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5 Places Clean Out Before the New Year Starts

December 28, 2020 by Dale Corpus Leave a Comment

There is nothing like a new year to get us motivated to do some extra cleaning projects. The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is a great time to get cleaning projects accomplished. Many of us have time off from work and/or are already taking some time to clean up boxes and wrapping and get decorations stored away.

In the midst of running around to get the house back in order after Christmas, here are some other items to clean up and clear out before the New Year arrives to get it started on a motivated foot. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tri-Valley Real Estate Investors Tagged With: clean, homeowners, tri-valley homeowners

Have You Become Nose-blind to Your Home?

December 7, 2020 by Dale Corpus Leave a Comment

You’ve probably seen those commercials where people have gone “nose blind” to odors in their home such as garbage, kitty litter, or cigarette smoke, but how do you know if you have become nose blind to your own odor?Have You Become Nose-blind to Your Home?

Have you ever walked into someone’s house and immediately noticed a weird smell? You might have wondered if the homeowner can smell it too. But nope, they probably don’t. Nose blindness is a real thing according to psychologists and it’s very common.

Also called olfactory adaptation, nose blindness occurs when your nose detects an odor, determines it’s not a threat, and then shuts down the receptor for that odor. So it makes sense that smells that tend to linger often get forgotten about. So how do you make yourself more aware of your interior odors? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tri-Valley Home Sellers Tagged With: homeowners, noseblind, sellers

10 Genius Relocation and Moving Hacks

November 15, 2020 by Dale Corpus Leave a Comment

Moving can be a pain, but with these quick tips you can move and relocate easier than ever before. But the key is starting early. Here are my top 10 moving hacks.

10 Genius Relocation and Moving Hacks

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Tri-Valley Home Buyers, Tri-Valley Home Sellers Tagged With: hacks, moving, packing, relocating

Cleaning Your House for Sale When You Have Pets

November 3, 2020 by Dale Corpus Leave a Comment

Cleaning Your House for Sale When You Have PetsFor those of us with furry family members in the home, we know that they can add to the cleaning needs inside. It can be extra frustrating if you’re trying to sell your home at the same time.

One of the most common and routine things we clean up after out animals is hair ( unless you have a hypo allergenic breed). Pet hair can work its way into carpet and upholstery and be pretty stubborn to remove. Some pets shed so much you wonder how there is any hair left on their body. One of the best ways to keep hair out of the carpet and upholstery is to help reduce the amount of shedding. Here are some things you can do to keep the hair going into your soft surfaces to a minimum. (Tips from the pros) [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tri-Valley Home Sellers Tagged With: clean your home, cleaning, how to sell, selling, sold home, staging

If an Offer is Rejected, Can the Buyer Know Why?

October 18, 2020 by Dale Corpus Leave a Comment

If an Offer is Rejected, Can the Buyer Know Why?

When an offer is rejected most of the time the buyers want to know why and if an offer is rejected because of higher-priced offers, buyers may want to know what those other offers look like. So is it okay for the buyers to first of all, no why their offer was rejected or see the other offers? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tri-Valley Home Buyers Tagged With: real estate offer

5 Signs You’re Ready to Upgrade Your Home

October 11, 2020 by Dale Corpus Leave a Comment

5 Signs You're Ready to Upgrade Your Home

You may have been toying with the idea of upgrading your home or upsizing for several months now, maybe even several years, how do you know you’re really ready to take on a different house? While nobody really loves the thought of moving, sometimes the idea of more space is really what will prompt you to make the move. As an agent, I’ve seen a lot of different families and experience a lot of different situations so if you’re considering moving or upgrading your home your five signs to know that you’re ready for that move. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tri-Valley Home Buyers Tagged With: home, real estate, upgrade, upsize

Hidden Costs for Home Buyers

October 5, 2020 by Dale Corpus Leave a Comment

Hidden Costs for Home Buyers

Buying a house, they said. It will be so easy, they said. Until all of a sudden, you have these hidden costs and fees popping up all over the place. I don’t want you surprised at all with any of the costs or fees involved in buying or selling a house but you do need to know that buying a house does require some money.

