have a pet and you’re looking to sell your home, there are some special considerations you must keep in mind to ensure the safety of your pet and any potential buyers, and that your property looks great and sells for the most money possible.  The good news is most homebuyers are often looking for pet-friendly homes...

Our market conditions are ripe for those looking to move into a new home. You can sell quickly and profitably, and buy while interest rates are low. If you’ve been thinking about selling your home, three recent developments make this an ideal time to do so.  1. Mortgage rates have stabilized. They were at 3.4% last July, then shot up to 4.3% right after the election in November. Since then, the rates have stabilized and are still very low (historically speaking). 2. Job numbers are up...

Selling a home while trying to buy a new one can be a major obstacle. Luckily, there are two options that will keep you from having to pay two mortgages or move twice. If you are looking to sell your current home and purchase a new one, there are a couple of options that will ensure you don't have to pay two mortgages at the same time or have to move twice.  The first option is to sell your home contingent upon you purchasing your new home...

Andrew Scammon from Alpine Mortgage joins me today to help explain how you can use a reverse mortgage to purchase a home. Today I’m joined by Andrew Scammon from Alpine Mortgage to talk about how you can use a reverse mortgage to purchase a home.  We work with more and more folks nowadays who are either retired or about to retire and would like to buy a new home but are unsure they can qualify for a conventional loan...

Today we're taking a look back at how the market performed in 2016 and what we should expect in LA moving ahead in 2017. Today I wanted to take a moment to take a look back at how the Los Angeles housing market did in 2016 and provide a forecast for what we can expect from the market moving forward in 2017. Last year in Los Angeles County, we saw the median price for single-family homes go from $535,000 to $580,000 in 12 months, which is an 8.4% increase...

Happy Valentine's Day! Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and we just wanted to take the time to say thank you! We had a great response from our clients for our See’s Candy Gift Card Giveaway. Due to such a great response, the giveaway has now come to a close.We hope your Valentine's Day is a day filled with love and friendship, and looking forward to seeing you in 2017.

Friends, We know this time of year can get very busy, so we just wanted to take a moment to wish you happy holidays! We’d like to take a minute to thank you for your continued support this year. We wouldn’t be where we are today without you. It has been our pleasure to help make your real estate dreams come true. We hope you enjoy this holiday season and make some wonderful memories with your friends and family. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year...

Today I am here with Reba Birmingham from Long Beach Law to talk about the pros and cons of having your home in a trust. The main pro to having your home or property in a trust is avoiding probate. Probate is very expensive, and it typically takes 10 months to a year. It cost 4% of the first $100,000 and 3% of the next $100,000. It then costs 2% of the next $800,000. Something important to know is that real estate is valued at its fair market value...

The holiday season is actually a great time to sell a home. Rates are low, fewer homes are on the market, and a lot of buyers need to close by the end of the year. With the holidays approaching, myself and Corinne Wallace are often asked questions by folks this time of year that are thinking of selling. They want to know if selling now in LA and Orange County is a good idea, or if they should wait until after the new year.  In our experience, now is a better time to sell than if you wait...