Why Should I Pay an Agent 6% If I Find the House Myself?

I see this question all over Threads, and honestly, it's a fair one to ask. But it's built on two misunderstandings about how real estate commissions work, and what an agent is actually for. Misunderstanding #1: The 6% isn't going to one person The number you've always heard — 5%, 6%, 7%, whatever —

Art, Waves, and Coastal Gems: A Walking Tour of Oceanside’s Murals & Architecture

If you are thinking about moving to an area, driving through it can tell you if a place feels like you, but walking through it is how you truly get to know it. After stumbling across a Google Map detailing Oceanside’s many murals, I decided to create an Oceanside Mural Walk for my Facebook group. It

Don't Let a TV Mount Ruin Your Real Estate Closing

It’s the day before closing. The buyers walk into their final walkthrough, expecting to see the home exactly as they fell in love with it. Instead, they find gaping holes in the living room drywall where the TV mounts used to be, and the custom floating shelves in the nursery are gone. The seller th

Why Looking at the Seller’s Property Taxes is a Huge Mistake (and How California’s Prop 13 Actually Works)

If you are scrolling through Zillow, Redfin, or Threads looking at homes in San Diego, there is one piece of data on the listing page you need to completely ignore: what the current seller pays in property taxes. I see home buyers make this mistake all the time. They look at a listing, see a beautif