Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS

  Should You Still Expect a Bidding War? If you’re still worried about having to deal with a bidding war when you buy a home, you may be able to let some of that fear go. While multiple-offer situations haven’t disappeared entirely, they’re not nearly as common as they used to be. In fact, a recent survey shows agents reported only 1 in 5 homes (20%) nationally received multiple offers in June 2025 . That’s down from nearly 1 in 3 (31%) just a year ago – and dramatically lower than in June 2023 (39%) ( see graph below ): This trend means you should face less competition when you buy. That gives you more time to make decisions and the ability to negotiate price or terms. It Still Depends on Where You’re Buying Of course, national trends don’t tell the full story. Local dynamics matter, a lot. This second graph uses survey data from John Burns Research & Consulting (JBREC) and Keeping Current Matters (KCM) to break things down by region to prove just how true that is. It sh...

  Buying a home is exciting… until you start thinking about the down payment. That’s when the worry can set in. “I’ll never save enough.” “I need a small fortune just to get started.” “I guess I’ll just rent forever.” Sound familiar? You’re not alone. And you’re definitely not out of luck. Here’s the thing: a lot of what you’ve heard about down payments just isn’t true. And once you know the facts, you might realize you’re a lot closer to owning a home than you think. Let’s break it all down and bust some big down payment myths while we’re at it. Myth 1: “I need to come up with a big down payment.” This one stops a lot of people in their tracks. A recent poll from Morning Consult and NeighborWorks shows 70% of Americans think they need to put at least 10% down to buy a home . And 11% aren’t sure what’s required at all ( see graph below ):  The truth? According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the typical down payment for first-time buyers has been between 6...

When selling your house, the price you choose isn’t just a number, it's a strategy . And in today’s market, that strategy needs to be sharp. The number of homes for sale is climbing. And that means buyers have more choices and can be more selective. If your price doesn’t line up with what else is out there, they’ll scroll right past it and go on to the next one. Pricing right from the start is your best move – and a great agent can help make sure you do. Overpricing Comes at a Cost And more sellers are finding that out the hard way. They list their house based on how things were a year ago – or based on a neighbor’s sale that happened under completely different circumstances. Then, when their house doesn’t sell, they’re left with three tough choices: Drop the price : Cutting the price might help get more eyes on the house again, but it can also trigger red flags. Buyers may wonder what’s wrong with it. And that’s going to impact any offers you get after the price cut. Take it off ...

  The best things to do this weekend in San Diego: Aug. 1-3 Our list of top things to do this weekend includes concerts, a festival and more Visitors enjoy food and drinks on the rooftop of the San Diego Natural History Museum during Nat at Night. (San Diego Natural History Museum) By  Abby Hamblin  |  abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com  | The San Diego Union-Tribune,  Carlos Rico  |  carlos.rico@sduniontribune.com  | The San Diego Union-Tribune and  Pam Kragen  |  Pam.Kragen@sduniontribune.com  | The San Diego Union-Tribune UPDATED:  July 31, 2025 at 2:08 PM PDT Here are some of the best things to do this weekend in San Diego from Friday, Aug. 1 to Sunday, Aug. 3. Friday Cocktails and music:  North Italia is introducing a new mixology program that is influenced by music. The summer sips campaign features cocktails that are influenced by popular songs and named after current and classic hits. There will be five of t...