Blog

Shopping for a newly constructed home can be an exciting experience, but it can also be overwhelming if you don't know what to look for. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when shopping for a newly constructed home: Research the builder: Before buying a newly constructed home, it's important to research the builder. Look for reviews from previous customers, check their reputation with the Better Business Bureau, and see if they have any legal issues or complaints against them. Inspect the home: Even though the home is new, it's still important to inspect it thoroughly. Look for any defects or issues with the home's construction, such as cracks in the walls or ceilings, uneven floors, or plumbing problems. Consider energy efficiency: New homes can be more energy-efficient than older homes, which can save you money on your monthly utility bills. Look for homes with energy-efficient features, such as high-quality insulation, double-paned windows, and Energy Star-rated appliances. Understand the warranty: Most newly constructed homes come with a warranty, but it's important to understand what is covered and for how long. Make sure you read the warranty thoroughly. Understand special assessments: You should know before buying a home, especially a newly constructed home, that Mello-Roos and property taxes can differ from one community to another even within the same city. Consulting with an experienced Realtor like myself during the home buying process is important to understand the costs. As your Realtor, I can help you navigate all these areas of concern, field your questions with builders, and negotiate to get you the most for your money. Ready to tour some model homes? Let's plan a day! Contact me any time.  —Melissa

Housing Affordability: Weighing the Cost of Your Zip Code "Location, location, location" is the cornerstone of real estate. Where you choose to live determines so much—including how much you're going to pay for a home. The median home price in California reached $838,260 in June. With a 20% down payment, that would bring your payment to $4,332, according to the OC Register. If that number comes with sticker shock, you're not alone. This is an all-time high! But let's go back to that crucial piece of the real estate pie—location. The median home price is just a statistic. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of much more affordable options in Southern California. Take the Inland Empire, for example, where your money can go a lot further.  The median home price in San Bernardino County was $448,000 in May and $620,000 in Riverside County. There are a plethora of new and growing communities for families and retirees with exciting amenities such as pools, walking trails. playgrounds, and much more.  Curious what the IE has to offer you? Contact me any time to weigh your home search options!  —Melissa

Struggling with Giving Up Your Low Interest Rate? Consider This Move up buyers have historically been a large part of home buyers. Who are move up buyers? They are homeowners transitioning from their starter home to their forever home, maybe a smaller condo to a large property with the backyard and extra bedrooms. These move up buyers transition into a home that is better suited to their current needs. For some would-be move up buyers, they are struggling with the mental block of giving up their lower mortgage rate. Why sell and lose your 3.75% mortgage interest rate to buy a home at a 6% mortgage interest rate? Here is the secret of buyers that successfully sold their first home and purchased a move-up property have learned:you live in your home, not your interest rate. Your home is an investment. Do you want your money invested in a smaller property that has a smaller margin of growth? Or do you want your money reinvested into a larger property that has more potential for property appreciation? Especially for homeowners living in condos and HOAs, you might be increasing your mortgage percentage rate, but if your replacement property is now a single family residence, you won't have association monthly fees to pay! Finances first: if you are going to sell your home, when I meet with you I will show you a possibility of sale prices and can provide a Seller Net Sheet to show you how much your Seller Proceeds would be. Those seller proceeds can be the downpayment on your move-up property. So ask yourself: on a scale of 1-10, how motivated are you to sell your house and move? What is holding you back? What is motivating you? Let's talk about the process of listing your home and I can share how I can make your life easier.  —Melissa

The True Cost of Buying a Home One of the most common questions people have when preparing a home is how much cash do you need? A down payment is obvious but what about the other costs that may surprise you? Here are some of the expenses I inform my clients about before they start the buying process to ensure they're ready. Did any of these surprise you? The great news is some sellers are offering concessions to buyers, such as covering part of the closing costs or including assets with the property that can save you money. Everything is negotiable! Understanding the true cost of purchasing and maintaining a home is critical to setting up my clients for success in their journey to homeownership. These steps can keep you from joining the 27.4% of American homeowners are considered "house poor": Budget wisely before buying a home. Consider all the associated costs of owning a home, such as property taxes, maintenance, and repairs. Save up for a down payment to reduce monthly mortgage payments. Look for homes that are within your budget and avoid overspending. Get pre-approved for a mortgage to know exactly how much you can afford. Explore different mortgage options to find the best fit for your financial situation. Have questions about navigating the current real estate market?  Contact me any time. —Melissa

