should i sell my low priced california house or wait till it catches up with the cali fmv and goes up in price
596084
I would check the value on www.zillow.com.  This site will tell you roughly how much your house is worth at a minimum.  Don't let other people tell you how much you home is worth.  California Real Estate is the most expensive in the country, and commercial real estate is more expensive than residential. So I would suggest getting a Realtor that only does commercial.  the other suggestion would be to develop the property yourself so that it is purely a commercial property without any residential qualities.  Further, I would not sell if I didn't have a plan to move somewhere else.  If it is money that you need, you can get a home equity line of credit.  That way you get the money you need and keep your house.  It is a means to lock in the value of the property.
1165632
Contact a mortgage broker in your area first.  They'll set you up with a loan and preapproval.  Then you'll know what you can afford and then hook up with a realtor.  Don't go to the realtor first.  That's putting the cart before the horse.  If you're in California, I'd be glad to help you.  E-mail me at tom4loans@sbcglobal.net
40130
I have been mulling over the same question. I have decided that the bubble is more hyped up then it should be and that if anything prices will drop a bit or rmain the same over the next year or two. I'm just going to bite the bullet and buy a half million dollar property, i'm probably going to buy in Glendale in the next two months.\n\nGood Luck finding the right house!
111108
No but it would be better to sell now. It usually goes down during the end of January. Buy it back up in November.
594827
It won't mean much for me, except maybe lower property taxes.  As long as you're not planning on selling, it's kind of like a drop in the stock market.  The price doesn't matter until you sell.\n\nTami T - I would be concerned about a 15% drop, unless you had a big down payment.  You could end up upside-down on your mortgage and if you HAD to sell (lay-off, relocation), you would end up still owing the bank for a house you don't own anymore.  And I'm sure they'll want that at closing.
269114
If you can afford a single-family home, then go for it.\nMost of the time, a single-family house would appreciate at a higher rate than a duplex or condos.  Also, depends on location, condos and duplex might take longer at time of resale. \nUnless you plan to move within a year or so, and plan to keep the duplex as investment property (rent to renters),\na single family house is a better bet.
976939
YOU MAY WANT TO READ THIS ANSWER -- THE OTHERS ARE WRONG !!!\n\nYes, your understanding is correct that when you convert a rental property into a principal residence there may be capital gains consequences.\nIf you have never lived in this property but are contemplating doing so, what you need to do in order to determine whether there is a gain is to obtain a current "fair market value" of the property. In your case, you will want as low a value as possible, so get it appraised or ask a real estate agent to give you a potential selling price given the area, market values, and condition of house (so get this done BEFORE you make any repairs).\nTo determine if there is a CG : take the current FMV and subtract from it the price you purchased the house for (example....if you bought it for 80K and it is valued at 96K when you move in...then your gain is 16K) but from this 'gain' you get to subtract any costs or outlays you incurred (these include legal bills to purchase the property + land transfer taxes + appraisals + capital improvements to the property that were never expensed such as new furnace or new roof or new appliances etc....) so to continue the example...if these totalled 12K, then your CG would now be 16K - 12K = 4K...so you would need to pay tax on HALF of this gain or 2K. The tax would be whatever your tax rate is for your income level x 2K (21%, 31%, as high as 46%).\nIf your CG is actually negative, then there is NO tax owing as there is NO capital gain.\nAlso, here's a small but significant point, if you have not been claiming the rental income on your tax returns these past years, then you certainly would be foolish to all of a sudden claim capital gains.\n\nIn a nutshell, you will want to have as LOW a fair market value as you can currently, have as many outlays accounted for as possible (many of these will be found on the Statement of Adjustments from the lawyer at time of purchase -- also any bills for improvements) as these go to lessen the 'actual' or deemed gain.\nAlso, if you initially did live in the house for a time and then converted to rental...then this may be of benefit as when you converted to rental (there is no CG as it was primary residence) the FMV at that time becomes your ACB - Adjusted Cost Base, which you use to calculate the CG instead of the purchase price.\n\nAlso, be careful reading the advice some are giving -- they really sounded unknowledgable.
274362
Check with your local realty office. It all depends in where you live. Where I am house prices have gone through the roof.
234990
in any market a well purchased home can be flipped. that means you need to buy it below its true market value and fix it and sell it at a reasonable price. easier to do in a frothy market. if you have not done this before, i would suggest waiting for a time when the market is heating up, not cooling off.\n\nbut keep your eyes open for that beat up property that someone needs or wants to get out of in a hurry.
