Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS

Ask yourself these three questions to ensure you are ready. For those homeowners who may be interested in refinancing, you may or may not be ready to jump in. Lenders have developed stricter criteria in the wake of the recession. Here are some of the questions you'll need to ask to be an attractive candidate for a refinancing opportunity. 1. Are you a 20 percent stakeholder? The lenders would ideally like to see that you've got skin in the game — meaning, they want you to own at least 20 percent of the equity in the house.  How do you know whether or not you have that level of equity? Find out the answer  here . 

With all the wildfires in San Diego nearing 100% containment, residents of San Diego County are returning to their homes to assess the damage and begin the recovery process.  The County of San Diego offers its residents many resources to aid in the recovery and rebuilding of their property.  Information regarding this can be accessed through their website   sdcountyrecovery.com .  According to the website, the County has opened a Recovery Liaison Office at the County Library’s San Marcos branch, located at 2 Civic Center Drive. The office will be open from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. this week, but please call the library at (760) 891-3000 to confirm that the office is still set up before visiting.     The office can offer people whose homes were lost and damaged in the Cocos Fire help to obtain building permits, clear ash from swimming pools, safely handle food after a power outage and other recovery and rebuilding information. According to a recent AB...