Women Continue Making Strides, Outpacing Men in Real Estate Until the mid-1970s, a woman could not access a line of credit independently without a man to cosign her application. Today, nearly half a century later, more single woman own homes than single men. What progress has been made! These strides in women's history deserve recognition and celebration—especially during Women's History Month. One demographic, in particular, is leading the forefront in real estate transactions: millennial women. They're making up 48 percent of independent homebuyers, according to a new study. With inflation, the wage gap, climbing mortgage interest rates, and student loan debt among other obstacles for this generation, you may be wondering how? How are single millennial women buying homes? I've had the opportunity to work with some amazing single women in all stages of life: from purchasing a home on their own to selling a property, investing in a rental, or exploring their homeownership opportunities in retirement. Here are 4 reasons single ladies and millennial women are leading the pack in real estate: Education: Millennials are dubbed the most educated generation. How does this impact real estate? "Millennials’ pursuit of higher education is good news for the housing market. . . because education is the key to unlock both greater earning power and, in turn, homeownership.” (Keeping Current Matters). And while the wage gap still exists in some fields, more women than men have college degrees, affording them more buying power. Prioritization: From my experience working with single women, one thing they have in common is their willingness to sacrifice and prioritize homeownership. Whether it's willing to commute further to work or being more diligent with saving for a down payment. Women are taking advantage of real estate's potential to increase their overall wealth. Career Advances: The trend of single women owning more homes than single men started around 2018. Since then, single women have only continued to hit career milestones, generating more income and increasing their ability to afford a home. For many women who have already purchased a home, promotions and income bumps are empowering them to buy a new home or invest in a rental property. The Shrinking Wage Gap:  How big of a role is the wage gap playing in women's wealth? Research shows it's actually shrinking among among Gen Zers and late millennials. "According to a Pew Research Center study, women under 30 made at least as much as their male counterparts in 22 U.S. cities — and outearned them in at least 10." (Moneywise) Now that's some great news! Whether purchasing their first home or selling an existing property, my female clients continue to wow me with their perseverance, focus, and confidence. If you have questions on selling your home or becoming a first-time homeowner—I’m here to help! Contact me any time. –Melissa

Maximize your profit with zero investment Buying a home can be stressful. Selling a home can be even more stressful: choosing an agent, getting it ready for sale, showing your property, dealing with repairs, and more. Everyone wants top dollar when selling—whether it is to secure the down payment for your next home, pay off other debts, or boost your investment. Making the right home updates can make a big difference on the final selling price. Instead of asking you to fix up your home and then call me when it is swipeworthy on Zillow, I give my clients something special. As your realtor, I ask forzeroinvestment on your end to get your house ready to sell. That’s right—I start by asking you for a little elbow grease to pack your unused belongings—and I handle the rest. My client Angelica B. in her newly renovated home in Claremont, Calif. I worked closely with her and her partner David to rent out and sell their homes while purchasing a new home in their dream neighborhood. Could your home benefit from a feature wall? How about a new light fixture? Do those carpets need cleaning? I start by bringing in a professional cleaner to give my interior design partner a clean palette to work with when preparing your home for buyers to walk through. In less than a week, my team and I outline and execute a plan to get your home set up for selling success. With a design eye on your home the entire time, our end result is to maximize the value of the home by providing a visual aesthetic for the potential buyers to feel at home. “Melissa goes to bat for you. She builds relationships; it’s not just a transaction for her,” says my client Angelica B. “I know a lot of people who are realtors. Do I want them to sell my house? No. Melissa sets herself apart with the library of services she can provide.” Angelica is right. There are a lot of realtors out there. With me, you get more for your money! This is how I invest in my business. You, the seller, get to enjoy the rewards. Kick stress to the curb by calling me today!