1011680
Keep in mind...........\n\nTimes and markets are changing!\n\nIn California with average homes selling well over $500,000, a 20% decline is $100,000! In any market 'timing is everything'! So, could you afford a loss of 25% of your investment all because of poor timing???\n\nThis last up cycle was 10 years in many parts of the country. The downcycle now started in CA, Wash DC, NYC, Vegas and other hot areas of the past are all soft and getting softer.\n\nFrom 1990 to 1996, the average home in San Diego lost 20% of its' value! The cycle we are now enterng looks like it could well exceed that on the downside!\n\nWith all the 100% financing, interest only loans, EZ qualifing etc...even a slight decline will cause many to be unable to sell for the amount due on their loans!\n\nFor some great 'insider' articles on the San Diego real estate market, which I believe will apply to any of the hot real estate markets of the past five years.....visit:\n\nhttp://www.downtown-san-diego-real-estate.com/san-diego-real-estate-article-index.htm\nhttp://www.brokerforyou.com\nhttp://www.san-diego-for-sale-by-owner.com\nhttp://www.la-jolla-ca-del-mar-san-diego-real-estate-encinitas-california.us\nhttp://www.brokerforyou.com/blogger/index.html\nhttp://san-diego-coastal-real-estate.blogspot.com\nhttp://sandiegofsbo.blogspot.com\nhttp://downtown-san-diego-real-estate-views.blogspot.com
1140204
depends on your lifestyle, you like to move around, rent , if you are looking for something set then make the jump on something while the market is down then renovate and sell. or stay which ever. apprasials are going up for taxes, that is something to think about talk to a realitor, but they get about 6% of sale price and dont think about owner finance its not good for that. good luck
572435
According to the census, Las Vegas is the fastest growing place in the nation so a good bet may be to buy in a new project with projected completion by the time you are ready to move.  This will help you lock the price and if things do not work out as expected to sell the option at a profit.  What you are seeing is a market correction due to increasing interest rates not a dip that will continue for too much time, the FED will review the interest rate again in June 28 so keep looking at the money news to see if the market is expecting the FED to increase or to maintain the actual rate.  If they plan to increase it, the further market correction is expected but if they do not raise it then it will be wise to start looking now since prices will not dip much more.  Good luck!
463182
That depends a lot on where you want to live.  Here in Southern CA, I don't think it will.  First of all, LA & San Diego are slowing due to the latest fed hike in interest rates.  But, because the demand is so much larger than the supply, the pressure for new, affordable homes is still strong.  Unfortunately, with the median price of a home at around $550,000, the income necessary to support monthly mortgage payments is above what most in the middle class make right now.  \n\nBut, you are starting to see some slowing and stagnation in less desirable markets.  That is where "the bubble" will burst, first.  Places like Cleveland, Louisville, Nashville, St. Louis, etc.  Watch as the interest rates go up, more houses will dump on the market because people with variable rates cannot afford the increases monthly.
663007
Yup, there wont be any time better than the earliest that you can think of.\nReal estate rates will be shooting up in next 2-3 years at least.\nIf you got bucks to buy then go for it.
138462
Lots to consider, what is the appreciation in the community that you are living? What does it look like for the next five years? With home ownership your interest is a deduction from your ordinary income? What is your present rent? Over 5 years.?\n\nWhat are present market value of the sold homes?\n\nGenerally home ownership is the way to go.\n\nGood Luck
1139611
Go invest in real estate somewhere, and then sell it and you should get tons. Houses here in Los Angeles are going for over 1 million dollars now so that just shows the beginning. :P
1100932
Keep in mind...........\n\nTimes and markets are changing!\n\nIn California with average homes selling well over $500,000, a 20% decline is $100,000! In any market 'timing is everything'! So, could you afford a loss of 25% of your investment all because of poor timing???\n\nThis last up cycle was 10 years in many parts of the country. The downcycle now started in CA, Wash DC, NYC, Vegas and other hot areas of the past are all soft and getting softer.\n\nFrom 1990 to 1996, the average home in San Diego lost 20% of its' value! The cycle we are now enterng looks like it could well exceed that on the downside!\n\nWith all the 100% financing, interest only loans, EZ qualifing etc...even a slight decline will cause many to be unable to sell for the amount due on their loans!\n\nFor some great 'insider' articles on the San Diego real estate market, which I believe will apply to any of the hot real estate markets of the past five years.....visit:\n\nTimes and markets are changing!\n\nIn California with average homes selling well over $500,000, a 20% decline is $100,000! In any market 'timing is everything'! So, could you afford a loss of 25% of your investment all because of poor timing???\n\nThis last up cycle was 10 years in many parts of the country. The downcycle now started in CA, Wash DC, NYC, Vegas and other hot areas of the past are all soft and getting softer.\n\nFrom 1990 to 1996, the average home in San Diego lost 20% of its' value! The cycle we are now enterng looks like it could well exceed that on the downside!\n\nWith all the 100% financing, interest only loans, EZ qualifing etc...even a slight decline will cause many to be unable to sell for the amount due on their loans!\n\nFor some great 'insider' articles on the San Diego real estate market, which I believe will apply to any of the hot real estate markets of the past five years.....visit:\n\nhttp://www.downtown-san-diego-real-estate.com/san-diego-real-estate-article-index.htm\nhttp://www.brokerforyou.com\nhttp://www.san-diego-for-sale-by-owner.com\nhttp://www.la-jolla-ca-del-mar-san-diego-real-estate-encinitas-california.us\nhttp://www.brokerforyou.com/blogger/index.html\nhttp://san-diego-coastal-real-estate.blogspot.com\nhttp://sandiegofsbo.blogspot.com\nhttp://downtown-san-diego-real-estate-views.blogspot.com