There are many billboards, signs and advertisements out there touting the you can buy a house with zero down and no money. Do you really want to be a homeowner if you have no money in the bank? That’s a serious question that deserves some serious consideration.

Now, I’m not saying that you need hundreds of thousands of dollars or even tens of thousands of dollars in order to be a homeowner but there are certain costs and fees associated with buying a house that all homeowners, especially first-time homeowners can tend to be surprised about. I want you aware of everything and doing your homework, including reading this blog post, will put you in a better position financially.

Here are some hidden costs to buying a home.

Out-of-pocket home inspection costs.

This is one of the expenses that will not be included in your closing costs. Unless your real estate agent or financial lender has done some creative consolidating, chances are you’ll need to pay for your home inspection out-of-pocket. This means you’ll need to write a check or give a credit card to the home inspector while they are there before or right after the home inspection. Home inspections tend to run anywhere from $350-$800. On average is about $400. If you can’t afford a home inspection out-of-pocket, you probably should not be buying a house. The home inspection is a vital part of the home buying process and not understanding everything you can about the home from a professional’s point of view could lead to some costly mistakes in the future. Make sure you have this money set aside for the home inspection.


10 Point checklist to know you're ready to buy a house10 Point List to Know if You’re Ready to Buy a House


The appraisal fee.

When borrowing money your lender will want to make sure that the home you are purchasing is worth the amount you are borrowing, which is why they’ll need to order an appraisal that you’ll need to pay for. The lender will typically hire an independent certified appraiser to assess the property value of the home. It will document varies features that make the home valuable and they can typically run between $250 and $600. This upfront fee will be charged directly to the borrower by the lender and may or may not be included in the closing costs.

Escrow fees.

Some lenders will require that an escrow account be set up in conjunction with a mortgage loan agreement. This will house money to pay ongoing property related expenses on the homeowners behalf including homeowners insurance, private mortgage insurance and property taxes. There also may be an additional deposit required at closing for this account. Be sure to check with your lender or your real estate agent about these additional fees.

Potential survey costs.

Not all homes will require a survey but it may be required so everyone knows exactly where your property’s boundaries are. This could be several hundred dollars but again, not required however, you will be paid directly to the surveyor.


5 Secrets Every House Hunter Should Know

5 Secrets Every House Hunter Should Know


Earnest money deposit.

When you first make an offer on a home you’ll need to write a check or money order for an earnest money deposit. This holds the property as the first right of refusal to buy the home. This could be anywhere from 1% to 5% of the purchase price of the home so this is a good chunk of money that could be several thousand dollars. This will go toward your down payment at closing. This money will not be deposited until mutual agreement is secured on the purchase and sale contract.

Closing costs.

When you finalize the sale on your new property closing costs will include a variety of courier fees, escrow and title company fees, appraisals, lending fees, points etc. and may or may not include some of the previous points as well. This could be anywhere from $5000-$20,000 based on the price of the home. This can be rolled into the cost of the home if the property can bear the value however, talk to your lender about this so that you’re not stuck with a $10,000 bill that you didn’t know about.

Buying a home should be fun but understanding all of the details about the transaction and the lending practices will help you be better prepared for the entire process. For more information or to get started or to answer any questions you might have about homebuying in the Tri-Valley area contact my office today.

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Filed Under: Tri-Valley Home Buyers Tagged With: buying fees, hidden costs, home buying, how much does it cost to buy a house, tri-valley home buyers

5 Things Buyers Must Do Before Moving In

September 28, 2020 by Dale Corpus Leave a Comment

Finalizing documents after closing or signing is one of the most exciting and sometimes terrifying things in the buying process. However, there are some things you don’t want to miss when buying a home. Before grabbing the keys from your agent you want to make sure you do these five things, which most reputable real estate agents will verify ahead of time but it’s important to understand them on your own.