Meet Rosie Laguna, interior designer and Premier Agent Perez’s new business partner When it comes to selling a house or turning a house into a home, the transformation is more than splashing a one-size-fits-all paint on the walls or swapping out a worn-out sofa. The real transformation occurs when the home dwellers’ energy and style is brought to life. That is just what Interior Designer Rosie Laguna with Laguna’s Interior Design delivers for her clients. “I don’t just buy furnishings; I transform a space,” says Rosie. “If that means knocking down walls, flipping the kitchen to a different side of the room, or even moving the front door, that’s what I do. I never do the same design twice. You get 100 percent design authenticity every time.” Rosie’s passion for interior design started at the young age of 11 when her mother pooled a year’s worth of the savings to redecorate their family’s Coachella Valley home. Nearby Palm Springs wasn’t yet the epicenter for vintage and trendsetting home décor that it is today. The Inland Empire was the place to find more high-end furniture stores in the ‘70s—so that’s where Rosie had her father drive her to find furniture, lighting, wall paper, and other design details. At 16, she started working in the shoe department at GEMCO where her displays caught the attention of customers and managers. The teenager was given a budget and free range to completely transform the shoe space. After realizing high-end furniture and clothing were outside her shoe store budget, Rosie pursued her second love after high school: accounting. Balancing books and balancing rooms and shelves are all a form of problem solving. Soon after establishing her accounting career, she found a new love. Enter Miguel: a skilled wood artisan and carpenter who helped Rosie transform an antique chest into the deep-blue coffee table she envisioned. “Miguel’s carpentry skills opened up a whole new world for me on the design front. Now armed with ideas and a man to make them come to life, I let my creative side take over,” she said. “Combining my designs and Miguel’s carpentry skills, we grew our business into what it is today—30 years later.” Today, Rosie and I have teamed up to offer my home buyers and home sellers the ability to think outside the box (or rooms in their home) and see what their space could be. Whether you need help staging a home to maximize profit on your sale or you need someone to help see the bigger design picture in a walk-through, Rosie and I have you covered. We are offering our clients a free consultation, no strings-attached, no hidden invoice. One of the best parts about working with Rosie is that she starts with you, then looks at the space. She chooses materials and designs that are true to you so that you don’t end up in a house decorated for someone else. You are the one living there. It should bring you joy to come home and dwell there. “I listen to my clients; I observe, and then almost through osmosis, I take on the client’s energy and style. It’s equivalent to submerging myself in their style, then exposing them to a new level or more refined version of what they like.” Interior design and real estate questions? Connect with us today. For more information about Laguna’s Interior Design, visit facebook.com/LagunasDesign.

Downsizing got you feeling down? A complete transformation maximized this home’s space, transcending time with luxury style Moving to your dream neighborhood can come with sacrifice. Decreasing your living space can feel like a big set back, especially if the home’s style doesn’t jive with yours. But what if that “sacrifice” was more of an opportunity? My client’s decided to downsize from a 4,000 square-foot tract home to a 2,000 square-foot, 50+ year old house. Change in space and age was intimidating, but they saw the incredible potential. While the family was accustomed to a sprawling home with new fixtures, they saw an opportunity. With the help of my business partner,Interior Designer Rosie Laguna, they transformed their So. Cal decades old home into a custom, luxury dwelling that captured their lifestyle and aesthetic. The first step to my clients getting into their dream home was helping them get top dollar for their Beaumont property. Selling their Beaumont home enabled them to search and select their dream property in a location better suited for their lifestyle. After finding a home in their dream location—on top of a hill enveloped by trees—I connected them with Rosie to start their renovation. It was clear the home was outdated. Rosie, a master of household transformations, charted a path to melding their Scandinavian and farmhouse styles. “I already knew that a kitchen remodel alone was not going to give them what they needed. I had to go bigger,” Rosie said. “You can only paint over a surface so many times—I needed a blank canvas.” Reconfiguring walls and sheetrock helped tackle two main challenges: maximizing storage to make the home more functional and creating a new-house feel. From repositioning and installing new windows and increasing closet space, to installing new insulation—every step of the renovation aimed to create a more open, airy, and efficient space. Beyond practical transformations was Rosie’s overarching goal of bringing the homeowners’ Swedish and southern roots to the surface of their home. “Part of what makes a house a home is when you inject items that take you back to happy places in your childhood or college days,” Rosie said. “I wanted them to feel comfortable—nostalgic almost—when they moved around the house.”   Transitioning the look and feel from inside the home to outside was another must to make the most of every inch of living space. Rosie carried the same interior paint underneath the eaves on the outside of the home, along with a darker color for the majority of the exterior—highlighting all of the beautiful vegetation. A little pop of color to the windows added a fun, fresh touch. “Creating a custom, updated, and more modern feel to this home involved blending depths like matted black and polished chrome—purposefully adding inconsistent, yet beautiful elements,” said Rosie.   Cutting your living space in half doesn’t have to mean cutting half your enjoyment of your home. A remodel can double the enjoyment you find in your home.While a shiny, newly built home may give you butterflies, keep in mind that homeowners don’t necessarily always need more space. With the right house in the right location—and the right interior designer—you can have a custom home designed with your family’s needs and styles in mind. Now doesn’t that sound dreamy? Call me today to start your house hunt!

