Richard Wamsat’s Real Estate News & Views

Local market updates, buyer and seller tips, and homeowner resources for Orange County and Irvine.

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4 Tips to Sell Your Home Faster

By Richard Wamsat | Jul 10, 2019

Since June of last year, we have seen an increase in the inventory of homes for sale month per month. Every spring and summer, the inventory increases because people want to sell their home. For those with children, they may want to be in their new home for the beginning of the school year. If […]

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5 Powerful Reasons to Own Instead of Rent

By Richard Wamsat | Jul 9, 2019

Owning a home has great financial benefits. In a recent research paper, Homeownership and the American Dream, