Quick Home Search

If You’re Looking For A Great Deal In Big Bear, You Have To Act Like It!

Click here if you cannot see the embedded video. Many buyers are looking to get a great deal when buying a home in Big Bear.  Seems like a natural request.  But, very few are willing to act, or respond, like they must in order get one. I see deals come on the market every week.  They come up, and they go quickly. If you are looking to get these deal properties, you will to act quickly and appropriately. 1.  You must come up within 24-48 hours from the property hitting the market. You cannot wait until it is … [Read more...]

How Do You Complete A Big Bear Property Inspection With 5 Ft. Of Snow On The Ground?

Can't see embedded video? Click here. The quick answer is you don't.  At least not a complete inspection. If you are buying or selling a home in Big Bear during the winter months, it is best to address the issue of snow covered decks and inaccessible areas upfront, before the inspections are completed. Currently, we are seeing many termite inspections and home inspections coming back incomplete.  Because of all the snow we've received this winter, a lot of houses are still covered in snow.  If the termite co. … [Read more...]

The Jewel of the San Bernardino Mountains

Okay. You have thought it all out. You have spent a great deal of time working the numbers and speaking with your friends and family. You are ready to take the next step and purchase a cabin in the mountains. Of course you already know about Big Bear Lake, as it is one of the premier vacation destinations in California. As a matter of fact, you have probably been there numerous times since you were a child and have a ton of great memories. You are already leaning towards Big Bear as the logical place to buy, but … [Read more...]

Buying Properties At An Auction – Waste Of Time or Hidden Gems?

On the whole, I say a big old waste of time. But let's be clear on what kind of auctions we are talking about. 1.  Trustee Sale Auctions (Foreclosure Auctions) These are the auctions sold at the court house steps.  This is the third step (behind notice of default and notice of sale) of the foreclosure process in CA, where bidders can show up and purchase the lien position (specific rights) to the property.  From my experience, there is a lot of opportunity at these type of auctions.  But, with opportunity comes … [Read more...]

A Buyer’s Dilemma – Waiting For Prices To Drop vs. Interest Rate Hikes

I saw this graph recently and thought I would share it. Nothing new here, people have been talking about this concept for years - waiting for prices to drop more vs. the risk of higher interest rates.  Well, here it is again, based on a $100,000 loan. There are two keys questions buyers need to consider right now - 1.  How much more are prices going to drop in the market they are looking to buy in? Few experts believe that prices are going to go down another 20%.  It could happen, especially in the upper end … [Read more...]

Previewing Homes Online Is Less Than Effective

Finding homes online is not the most effective use of time for a buyer. Yes it's interesting, yes it's entertaining, but it is a less than effective way to really shop for a home. By far the most valuable time you can spend looking at homes is to actually have all of the information and physically visiting each home and neighborhood. Doing this with an experienced Realtor will even be better. Most buyers will understand this very well once they are able to look with an agent that really knows the inventory and … [Read more...]

Paying Cash In Big Bear? Save 1%!

Yeap, that's it. The impression with most buyers is that because they are paying cash, they should get a big discount off of the asking price. That is just not the case. (Click here to see embedded video) Cash buyers in Big Bear are only saving 1% for paying cash as compared to those buyers that are getting a loan or any other type of financing. I am no accountant, but it seems to me all the tax benefits of having a loan against the property add up to more than a 1% savings. Year to date, there have been … [Read more...]

Buying Or Selling A Home In Big Bear? 3 Critical Contingencies To Keep In Mind.

The California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) residential purchase contract (RPA) has three standard contingencies built into the contract - Loan Contingency, Appraisal and Buyer's Inspections.  Most of the problems that come up in a real estate transaction fall under these 3 contingencies. If the contract is left unchanged, the period of these three contingencies is 17 days after the deal is struck. As stated in the contract, the removal of these contingencies must be in writing with the C.A.R. form CR … [Read more...]

Big Bear Bank Owned Fixers – Some Pointers

With prices for real estate in Big Bear at an all time low, many folks are seriously considering buying a bank owned fixer. On the surface, it seems like a really great idea, and if done correctly, it can be. However, like most things, it is a little more complex than it appears to be. There are many issues that can come up and derail or at least cost more than one would expect. The purpose of this blog post is just to bring up a few things one should think about before you take the plunge. 1. Don’t be greedy. … [Read more...]

Actions Speak Louder Than Words In Real Estate

Click here to see the embedded video. I see a lot of sellers in Big Bear saying they are motivated to sell, yet they continue to ignore the market reality and overprice their home. "Seller motivated, bring all offers" is pretty commonplace in the agent comments of the Big Bear MLS or other real estate websites. But if you are truly motivated as a seller, you don't really have to say it. Your actions of pricing the property correctly, and doing all you can do to help the sale (curb appeal, staging, making it easy … [Read more...]