Here are 5 Things Buyers Must Do Before Moving In

5 Things Buyers Must Do Before Moving In

#1. Make sure that all the contingencies have been satisfied.

Your agent, as long as they didn’t start yesterday, should walk you through all the different contingencies throughout the process. This means that your financing must go through, the sale of the previous house if applicable, your home inspection, and appraisal all need to be satisfied before you move in.

#2. Final walk-through.

If you had anything done during the home inspection, or even if you didn’t, a final walk-through is crucial to the buying process. The sellers legally have to leave the property similar to the last time you sought meeting they can’t trash the property when they move out. You also want to make sure that anything requested on the inspection report is completed. You need to verify that the home is in the condition agreed upon in the contract and if there are any issues that don’t match up with the contract, it’s better to take care of them now before you close on the property.

Related: How an Offer Gets Accepted

#3. Verify a clear title.

This is what title insurance is four and before you can take title to the property and establish legal ownership, your mortgage lender and title company will perform a title search. This means that they will cover everything from top to bottom to verify that the seller has the legal right to sell the property. While insurance covers any discrepancies if found later on, it’s important to get this cleared now.

#4. Final mortgage approval.

Before you can close you want to make sure that your mortgage has been finalized and approved. There are so many facets to a real estate transaction that we need to make sure everything lines up perfectly in order to close. This means your financing as well. The underwriter will check your final credit score, review the home appraisal, and ensure your financial legitimacy so that you can start making payments when your mortgage comes due.

#5. Gather items for final closing.

You’ll want to make sure that your closing disclosure or final settlement statement is accurate and everything is correct including your interest rates, loan terms, closing costs, how much you’re paying for the house, and any other details even including how your last name is spelled and that your address is correct. You’ll also need to bring certain documentation to closing such as proof of homeowners’ insurance, any home inspection reports, any additional documents that escrow is requesting and a government-issued photo ID.

Once all of these issues are satisfied you can sign the final documents and either that day or a couple of days later you will finally close and be handed the keys. You cannot get the keys and tell escrow closes the transaction and the deed is recorded with the county in which the property is located.

If you have other questions or would like to start the process of opening escrow on a new property in Tri-Valley area give me a call at any time.

More advice for sellers:

  • 10 of the Best Home Improvement Tips
  • 5 Tips to know before taking your own real estate photos
  • 7 Chores You Only Need to Do Once a Year
  • Do Buyers Want to See a Home Office These Days?

Filed Under: Tri-Valley Home Buyers Tagged With: first time home buyers

9 Ways to Save Money When Moving

September 23, 2020 by Dale Corpus Leave a Comment

9 Ways to Save Money When Moving

Plan on relocating? You probably have already started some sort of a binder or checklist of how to pack, window pack, and what to pack, but you may not have thought of ways to save money while you are relocating.

Here’s a list of 9 Ways to Save Money When Moving

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Tri-Valley Home Buyers, Tri-Valley Home Sellers Tagged With: moving, relocating, san ramon, tri valley homes

Ten of the Best Home Improvement Tips From the Experts

September 1, 2020 by Dale Corpus Leave a Comment

If you’re thinking about improving your home, remodeling, or doing some renovations it’s important to get a lot of information beforehand so that you can plan, prepare, and budget accordingly. We’ve undertaken a few renovations over the years and while I’m not an expert, I can definitely appreciate advice and tips from those that of been there before or constantly do it as in real estate investors or flippers. Here are some of the 10 best home improvement tips from the experts. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tri-Valley Home Sellers, Tri-Valley Real Estate Investors Tagged With: home improvement, home projects, home renovation, remodel

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Recent Posts

  • 5 Places Clean Out Before the New Year Starts
  • Have You Become Nose-blind to Your Home?
  • 10 Genius Relocation and Moving Hacks
  • Cleaning Your House for Sale When You Have Pets
  • If an Offer is Rejected, Can the Buyer Know Why?

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