Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS

brought to you by Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties How to Keep Pests Out of the Kitchen No matter how much of a critter lover you may be, pests in your kitchen is never fun. But many consumers are also disinclined to spread poison all over their culinary arena. Below are a handful of natural, poison-free ways to keep those creepy crawlies outside where they belong. Vinegar and oil . No, you’re not making a salad dressing. By mixing water, vinegar and essential oil in a small spray bottle, you can spray your counter tops, window sills and nooks and crannies to help ban bugs. Use a mix of half white vinegar, half water and 10 drops of lavender oil. Lemon juice.  Like the vinegar mix, lemon juice can act as a natural deterrence. Cut it with water and sprinkle it around your counters, the backs of your shelves and anywhere you see bugs infiltrating. Diatomaceous earth.  This soft rock powder sounds like a mouthful, but really works to help keep cr...

The light is returning, the days are slowing getting longer. It's a time of new beginnings.  San Diego is celebrating the New Year with a bang! We have ice skating, runs, brews, a Tango Festival, a Salsa Festival and the Oddities and Curiosities Expo! I know where I'll be! Have a great start to 2023 everyone!    If you know anyone who might be interested in receiving this event calendar every month, please have them sign up at this  link.   January - Ponder this -  “We are born in ignorance, we die in ignorance, but maybe sometimes we learn something important and pass it along to others before we die. Or we write it down in a little book.” -  Greg Bear  - Reading is what helps us overcome our ignorance, our fears, our self-made walls. January is a great time to start reading a new book.    Remember, I am always here for my clients and their friends and family.   Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS   HOPE OPENS DOORS

If  you’re thinking about   buying   or   selling   a home, you probably want to know what’s   really   happening with home prices, mortgage rates, housing supply, and more. That’s not an easy task considering how sensationalized headlines are today. Jay Thompson, Real Estate Industry Consultant,   explains : Bottom Line “Housing market headlines are everywhere. Many are quite sensational, ending with exclamation points or predicting impending doom for the industry.  Clickbait, the sensationalizing of headlines and content, has been an issue since the dawn of the internet, and housing news is not immune to it. ” Unfortunately, when information in the media isn’t clear, it can generate a lot of fear and uncertainty in the market. As Jason Lewris, Cofounder and Chief Data Officer at  Parcl ,  says : “ In the absence of trustworthy, up-to-date information, real estate decisions are increasingly being driven by fear, uncertainty, and do...

Inflation devalues the purchasing power of money and the interest earned on savings is almost always less than inflation.   Tangible assets like your home consistently become more valuable over time.   In inflationary periods, a home is a good investment and a hedge against inflation. Borrowing money at fixed rates during times of inflation can be very advantageous...like buying a home.   The rate stays the same over the term of the mortgage and so does the payment instead of going up at the rate of inflation. In September 2022, rents rose by 7.2% according to NAR Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun and "rents are accelerating to higher figures with each passing month."   The annualized rate for this year is 10.6%.   Buying a home allows you to avoid rent increases while enjoying property appreciation. The housing shortage that is fueling the price appreciation, as well as increases in rent, is something that has existed for over ten years, yet...

Credit scores are used to assess risk and determine whether a borrower is approved or declined for a mortgage, credit card or some other type of credit.   The score is a numerical value ranging from a low of zero to a high of 850 or 900 depending on the credit bureau. The higher the score, the more likely the lender will be repaid in a timely manner. A higher credit score could help you get a lower interest rate You can get a free credit report from all three major bureaus at www.AnnualCreditReport.com . Your credit score doesn't have to be perfect to get a loan ... most lenders want buyers to have a minimum of 620 but FHA will consider as low as 500 Credit utilization, the percentage of credit used compared to what is available, should be kept below 30%; amounts higher could negatively affect your credit score. There is a difference between a soft and a hard credit pull.   The former doesn't hurt your score, but the latter can lower it a few points.   Try t...

Should you try to time the market? Think twice! Plus, don't trust those credit agencies. Take control of your credit score. This newsletter is here to help us learn. I hope you find it helpful and informative.    I love hearing from everyone on this email list. I am here to support you whatever your real estate needs might be.     December - Ponder this - “ Winter is a season of recovery and preparation. ”- Paul Theroux  - Paul Theroux is best known as a slow travel writer, inspiring us to move through the world via train rather than by plane, or to stay for a while, rather than running to the next destination. We go on adventures to live. Sometimes it’s amazing and sometimes it spirals into a mess. Yet we go on. -- Winter is when we can recover and prepare for the next test of our spirit. Make some tea and recover before planning for the new year. Please, sit and rest a while.    As always, I am here for you, your family, and friends.   Hope...

Waiting for the mortgage rates to come down before you buy a home may not be a good decision. If you are correct, and the rates do come down by two percent, the savings you benefit from a lower rate will most likely be devoured by the appreciated price increase. As of 12/8/22, the 30-year fixed-rate was at 6.33% which is close to the highest level since mid-2008.   If the rate drops to 4.7% in three years but the price increases by 5% a year, a $400,000 home today, will cost $463,050 three years from now. An increasingly, popular option that more buyers are considering is to purchase the home today with an adjustable-rate mortgage that could give them a 5.00% rate for five years.   Then, refinance to a fixed rate when rates come down. Not only will the buyer have lower payments with the ARM, but the buyer will also own the home, and benefit from the appreciated prices which will build equity in the home and increase their net worth. Mortgage rates have increase...

