Buyers

How to get your security deposit back in San Diego

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More than half of San Diego County residents are renters and almost all have to put down a significant amount of money when they move into a new place. The dreaded security deposit typically involves one month’s rent but there are also extreme cases of requiring first and last month’s rent up front.

Since 2003, I have lived in 19 apartments across 11 cities. Aside from having a pretty wild sight-seeing adventure, moving was always difficult and security deposits were a huge issue. There was always the anxiety of waiting to get my landlord to give the deposit back while trying to get enough money for my new place.

Recently, I had a Hillcrest property manager tell me I couldn’t get a $300 pet deposit back because it was nonrefundable. I informed her that was illegal in California and, eventually, the landlord got involved and I got the deposit back.

There are likely hundreds of renters across San Diego County having similar issues — especially with a historically low homeownership rate in the county. Landlords also need protection from nightmare tenants but, on the flip side, tenants fighting bad landlords may need additional money they don’t have for a legal battle.

Read the rest HERE.

How Do I Submit an Offer to Purchase a Home?

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When you make an offer to purchase a home, your agent uses a purchase agreement form to enter the terms of your offer to buy the property you have selected. 

To be valid, your offer needs to:

  • Be in writing and signed by you as the buyer;
  • Be definite and certain in detailing the terms for your purchase;
  • Show your serious intent to enter into an agreement; and
  • Be communicated to the seller who can accept the offer.

Your signing of the purchase agreement which your agent has properly filled out satisfies the first two conditions of terms and intent. To be definite and certain in its terms and conditions for enforcement, your offer needs to:

  • Identify you as the buyer, and name the seller;
  • Describe the real estate;
  • State your price and the form in which you will pay it; and
  • Set the time for payment of the price — your full performance.

To be enforceable, the offer does not need to be on any particular form.

However, to be valid, the offer needs to be communicated to the seller for their acceptance.

To communicate your offer, your agent delivers your signed purchase agreement to the seller or the seller’s agent for their consideration. 

Neither the seller nor their agent has any legal duty to acknowledge or respond to your offer.

If the seller signs their acceptance of your offer intending to sell, their agent will deliver the signed purchase agreement to you or your agent.  

However, if the seller does not accept your offer, your agent needs to urge the seller’s agent to respond with a counteroffer or a formal rejection signed by the seller.

A rejection of your offer occurs when the seller:

  • Does nothing and the time for acceptance runs;
  • Returns a signed, written rejection stating no counteroffer will be forthcoming; or
  • Prepares and submits a counteroffer, using either a counteroffer form or new purchase agreement form stating different terms.

Without first preparing and submitting a counteroffer, the seller may make an inquiry into your willingness to consider different terms. The inquiry for clarifications or changes is not a counteroffer or rejection of your written offer. Such an inquiry does not bar the seller from a later but timely acceptance to form a binding agreement.

However, when the seller attempts to accept your offer by first altering its terms in some way prior to signing the acceptance provision, the change in terms creates a counteroffer to perform on different terms. The written counter is a rejection which terminates your offer.

The seller’s agent has a duty owed to their seller to present every purchase offer they receive, regardless of the terms offered or the form used to present it. However, neither the seller nor their agent has any legal duty to respond to an offer. A failure to respond to an offer does not automatically mean your offer was not presented to the seller. Further, the offer need not be prepared on a form to be enforceable.

In fact, the back of a business card may be used to make an offer. However, provisions in boiler-plate purchase agreement forms state the essential terms and conditions of an offer needed to make it clear, complete and enforceable when accepted.

What happens when the buyer or seller breaches the purchase contract?

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Remedies available to buyer when the seller a materially breaches a purchase agreement contract include:

  • Abandoning the transaction by entering into a mutual cancellation of the purchase agreement and escrow instructions
  • Acquiring the property by pursuing specific performance of the purchase agreement
  • Pursuing the recovery of money, whether or not the buyer still wishes to acquire the property

For example, when the seller resells the property to another buyer at a higher price after accepting an offer from the original buyer, the original buyer may pursue specific performance and demand the seller adhere to the purchase agreement.

However, if the original buyer decides not to pursue specific performance, the seller is liable to the original buyer for the difference in price. A buyer’s money claims include:

  • General damages, money directly expended or the monetary value lost in the transaction
  • Special damages, money collaterally lost due to the seller’s breach
  • Prejudgment interest at the rate of 10% on all monies recovered.

A buyer is allowed to recover expenditures incurred prior to a seller’s breach to prepare a property so they can take possession, such as construction costs advanced by a buyer for upgrades and alterations. However, the purchase agreement by its provisions needs to reflect the intention of the buyer to incur these expenditures.