It’s Women History Month—a time dedicated to the commemoration and education of what women have achieved throughout history. While it’s important to reflect on key milestones, such as women being able to legally vote or own real estate, there are big things happening today for women, too! According to Redfin, “Despite the fact that the coronavirus-driven recession disproportionately impacted women in 2020, single women purchased 9% more homes in the fourth quarter than a year ago, compared with a 4.5% uptick for single men.” That’s right—even though the recession hit women hardest (especially women of color) and forced them out of the workforce at a greater rate than men, we’re seeing more single women buying homes than single men. Achieving Homeownership With record-low mortgage rates, single women are seizing the opportunity to become homeowners. Redfin reports that most women who were able to afford a home pre-pandemic are likely still able to afford a mortgage. I’ve helped single women sell their homes and achieve their dreams of being an independent homeowner. The first step to achieving this goal: believing that it is possible. “I was intimidated by the fact that housing prices in California sounded like so much money. It didn’t seem possible,” said Upland homeowner and past client Emily Laskey. “The best thing I did for myself was find out what I qualify for, what a payment would look like, and how that would affect my budget. I wish I had actually bought a house sooner and put the misconceptions aside in my mind.”

Becoming a homeowner right now is much different than it was a year or two ago. With a huge inventory gap—there are 46.7% less homes on the market than this time last year—and record-low mortgage rates, potential buyers are finding themselves in a unique and challenging situation. More people want to buy homes than there are people selling homes. It feels like a race to the finish line, and the perception is that the buyer with the most cash wins. As a seasoned Realtor, I’ve never seen anything like this. A home is listed for sale and within days, it is gone. Take one of my most recent listings in Riverside: we listed the home on Thursday, had more than 100 showings over the weekend, and 58 offers by Monday! Adding fuel to the fire, buyers are paying tens of thousands of dollars over list price and waiving inspection or appraisal contingencies. Another one of my listings just closed for $100,000 over list price. Are you thinking: that is insane!? While this is good news for sellers who are cashing in on their home equity, buyers are quickly becoming fatigued and disheartened. Here is a glimmer of hope: although current circumstances feel defeating, it is not impossible to buy a house right now and lock in a low mortgage rate. The key is that you need to prepare to run a marathon and not a sprint. So how can you outpace your competitor and get your offer accepted? Here are some ways to set yourself up for success in today’s seller’s market. Work with a good lender When sorting through a stack of offers, real estate agents prioritize offers by various factors, one being lender type. The seller’s agent is looking for lenders that can pivot quickly or offer an incentive that makes the buyer stand out, such as closing within a short period. Understandably, these are nuances that most buyers aren’t aware of. That’s why it’s so important to work with a trusted agent who can help you find the best lender. Have some money in the bank Let’s say you find THE house. The dream house. The creme de la creme. You’re determined not to let it slip away. Your best chances at coming in at the top is having some cash to waive the appraisal contingency. How does this work? Say a house is worth $400,000 but you bid $420,000. Comparable homes sold for $399,000 recently, so it’s unlikely the home will be appraised for your bid amount. By waiving the appraisal contingency, you’re telling the seller that you will pay the difference between what the home is appraised for and what you’re offering. Be flexible I work with clients with all types of budgets. I tell my clients that if they don’t have a lot of money to worth with, they still have something in their back pocket that makes them competitive: flexibility. Be open to working with what the seller needs. Everyone is having a hard time finding a house, including sellers. If you offer for them to stay in the house for a month or two cost-free, for example, that can give you a huge leg-up on the competition. Putting in the work If you go into the home buying process mentally prepared to run the marathon, then my team and I have you covered. I will help you set realistic expectations within your budget, we’re going to see a lot of houses, and we’re going to put in a lot of offers. Shopping for home’s in today’s market is a marathon, but I promise it’ll be worth it! Ready to get started? Contact me today! –Melissa