Opportunities exist for a subset of homeowners, possibly in their 60's to 70's, who want to downsize to smaller homes for convenience, less maintenance, change of lifestyle, or to save money.   These homeowners are more likely to have large equities and will not feel the same constraints that are keeping younger owners in their homes due to the substantial increase in mortgage rates in the past year. In some cases, there may be enough equity in their relinquished home to pay cash for the replacement.   In other situations, the loan-to-value may be so low that even with higher mortgage rates, it won't be as expensive as purchasing with a minimum down payment. Some downsizers may be moving from a high-cost area to a lower-cost area where they can get more home for the dollar and may even be able to free up cash for investment or special projects. It is more likely that older homeowners are living in a property above the median price.   If a seller has a $750,00...

Winter has come! Well, San Diego does do winter. The Ice Rinks are here - At the Hotel del Coronado and at Liberty Station - Ice Skate under our winter sun and with a view of the sea.  I'm looking forward to at least one nice holiday parade and a windshield tour of Christmas Lights, cocoa and a fire in the fireplace. May you enjoy some time to rest and take in the spirit of the season with me.    If you know anyone who might be interested in receiving this event calendar every month, please have them sign up at this  link.   December - Ponder this - “ Winter is a season of recovery and preparation. ”- Paul Theroux  - Paul Theroux is best known as a slow travel writer - inspiring us to move through the world via train rather than by plane. We go on adventures to live. - Sometimes it’s amazing and sometimes it spirals into a mess. But, we go on… winter is when we can recover and prepare for the next test of our spirit. Make some tea and recover before plannin...

Sellers offer concessions as an incentive to encourage buyers to purchase their home.  The concessions, paid for by the seller, benefit the buyer in ways that may be more appealing than possibly, being able to purchase the home for a lower price. In some situations, buyers have good income, credit, and even the down payment to purchase a home but not necessarily enough cash reserves to pay their closing costs.  Another possibility is that there could be a feature in the home that the buyer wants replaced but can't afford to do it themselves.  If the seller agrees to make that improvement, it could cause the buyer to act favorably. Concessions could include paying the buyer's closing costs, buying down the interest rate, or any possible combination of physical improvements or upgrades to the property. Sellers, occasionally, question why they should provide concessions to a buyer.  It should be obvious; it improves the marketability of the home.  With ...

Kitchen Trends That Are Going Out of Fashion Most of us spend a lot of time in the kitchen, preparing meals and cleaning up. In many cases, we spend so much time in our familiar kitchen space that we don’t pay much attention to what it looks like. But the trends, they are a-changin’. Today’s kitchens are sleek and practical. Design experts list seven kitchen looks that are quickly going out of style: Short backsplashes . Backsplashes that reach up to six to eight inches above the countertop are sorely outdated. If you’re up for a remodel, take the backsplash all the way up to the upper cabinets to make your kitchen feel bigger and cleaner.   Distressed wood cabinets.  Once the darling of country-style kitchens, the clunky distressed wood of yesteryear is giving way to natural wood or white finishes. Over the stove microwaves.  When microwaves came into fashion, homeowners put them over the stove to save counter space. But today’s families want necessities accessible for t...

The real estate market has held steady in San Diego despite all the doom and gloom reporting around rising interest rates. In fact, the average value of homes in San Diego is on the rise again! This might be a result of the shortage of homes for sale. This shortage is considered seasonal. But, if you're looking to sell, now is the time to do it! I'm including October's and September's reports at the bottom here, so you can see the changes. If you know anyone who might be interested in receiving this market update every month, please have them sign up at this link. Ponder This- "Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance," Eckhart Tolle - Before we can yearn for more - we need to be happy with everything we already have. I’m very grateful for my family, friends, and clients. Thank you! I am always here for my clients and their friends and family. Your trusted real estate agent, Hope Leitner Hope Open...

There are a lot of professionals involved in the homebuying process.   And when these people can function as a team, the buyer is much more likely to end up where they want to be...in their new home. The lender is an integral part of the team unless you are going to be paying cash.   Trust is very important when selecting this person because they are going to qualify you for the mortgage you need.   The interest rate and fees should be fair based on your credit, income, and the market.   You'll want someone who can close at the rate and terms that were quoted.   In a rising market, you may want to consider locking in the rate so that it doesn't go up before you close. The appraiser is hired indirectly by the lender to determine the value of the home as part of the loan approval process.   During the financial crisis of 2008, a process was created by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and the Consumer Protection Act to limit direct contact ...

Think that it's not possible to buy a house with rising interest rates? Think twice! Plus, Inheritance is one way people enter the Real Estate market. But inheritance can be tricky when siblings are involved.  This newsletter has some insight into both of these topics. I love hearing from everyone on this email list. I am here to support you whatever your real estate needs might be.     Ponder This-  "Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance," Eckhart Tolle  - Before we can yearn for more - we need to be happy with everything we already have. I’m very grateful for my family, friends, and clients. Thank you!    As always, I am here for you, your family, and friends.   Hope Leitner, CRS, CalDRE #01874321 Hope Opens Doors HOMEOWNERS, HOME BUYERS, DIY, TRENDS   Get Ready to Buy a Home in 2023   Inflation, home prices and interest rates were higher in 2022 than they’ve been in years, b...