Conversely, a seller of real estate faced with a materially breaching buyer needs to promptly decide whether to:

  • Enforce the purchase agreement;
  • Re-market the property for sale; or
  • Retain the property and postpone or entirely forego any resale effort.

A seller’s total recoverable losses when promptly re-marketing and reselling the property include:

  • Carrying costs of mortgage interest payments, taxes, insurance, maintenance and utilities incurred by the seller and interest on the seller’s net equity between the date of the breach and the date escrow closed on the resale less the property’s rental value when the seller remains in possession; and
  • Any reduction in the seller’s net proceeds on the resale below the net proceeds the seller was to receive from the breaching buyer’s transaction due to:
    • The increased closing costs the seller additionally paid, such as the new buyer’s nonrecurring closing costs, financing fees on the resale and mortgage prepayment penalties; and
    • Any decline in the property’s resale price.

When the seller takes the property off the market or is not diligent in their resale efforts, their recovery of money is limited to their out-of-pocket transactional expenses, property operating expenses incurred before the buyer’s breach, and any move out and move back relocation expenses to fulfill their performance under the purchase agreement.

When the seller remains in occupancy through the date of the breach, these costs are offset by the rental value of the property.

5 rules of engagement for requesting repairs from sellers

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When buyers and sellers start going head-to-head, no one comes out a winner 

Key Takeaway:
It’s reasonable to ask for roof and termite clearances and that the home’s primary systems work. It’s not reasonable to ask for upgrades, abatement or cosmetic changes. 

Real estate sales and continually increasing prices have been on a six-year romp. With sellers firmly planted in the driver’s seat, a significant percent of homes have been sold “as-is” with little or no regard for repairs. When we begin seeing shifts in the market, requests for repairs will begin to reappear like spring flowers after a long winter freeze.  

Lets look at what is reasonable and unreasonable with regard to repair requests: 

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What is the Final Walk Through?

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The final walk-through of the property you are set to purchase is your last chance to confirm that all agreed-to repairs are complete and that nothing has materially changed since your home inspection.  

The final walk-through happens shortly before closing. It will likely take you and your agent an hour or less to complete. Also, be sure to bring a copy of your home inspection and final purchase agreement so you know which specific repairs to review.  

Here is a list of what to look for when doing the final walk-through:

  • Ensure agreed-to repairs have been made.
  • Check that all appliances and fixtures to be included in the home purchase are present.
  • Ensure no trash or unwanted items left by the seller are present.
  • Check for the presence of mold or standing water in all the rooms, including the bathrooms, the kitchen, near the water heater and the laundry room.
  • Test all of the home’s systems, including the heater, air conditioner, appliances, garage door and doorbell.
  • Check the outlets by bringing along your cellphone charger.
  • Walk around the exterior of the home to ensure the landscaping is intact and no exterior damage has occurred.

Finally, don’t hesitate to ask questions! I will be there at the final walk-through to provide answers and help you if issues arise.

Veterans, VA loans now have a Re-hab option

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About a month ago, the Department of Veterans Affairs released long-awaited guidelines for 100 percent financed purchase-rehabilitation loans for military veterans, a move that real estate professionals hailed as a much-needed option during the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C., on May 16.

Carol Mitchell, an executive at Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group—one of the first lenders to offer the loan—told members of the National Association of REALTORS’ Federal Finance Committee that it’s a way for veterans to get the benefits of a no-down VA-backed loan for a home that could meet the agency’s property standards after rehabilitation. “You can get the rehab done with part of the purchase loan,” Mitchell said.

Greg Nelms, chief of loan policy for the VA Loan Guaranty Service, said the agency made its guidelines broad and flexible so lenders can add overlays that make sense for them. Atlantic Bay Mortgage, which is licensed to originate VA loans in 40 states, caps the rehab component of the loan at $31,100 and permits an additional $3,900 to cover fees, inspection costs, and construction contingencies of up to 15 percent of the loan amount.

The rehab work, which is limited to repairs and upgrades, must be completed within 90 days of receiving a loan. The money cannot be used for structural additions, although a buyer could add a room if it doesn’t involve removing a load-bearing wall. The appraisal must support the purchase price plus the improvements, a termite certificate has to be issued before the loan can be approved, and the buyer can’t act as the general contractor.

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Guild Mortgage Launches FHA Solar Program for Homebuyers

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Guild Mortgage, one of the largest independent mortgage lenders in the U.S., has announced FHA Solar, an innovative mortgage program that will allow homebuyers to include solar panels in their mortgage loan amount.

Available to residents in California, Guild’s FHA Solar program provides homebuyers with the flexibility and convenience of combining the financing for their home and solar panels into one, single transaction. With the program, solar panels can be added to any home, providing buyers interested in investing in renewable energy with more options. Another benefit of the Guild program is that homebuyers can purchase panels at lower costs than alternative programs.

