Keeping Your Credit Clean when Shopping for a Laguna Niguel Home

One of the most common questions I hear from buyers in the Laguna Niguel real estate market is about how shopping for a mortgage will affect one’s credit. This is a great question to ask your Laguna Niguel realtor, because understanding your credit can help you get a better interest rate and a lower mortgage payment in the long run. Thankfully credit bureaus understand that when you’re shopping for a home, you may have several inquiries on your credit in the course of the shopping process. Instead of counting each inquiry separately, they are bundled and count as only a single inquiry. This allows you to ask for quotes from several lenders without having your credit affected.

If you are thinking about buying a Laguna Niguel home, you’ll definitely want to stay on top of your credit reports. You don’t want any surprises when it comes time to get pre-approved for your home loan. Check out the “Keeping Your Credit Clean” article on my Laguna Niguel real estate website for great tips for ensuring your credit is in the best shape possible. If you have any questions about buying a Laguna Niguel home or about getting a mortgage pre-approval, call me today at 949-939-0300.

Understanding the Slow Laguna Niguel Real Estate Market

No matter if you’re buying or selling a home in the Laguna Niguel real estate market, it can be a bumpy road to navigate – especially if you don’t have an experienced realtor by your side to help. Even if you’ve bought or sold a home before, the market changes dramatically from year to year and the process may be quite different the next time you deal with Laguna Niguel real estate.

Just think about it. A few years ago, Southern California was a seller’s dream. You could sell a property in a matter of minutes and usually for well more then it was listed for. But today, the Orange County real estate market is far different. We have gone from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market and understanding what that means is crucial to making the best deal possible on the next Laguna Niguel home you buy or sell.

One of the most important aspects to understand about the buying and selling process is how to effectively negotiate a sales price on a home. A home is listed for sale at one price, but it usually doesn’t sell for that exact amount. In a seller’s market, where demand is super high and supply is low, the listing price is usually just a starting point for negotiation, and the sales price for a home in the Laguna Niguel real estate market can be thousands more then in the end. In a buyer’s market, like the one we are in right now, the list price is usually the price that the sellers is hoping to get, and the sales price usually falls a bit short of that target.

A rookie mistake that buyers often make, especially those in a slower market, is to low-ball a seller on an initial offer for a house. If you’re a seller, chances are you may not know exactly how to deal with such a low offer. A great way to handle it is to have a trusted Laguna Niguel realtor to guide you through the counteroffer process. If however, you’re less then impressed with your realtor’s advice or are just looking for additional input, check out the December issue of my Laguna Niguel Real Estate Update. We have a great article about handling low-ball offers on your Laguna Niguel home in the issue, and it may come in really handy for both buyers and sellers in today’s market.

If you have questions about buying a Laguna Niguel home or about selling a home in the Laguna Niguel real estate market, ask a realtor you trust for advice and guidance. If you need to find a Laguna Niguel realtor you can trust, give me a call at 949-939-0300.

Buying a Laguna Niguel Home During the Holiday Season

Selling a home in the Laguna Niguel real estate market during the holiday season can be tricky. But what about buying a home this time of year – is it just as hard? Luckily if you’re a buyer, the answer is no. But just because it’s not nearly as difficult to buy during the holiday season, doesn’t mean it’s a piece of cake either.

Since many sellers realize that the holiday season brings a lull in home sales, many choose to wait until after the first of the year to list their Laguna Niguel home for sale. This means that inventory may be lower throughout the month of December. But in today’s slow market, buyers should still have a wide variety of homes to tour and choose from, even during the slow months.

Buyers also have an advantage during the holiday season since there is often less competition in the market. With many buyers putting off their plans of buying a home in the Laguna Niguel real estate market until the hustle and bustle of the holidays is behind them, serious buyers will be able to find and negotiate great deals on area property.

If you are thinking about buying a Laguna Niguel home and were considering waiting till January to start your hunt, why not get a head start? You might be surprised how much easier house hunting is in December – your Laguna Niguel realtor can help you find exactly what you’re looking for before your competition enters the market. And of course, who wouldn’t want to say they got a new house for the holidays!

If you have questions about buying a Laguna Niguel home, check out my website or give me a call anytime at 949-939-0300.

Selling a Laguna Niguel Home During the Holiday Season

This is a busy time of year for almost everyone. It seems that no matter where you turn, there are tons of things that need to get done in time for the holidays – whether its decorating your home, making travel plans, shopping or planning family meals, its hard to imagine adding the stress of buying or selling a home to the list of to do’s as well.

Of course, some people have no choice and need to either sell or buy a Laguna Niguel home even in the midst of the holiday season. If you’re a seller in the Laguna Niguel real estate market, you probably already know that this is a tough time of year, especially in today’s slow market, to be selling a home. But don’t fear – remember that in just a few weeks, the busy holiday season will be over and if you haven’t already sold your home, you can be reassured by the fact that more buyers will become more eager then ever to buy after the New Year.

While December may be historically slow, it’s not impossible to sell a home now – especially if your home is staged beautifully for the holidays. Your home probably feels cozier this time of year, has a constant smell of fresh backed cookies and has an overall warmth that buyers can sense. With that in mind, enjoy the holiday season and remember to keep your home show-ready as much as possible – you never know who will pop in. And if December isn’t your month, remember that January brings new life to the Laguna Niguel Real Estate market. If you need help staging your home for sale or have questions about how to catch those January buyers, feel free to call me anytime at 949-939-0300.