Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS

While it's still very hot, we've had a couple of cooler nights recently. Pretty soon we'll be adding blankets back on the bed. With a new season here, San Diego will never run out of things to do.  Scroll down for a good list of local pumpkin patches.  Personally, the Carlsbad strawberry farm is my favorite.  If you know anyone who might be interested in receiving this event calendar every month, please have them sign up at this  link.   PONDER THIS - “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” Henry David Thoreau -  We are all moving through life in our good time. Some people jump on change to make it happen! Other people contemplate their options. Are you contemplating a change?   Remember, I am always here for my clients and their friends and family.   HOPE OPENS DOORS

Can you believe this is the end of September already! I feel like summer flew by in a blur. The real estate market has held steady this summer. Not much of a decline - no crazy price increases.  With interest rates going up and some uncertainty on Wall Street - those that must are the ones moving. Everything in its own time.    But, remember, we are still in one of the best real estate markets of our lifetime - especially if you're a seller. This is still a competitive market. IF you're looking to buy you can expect a little more wriggle room when you're making offers.    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 - "“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou  Students are returning to school this year. As we gather to learn, it’s always ni...

  Information is brought to you by Hope Leitner Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties 7 Ways to Declutter Your Kitchen If you’re always short of cabinet and counter space, it’s time to declutter your kitchen. But that’s a chore that seems to get relegated to “someday.” According to Country Living Magazine, the job may be easier if you know where to start. If you want to give yourself more kitchen space, begin by getting rid of the following: Your plastic container collection.  Most of us have far too many plastic containers haphazardly stuffed somewhere in our kitchens, including those empty deli and margarine containers we’ve saved. Limit yourself to containers in two sizes, and no more than five or six of each–with lids. Your weirdly sentimental mugs.  Too much shelf space is often given up to mugs that you’ll never use–from vacation souvenirs to those with cutesy sayings. Harden your heart and get rid of most of them. It’s almost guaranteed that yo...

Rising mortgage rates are causing some would-be buyers to pause their decisions until they determine whether rates are going to come back down.   While it may be possible, the probability is that prices are going to continue to increase. On December 23, 2021, the 30-year fixed-rate, according to Freddie Mac, was 3.05% and is at 6.29% as of September 22, 2022, a 3.24% increase. On a $360,000 mortgage, the principal and interest payment went from $1,528 to $2,226.   The $698 difference represents a 46% increase in the payment. It seems understandable to pause and see if rates will come down again, especially since they went up so fast, but it probably isn't going to happen anytime soon based on the Fed's position on controlling inflation. The fact that inventories are growing slightly, and market times are increasing doesn't negate that supply cannot keep up with demand and homes are continuing to appreciate, albeit, not as much as they did in 2021. If a person ...

Owners directly control four of the five factors that affect the sale of any home: price, location, condition, terms, and the agent you select.   The one thing you can't control is the location of the home, but you can adjust the other factors to compensate for failings. The seller controls the price of the home which determines its positioning in the marketplace.   If is priced too high, it will take longer to sell and, in some cases, for less than what it should have sold for because when it doesn't sell immediately, it is assumed that there must be an issue with it.   If it is priced too low, the owner will not realize as much of their equity as they should. Not pricing the home in the proper search brackets could keep the property from being exposed to potential and likely, buyers.   For example, if a home is priced at $399,000 to follow an age-old retail marketing principle, many of the most likely buyers will never know about it because they are se...

  Whether you own a home or are looking to buy or sell one, here are the latest Good to Know articles for when you’re ready to take the next step in finding your Forever Home.  This month's newsletter covers our ever-changing real estate market.   The Real Estate Market is changing quite a lot this summer. You might have questions regarding the effects of our current economics, even if you're just curious, give me a call. I love hearing from everyone on this email list. I am here to support you whatever your real estate needs might be.     PONDER THIS - “Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink in the wild air.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.  If you haven’t done any of these things yet this summer, do them now! Also, be grateful that here in San Diego summer will really last until about Thanksgiving.    As always, I am here for you, your family, and friends.   Hope Leitner, CRS, CalDRE #01874321 Hope Opens Doors HOMEBUYERS, HOME SELLERS, MA...

The limit for tax free gifts for 2022 is $16,000 and no tax is due to the donor or the donee.   There are provisions that would allow gifts higher than this amount providing the total lifetime gifts above the annual exclusion of $12.06 million for 2022 has not be met. The donor and donee can be separate persons so that the aggregate tax-free gift for one-year amounts to more money.   For instance, a father and mother can gift $16,000 each to their married son in 2022 and an additional $16,000 each to the daughter-in-law for a total $64,000. If the son and daughter-in-law used the money as a down payment to purchase a home, depending on how recent the gift occurred, the mortgage company might require a gift letter from the parents stating the amount was a gift and is not expected to be repaid.   Lenders may ask the exact amount of the gift, where it came from and the relationship involved. Family members and friends with financial resources can become the cata...