San Francisco Real Estate - Janice Lee

10 reasons to buy a California home sooner rather than later Let me take on a role usually in the wheelhouse of the real estate industry and say it feels like a fairly good time to consider buying a California home. I do this as a public service. It seems the leadership of many statewide real estate groups is way too busy painting worst-case scenarios in order to fight political battles in Sacramento. I’m not sure how scaring off potential California house hunters is good business for the real estate craft, in the short run or for the long haul. Is it a shock home sales languish at modest levels and homeownership is stagnant following relentless “unaffordable” and “shortage” messaging? Could you image car dealers blaming lackluster sales — and they’re now suffering a slump, too — on a poorly-priced product? Look what Jordan Levine, deputy chief economist for the California Association of Realtors, recently told this news organization: “No one can afford houses even at lo...

How to Buy a House for Beginners   Unless you have a couple hundred thousand dollars or more to spend, you can’t just plunk down cash and buy a home. Instead, you need to go through a process that takes you from getting loan approval to sitting down at the closing table. This can be overwhelming, but if you break the procedure down into steps and take your time, you can be a homeowner one day, living the American dream.   Tip Buying a house is not only an emotional experience, but a financial commitment as well. Understanding the process and costs involved will make the experience easier for first time buyers. Determine Whether You Are Ready to Buy In your market, a mortgage payment might be about the same or maybe even less than your rent payment. Tack onto the mortgage additional funds for taxes, insurance and in certain instances, homeowner's association dues. A quick calculation is that the total cost should be about 1 percent of the purchase price. Save...