[...]... the financial realities, legal rules, and real estate customs of buying a house in California It covers homebuying from start to finish, including defining your home needs and budget, finding a house, working with a real estate agent, arranging financing, making an offer, negotiating, going through escrow, and dealing with potential problems Sample contracts for all aspects of homebuying are included... legal, financial, and real estate knowledge needed to sell your house yourself The book covers the major steps involved in selling a single-family residence in California, specifically: • determining an advantageous time to sell • meeting all legal and tax requirements of selling a house • accurately pricing your house • getting the word out that your house is for sale • preparing your house for sale. .. contingent upon your selling your current one A seller having a hard time finding a buyer is likely to accept this contingency, even though it means waiting for you to find a buyer WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO SELL YOUR HOUSE? 1/7 NOLO’S RESOURCES FOR HOME BUYERS Nolo publishes How to Buy a House in California, by Ralph Warner, Ira Serkes, and George Devine That book contains practical, up-to-date information... $20,000 more in May or June Also, they didn’t want their kids’ schooling interrupted Accordingly, Jon and Penny decided to try to put off the sale as long as possible Fortunately, when Jon explained the problem, his employer was willing to help, including putting him up in a company-owned condominium in Eureka for very reasonable rent, and agreeing to pay for his airfare to visit his family in San Diego... DEMAND FOR REMOVAL OF CONTINGENCIES CONTINGENCY RELEASE EXTENDING TIME TO MEET CONTINGENCIES RELEASE OF REAL ESTATE PURCHASE CONTRACT LEASE OPTION CONTRACT I NDEX INTRODUCTION W ho can sell your house in California? You can! • juggling the sale of one house and the purchase of another, if necessary, and Without a real estate broker? • evaluating creative financing options such as seller financing with... ADVERTISE IN OTHER MEDIA 6/5 C HANG FOR SALE SIGNS 6/5 D DISTRIBUTE YOUR OWN PRINTED PROPERTY FACT SHEET 6/8 E MARKETING YOUR HOUSE ON THE INTERNET 6/12 Chapter 7 P REPARING , S HOWING , AND M AKING D ISCLOSURES A BOUT Y OUR H OUSE A HANDLING PHONE CALLS 7/2 B MAKING YOUR HOME ATTRACTIVE BEFORE SHOWING IT 7/4 C PREPARING FOR A SAFE SHOWING ... people have some money saved to combine with the profit from the sale of an existing house to make the down payment on the new one If your savings, without the sale, put the second house within reach, maximize your cash by charging living expenses, getting an advance from your employer, or selling personal possessions you 1/8 FOR SALE BY OWNER no longer need Although the interest on credit cards is high,... a “cold” or buyer’s market is one where prices are dropping; there are many houses for sale and few buyers Sellers must frequently court buyers by lowering prices and offering innovative financing packages that often include the seller taking back a second mortgage (See Chapter 8 for more on mortgages and home financing.) In a “lukewarm” housing market, prices are relatively stable The popularity of... He figured that since he wasn’t in a hurry, why not test the market for a while and hope that a little spring sunshine would cause a general price increase? The happy result was that Fred’s house sold for his asking price at his first open house 1 / 10 FOR SALE BY OWNER In short, by planning ahead, Fred estimated that he made about $50,000 more than he would have had he not used timing to his advantage... trustee for somebody who can’t act for himself because he is insane, legally incompetent, or a minor, or if you are an executor of the estate of someone who is deceased, you must strictly follow specific provisions of California law before selling real estate I do not cover sales by people in these groups Need details on executing the estate of someone who has died? See How to Probate an Estate in California, . Sarah Hinman INDEX Michael Ferreira PROOFREADING Susan Carlson Greene PRINTING Consolidated Printers, Inc. Devine, George, 1941- For sale by owner in California / by George Devine ; edited by Ilona. class="bi x0 y0 w0 h0" alt="" For Sale by Owner in California 8th edition by George Devine California Real Estate Broker edited by Ilona Bray illustrated by Linda Allison Nolo’s Legal Updater We’ll. the help of a trained professional, consult an attorney licensed to practice in your state. NOLO please note For Sale by Owner in California 8th edition by George Devine California Real Estate