Your House Listing Has Expired! What are the dangers and opportunities? Once a listing agreement with an agent expires, that agent is no longer responsible for selling the property.  The homeowners have the option of using the same agent again, getting a new agent, or trying to sell it themselves.  Even if you don’t keep the old agent, your ties to the old agent are not completely severed. In most listing contracts, there is a section that says the old agent will be the one to earn the commission if a buyer that he attracted buys the house.  So, [&hellip

What are CC&Rs? What are CC&Rs? CC&R stands for Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions.  While this may sound redundant, there are subtle differences between these types of regulation.  All of these are agreements on the part of the buyer to do or not do certain things.  The buyer automatically agrees to these by purchasing the property. The main difference between them is the punishment that can be doled out when an infraction occurs. If a buyer violates a covenant, they have broken an agreement, and the seller can sue for damages or get an injunction to prevent any future violations. If [&hellip

California Mello-Roos Property Tax Mello-Roos was signed into law in 1982 as a way to gain funding for new communities after Proposition 13 inhibited the raising of property taxes in California.  Though it isn’t technically a property tax, it is an additional tax that is applied to properties in newly developed areas.  The money is used to build the necessary facilities, utilities, roads, and the like for new towns.  This keeps the cost of development for the new town on the shoulders of the persons living there. Because Mello-Roos is independent of the property tax that is protected by Prop [&hellip

   HOA What are the Rules? When considering buying a house under an HOA, it is wise to first research the association to be sure that you can, and want to, live there.  Two of the most important things to find out are how expensive the dues are and how often they are paid.  The monthly payments might be so high that you won’t be able to afford to live there, even if you think you could afford the house. Another consideration is the set of rules that the residents must abide by.  For instance, a dog owner would be [&hellip

  What is an HOA?   HOA stands for Homeowners’ Association.  An HOA is a governing board that has authority over an area like a housing development or gated community.  They have the power to write and enforce regulations in their community.  These regulations often include stipulations on things such as: exterior home maintenance, pets, using homes for commercial purposes, leaving garage doors open, washing cars in driveways, keeping RVs and boats, and sometimes more.  The exact regulations will vary from association to association, but many of them are similar. There are pros and cons to these regulations.  While they [&hellip

Why do sites like Zillow and Trulia have so many sold listings mixed in with the active houses for sale? Property searches can take a long time to find the right home. It makes is twice hard to find the right house if half the properties on the list are sold. Looking on sites like Zillow (Dan Parisi is a premier agent), Trulia and the like return many properties that are sold or are pending. Why? Most of the listings on the national real estate web sites come from secondary sources. Here is how it works. A Realtor takes a [&hellip

  Fences Add Value and Safety to Horse Properties   By Havilah Parisi Pony.Estate There are many types of fences for horse property. The fence that keeps your horse safe and secure is a very valuable part of the horse property. All horse fencing should be around five feet or taller. One of the most iconic fencing types is the three tiered white fencing that is a classic of horse property. This type of fence is usual a sturdy wood fence. This nice wood fence looks great and is a safe way to keep your special horse secure. This fence [&hellip

Making an offer to buy a home Winning — The point of making an offer to buy property is to gain acceptance from the current property owner. Different real estate markets have different rules for success. In some markets, just putting in an offer wins the deal. Other markets, a bid of ten thousand above list price will not win the home. Understanding the current market is crucial to making a successful offer. Discuss with your real estate the offer amount you have in mind, based on the research you have done on comparables, the condition of the home and [&hellip

Benefits of a home protection plan   Just as homeowner’s insurance covers the property against damage or repair based on your designated deductible, a home protection plan helps protect your home system components and appliances against costly repairs or replacements. A home protection plan is a renewable service contract that covers many of the most frequently occurring breakdowns of home system components and appliances that are not usually covered by homeowner insurance. Home protection plans offer coverage of many of the critical major system components and appliances in a home that generally are of a high cost to repair or [&hellip

Two Important Considerations for First Time Home Buyer First time home buyers are wise to buy with the end in mind. Thinking ahead in these two significant areas can pay big dividends in the future. Consider properties that will have a strong resale value and correctly evaluate the total cost of repairs and remodels. First: Buy with re-selling in mind. Home owners should plan to stay in the first home for a while to build equity and to maximize investment advantages.  The fact is that few people remain in their first home forever. First homes are often used as spring [&hellip