Answers by Lissette Cee Carretero

Yes, asking a seller to help with closing costs can absolutely make sense, especially if the property has been sitting on the market for 60+ days and there are no competing offers. A great Realtor should help you structure the offer so it is still clean, competitive, and attractive to the seller, while also asking for the credit you need. If you genuinely need help with closing costs, don’t be afraid to ask. Your agent should communicate with the listing agent, find out how much activity the property has had, whether there are other offers, and what terms may matter most to the seller. If there are no other offers, I would absolutely consider asking for the credit. If there are competing offers, your Realtor should ask the right questions and help you determine whether to request a smaller credit, adjust the purchase price, or strengthen another part of your offer. For a first time homebuyer, keeping more cash in your pocket after closing can be extremely valuable. The goal is simply to structure the request in a way that works for both sides. Good luck!

Every situation is different, but ideally you should already have a good idea of whether the home is likely to appraise at, above, or below your offer price. Your Realtor should have reviewed comparable sales before you submitted the offer, using a similar approach to what an appraiser will later use. If the appraisal comes in low, the first step is usually to review the appraisal report and the supporting comps. Your Realtor can then gather additional data and respectfully negotiate with the listing agent for a price reduction. Remember, the appraisal is meant to provide an opinion of the property’s current market value. In many cases, sellers are willing to work with the buyer because another financed buyer may run into the same appraisal issue. If the seller does not want to reduce the price all the way to the appraised value, there may still be room to meet somewhere in the middle. You could agree to cover part of the gap rather than the entire amount. At that point, ask yourself: How much do you love the property? Is the appraisal gap financially comfortable for you? Does paying above the appraised value still make sense? If the numbers no longer make sense, it may be time to move on. There will be another home, and your Realtor can use the experience to help you analyze the next property carefully before making an offer.

Hello Angelica :) Fixed Rate Mortgage: Your interest rate stays the same for the life of the loan. This gives you a predictable monthly principal and interest payment and can be a great option if you plan to stay in the home longer or simply prefer consistency. Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM): Your interest rate is fixed for an initial period, such as 5, 7 or 10 years, and may be lower than a traditional fixed rate during that time. After the initial period, the rate can adjust based on the terms of your loan. If you are buying a starter home and expect to move within five or six years, an ARM may be worth considering. However, plans can change. The biggest risk with an ARM is if you still own the home when the fixed period ends and the rate adjusts higher. That doesn’t mean an ARM is a bad option, especially if this is a starter home you plan to sell in 5–6 years. It just means you should prepare for the “what if.” Ask your lender to show you: - what your payment is during the fixed period - what the payment could become after the first adjustment - what the worst case payment could look like Then compare those numbers to the fixed rate option and choose what makes the most sense for your plans, budget, and comfort level.

The fact that those collections were small and have already been paid is definitely something your lender can evaluate as part of the bigger picture. I would connect with a GREAT lender NOW rather than wait; they can review everything, tell you exactly where you stand and create a plan if anything needs improvement before you buy. You're on the right track. Credit scores in the mid 600s do not automatically prevent you from qualifying for a mortgage. Your income, debt-to-income ratio, savings, payment history and overall credit profile will all be considered. Again, a great lender will help you put a solid plan in place and give you a realistic timeline based on your specific situation. Definitely read reviews! Make sure you’re meeting with someone knowledgeable and reputable. You and your partner will likely feel so much more relieved after that appointment because you’ll know exactly where you stand and what your next steps are.

This question requires more questions to be answered first. If you’re barely cash flowing now, I’d first ask: where is your rental market going? If you’re in a desirable area and rents are continuing to increase, holding could benefit you much more long term than selling just to pay off $25K in credit card debt. $25K is significant, but compared to the equity you’ve built, I’d exhaust other options to tackle that debt before selling a strong asset. Talk to a local real estate professional who really understands the rental market in your area, and a financial or tax professional who can help you look at the full picture. This should be at zero cost to yet and on the flip side it will provide a lot of value/ insight. Research the pros you're getting advice from. My simple plan would be: understand the future rental potential, explore other ways to aggressively pay down the $25K, and only sell if the numbers show your equity would truly perform better somewhere else. And I’d be very cautious about taking that equity and putting it into a friend’s flips. Protect what you’ve already built.

Hello Grant, I’m glad you did your due diligence and now have a clear understanding of what you’re purchasing. You can always ask for a credit or repairs, just like you did, but with a “right to inspect, no repairs” agreement, the seller may not be obligated to give you anything. In this case, it sounds like they are willing to address the radon, and your agent is even offering to contribute part of her commission to help bridge the gap. It actually sounds like everyone is trying to find a way to make the deal work. Ultimately, the question is: can you comfortably handle the repairs and replacements you now know about? If the answer is no, then you may need to consider walking away of course assuming your contract and remaining contingencies give you that option. Earnest money protections vary by state and by the specific contract, so that’s something to review carefully with your agent. If the repairs are manageable and this truly is your dream home, I’d also look at the positive side: you went in agreeing to “right to inspect, no repairs,” yet the seller is still contributing toward the radon issue and your agent is willing to help as well. At that point, I’d make the decision based on whether you still feel good about the house and the overall numbers not necessarily being a couple thousand dollars apart.

It can definitely work. Sometimes a simple handwritten note reaches someone who has been thinking about selling but just hasn’t taken the next step yet. That said, I’d still have an agent work on it too. There’s a lot more we can do behind the scenes than just wait for something to hit the market. We can reach out to owners, use our network, research potential opportunities, and figure out who may actually be open to selling. Then you get to sit back while we do the awkward part ...We make the calls, have the conversations, bring you the options, and if something does come together, make sure you’re protected through the process. So no, I don’t think the note is weird at all. I’d just use it as one part of the strategy instead of the whole strategy.

I wouldn’t stress too much about making it look “show ready.” A final walkthrough is not a second round of inspections. At this point, the buyer has already completed their home inspection and other due diligence. The walkthrough is really to confirm that the property is in substantially the same condition, there hasn’t been any new physical damage or major change, and that any agreed upon repairs have been completed. Boxes and moving clutter are completely normal, especially when you have delayed possession and are actively packing. Moving is chaos. Just make sure the buyer can reasonably walk through the home, see the major areas, and verify anything they need to verify. I’d focus less on making it pretty and more on keeping pathways clear and making sure nothing has changed since they agreed to purchase the home.

Yes! In California, “first time homebuyer” doesn’t always mean you’ve never owned a home before. If you have not owned and occupied a primary residence within the last 3 years, you MAY be considered a first time homebuyer again. Since your purchase was about 10 years ago, it’s definitely worth speaking with a knowledgeable lender to see which first time buyer programs you may qualify for. Different programs can have their own guidelines. GREEN LIGHT to talk to knowledgeable lender and realtor.