Guild’s FHA Solar program adheres to Federal Housing Administration loan requirements and offers down payment options as low as 3.5 percent. The down payment is based on the purchase of the home before the panels are added into the cost of the mortgage.

“This program will give more options to homebuyers looking for solar because it gives them the flexibility to purchase panels and add them to any home they choose,” said Mary Ann McGarry, Guild’s president and CEO. “FHA Solar is ideal for individuals who are looking to buy a home that they plan to live in for several years and realize the return on their investment. It will also be attractive to customers who want to lower their monthly utility bill and have a greener footprint.”

David Battany, Guild Mortgage’s executive vice president of capital markets, said FHA Solar is a result of the company’s efforts to continue to expand its array of loan options to better serve future homebuyers, a Guild tradition.

“Research shows an increasing number of people are looking for homes with solar installed, and we expect that trend to increase over the next five to 10 years,” he said. “Few lenders currently offer programs for the purchase of solar panels with a new home. We see this as a great opportunity to serve the next generation of homebuyers.”

Other programs, such as PACE loans typically charge the borrower interest rates that range between 8 and 12 percent. Homeowners who invest in solar panels after the purchase of their property often finance the panels through a second trust deed, also at higher rates.

FHA loans are government loans widely used by first-time homebuyers, borrowers with low-to-moderate incomes or those with down payments of less than 20 percent of the purchase price.

They can be easier to qualify for than a conventional conforming loan, but also require upfront and annual mortgage insurance premiums. FHA loans are attractive because they offer low down payment options and financing up to 96.5 percent of the purchase price.

A top-10 national lender by purchase loan volume, Guild offers first-time homebuyers a wide range of loan options and personalized service. Its loan professionals can serve the needs of any homebuyer, from helping first-time homebuyers achieve homeownership, often through government loan programs, to homebuyers looking to upgrade with a jumbo loan. Guild also specializes in helping active duty and retired military personnel to secure VA loans, with 100 percent financing and flexible qualifying standards.

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What is a Buyers Agreement?

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It’s good practice for the buyer and seller to each retain their own agent to act as their exclusive representative in a real estate transaction. In the context of a real estate sale, the buyer‘s and seller each separately employ a different licensed broker under a listing agreement. The listing agreement establishes that the broker will receive a fee in exchange for providing real estate services.

The broker employs licensed individuals as their agents. Their agents then solicit sellers and buyers to employ the services of their broker, and in turn the agent.

On entering into a listing agreement, the client retains and authorizes their broker and agents to diligently and continuously perform the agreed-to real estate services on behalf of the client. The broker’s agent works directly with the client, and in doing so, acts on behalf of the broker.

Regarding the broker fee, the seller of property typically pays the real estate fees due all the brokers. The fee is disbursed from the price paid by the buyer in the sales transaction. On each broker’s receipt of their fee on a sales transaction, the brokers share the fee with their agent(s) who participated in the transaction.

When the buyer’s broker receives their fee from the seller as agreed on the sale, the buyer obligation under their employment agreement to ensure their broker is paid is satisfied. Thus, the buyer does not owe their broker a fee.

Occasionally, the buyer’s broker structures their fee to be paid by the buyer as part of their total acquisition costs and purchase price. Here, the buyer directly pays their broker a fee as agreed in their employment agreement. The seller is paid their purchase price for conveyance of the property to the buyer and owes no fee to the buyer’s broker from the purchase price received.

Agency: What Does it Mean for You.

Escrow: What to Expect at Your Signing

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As you near the end of your transaction, and when Escrow has received and prepared the required documents, you will be contacted to set an appointment for you to review, approve and sign your documents. This portion of your transaction is referred to as “the signing” and will usually occur a few days prior to your actual close date.

This instructional video will prepare you for what to bring and what you can expect at your signing.

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/wf24yDA9-LsoZqqIj.html?jwsource=cl

Closing Disclosure

The Closing Disclosure is also required to be given to you by the CFPB. While your lender is charged with providing this document, it may assign that responsibility to your escrow or title company. You’ll receive your Closing Disclosure at least three business days prior to your transaction closing.

What is Escrow?

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Buying a home is an exciting event, but the process of completing that purchase can be complex. When you make an offer on a property and sign a sales agreement with the seller, the next step is to open an escrow account. This account keeps funds and paperwork in the care of a neutral third party – like an escrow or title company – until all the requirements of the sale have been met.

To complete the purchase of your home, you’ll have a major role to play throughout the escrow process. Your escrow officer will be required to follow the closing instructions and meet the requirements outlined in the sales contract you and the seller previously signed. It’s important to direct any questions regarding the escrow process to your escrow officer, and any questions about your loan directly to your lender. Watch this video to learn more about closing your transaction. And congratulations on your new home!

What is Escrow Infographic