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...