Do You Need a Buyer's Agreement to Tour Nevada County Homes?
A few weeks ago I got a call from a couple who spotted a home they loved on a Saturday drive through Grass Valley. They called the listing agent that afternoon hoping to see it right away, and got a surprise: before anyone would unlock the door, they needed to sign a buyer's agreement first. They ar
Should Self-Employed Buyers Use a Bank-Statement Loan in Nevada County?
If you're self-employed and shopping for a home in Nevada County, you've probably hit a frustrating wall. The same write-offs that lower your tax bill also lower the income a lender sees on your return. A bank-statement loan in Nevada County can solve that mismatch, and I talk to small business owne
Should You Consider a Reverse Mortgage Instead of Selling in Nevada County?
I get this question a lot from longtime homeowners in Grass Valley, Nevada City, Lake of the Pines, and Alta Sierra: is a reverse mortgage a smart way to stay in the house instead of selling? A reverse mortgage in Nevada County can free up real cash without a monthly payment, but it is not free mone
7 Mistakes First-Time Homebuyers Make in Grass Valley, CA
I've helped a lot of first-time buyers close on their first home in Grass Valley, and I keep seeing the same first-time homebuyer mistakes in Grass Valley show up again and again. None of them are complicated. They're just easy to miss when you're buying a home for the first time and nobody hands yo
Will Hardening Your Nevada County Home Actually Lower Your Insurance?
Insurance has quietly become the first question I hear from Nevada County buyers and sellers this year, ahead of price, ahead of school districts, ahead of almost everything else. So when California rolled out a law requiring real home hardening insurance discounts, I wanted to know if it actually m
Should You Take Out a Bridge Loan Before Selling in Nevada County?
If you already own a home in Grass Valley, Nevada City, or anywhere else in Nevada County and you have found the next place before your current one is under contract, you are facing one of the harder timing decisions in real estate. A bridge loan can let you buy before you sell. It is not free money
Should You Consider Seller Financing to Buy or Sell in Nevada County?
Mortgage rates are still sitting above 6.5 percent this month, and I've started fielding a question I didn't hear much a few years ago: is seller financing a real option in Nevada County? It's not a new idea, but with rates staying elevated and inventory building across Grass Valley, Nevada City, an
15-Year vs. 30-Year Mortgage: Which Makes Sense for Nevada County Buyers?
If you're shopping for a home loan right now, you've probably run into the 15-year vs. 30-year mortgage question at least once. It comes up in nearly every conversation I have with buyers here in Nevada County, whether they're closing on a place in Grass Valley, buying their first home in Nevada Cit
Should You Use a Piggyback Loan to Buy in Nevada County?
If you're shopping for a home in Nevada County this year and your purchase price is creeping toward $800,000 or more, you've probably run into two annoying words: jumbo loan. A piggyback loan is one way around that, and it's worth understanding before you write an offer. I get asked about this more
