All Forum Posts by: Karen Margrave

I'd add something that ties in with the couch. A teal blue. Check out this rug. Then pick up the blue in the window coverings. Pull colors from the rug for accessories. Where is the house located? I bought this rug from Walmart. Love it! I change out rugs a few times a year in my living room. However; you can look for something just the opposite, with more blue, and less orange, since the couch is orange. Look on Walmart, Wayfair, Rugs.com, etc. For the bedrooms and bath, choose colors from the rug, and use them, you can't go wrong! 

Your first trip should be to the Planning Dept and ask if it's possible based on the zoning, and if they would view it favorably. If not, there's no point in going further. 

Did you use any type of underlayment? If not, did the planks have attached underlayment? 

Look on the California State Contractors Board site at the various options. You might be able to find a contractor that will agree to be your qualifier for a fee, etc. Once you have the necessary experience you can get your own license. 

As for the suggestion of getting a contractor to sign off on experience, no legitimate contractor is going to do that, and if they did, and got caught, you'd both be screwed. 

You can be an owner/builder in CA. However; some cities require a contractor to be on the application for permit. Also, lenders usually require a licensed contractor, bond and insurance. 

I'm in Redding, CA, and we have a lot of demand for homes under $450k, and rentals. However the higher end is beginning to soften.  Prices are at all time highs as are rents. We have a lot of investors that rent space  as Airbnb (limited to 400 units)  and room space to students from a local ministry school, as well as others looking for more affordable options. 

 If Trump wins, there may be a little tiny bit of light at the end of the tunnel for builders. Supply and demand drives the train. Unfortunately, in CA driving the train is a lot more expensive, as our fuel's touted to go up at least .46 a gallon, and it's already $5. That means the price of everything used in construction goes up, so no help with supply side. Add to that insurance costs, etc. and it's not looking good.

However; what Trump can do that will help is to cut out some of the environmental regulations, etc. that drive the costs of development up. 

Unfortunately all the lawlessness, and homelessness in CA doesn't help. As long as interest rates are going up, there's not many people wanting to sell their homes, unless they're leaving CA, or going into Senior Living, which is happening more and more. 

Then another thing I see coming down the pike is the credit card debt. So many people are living on their cards, hoping that something is going to happen where the cost of living gets lower, and trying to hang on. But, if something doesn't change in the economy, they will fall behind on credit cards, then mortgages, and things will begin to fall. 

As bad as CA is, people won't vote them out. Crazy times. I know we're not supposed to talk politics, but the reality is, it's politicians that set the policies that affect real estate and construction, so it is relevant. 

It's a 2 way street. A few years back we had a huge fire in our area, and it burned hundreds of homes. All the rentals were leased up fast. People that had lost everything were desperately looking for homes, and some of the rental companies were taking rental applications, and families were paying for multiple application fees. Those management companies knew they had no units available. Families paid out hundreds of dollars, and the companies make a killing. It's wrong.

Also, with inflation being what it is, rentals scarce, etc. people cannot afford to be paying for multiple rental applications. There needs to be a better way.

As an agent I pay for the home warranty for my clients, that way should something go wrong, it's covered. It's important to stay current and ask around about which company is responding fastest, as sometimes they are overwhelmed, not having enough local vendors, and service is slower. If you can find a warranty that allows you to use the vendors of your choice, that helps. 

For myself, we built our home several years ago. It was big, and had 3 AC units on it. I was going to sell the house, so put a warranty on it. One of the units went out. I'd only had the policy a few days and thought for sure it wouldn't be covered. The unit couldn't be fixed, and the AHS put in a new unit. It saved me a lot of money!

There's a saying in real estate, "all real estate is local". Every area have things specific to them that affect the supply and demand for real estate. Nobody knows when or if the market is going to crash. There are so many things going on in the world, it's impossible to say. All we can do is look at what is happening TODAY. What is going on in your local area? Are businesses shutting down, people moving, etc., or is there something there that is a draw for people, where they want to buy homes? Is there an abundance of homes on the market, or is the market tight? On rentals, are there a lot of vacancies, or a huge demand and prices high? 

Real Estate is all about supply and demand. In CA there's no big supplies coming on the market in most areas where there aren't mega developers. The costs to build are too high, and until fuel prices drop and the environmental regulations are toned down, that won't change, meaning existing housing will continue to go up. Other areas may have lower costs to build, etc. and if there's huge demand, it may make sense to do spec homes, etc. 

First and simplest, ask your agent to please give you something in writing showing what the total amount of commissions being paid will be, not just what they are asking you to pay. The person that responded above misunderstood the question, thinking you were asking about if the agent was acting for both the buying and selling side, which makes them a dual agent. However; that wasn't your question. But, since it was referenced, an agent would need to disclose that to the client. 

Either way, agents must disclose their commissions. What your question was referencing is if your agent negotiates with you to pay the buyers commission, how would you know if they were also being paid by the seller? Agents must disclose to you if they are being paid by the seller. Don't be afraid to ask them. Agents are not allowed to make "secret profits". All of the DISCLOSURES signed by buyers and sellers are to protect them, and disclose information. Buyers and Sellers deserve to know all the facts related to their transaction, not just what an agent decides to give them. Tell your agent that you would like to see, in writing, a breakdown of any and all commissions being paid so that you have a full understanding. 

Also, Commissions are a shown on the estimated closing statement from the escrow company. 

Never be afraid to ask questions of your agent. You have every right to be an informed consumer, and know what you are paying for. Never sign anything or agree to anything you do not fully understand. 

Commissions have always been negotiable in CA. Most buyers don't have the money to come in with to pay down payments, plus commissions in this market, so I don't expect a lot to change. Buyers usually don't understand all that goes in to selling real estate. The number of listings shown before an offer is made. The time spent meeting pest inspectors, home inspectors, roof inspectors, HVAC guys, septic inspections, any contractors for work that needs done, photographers (paid by selling agent) signs and other marketing, Omissions and Errors insurance, MLS fees, NAR/CAR fees, car insurance, gas, only to have a deal fall apart over something. Payments to transaction coordinators, etc.

Then the contracts, disclosures, etc. coming in around 100 pages. Yep.... the life of an agent is so dang easy, they get paid so much for doing nothing! LOL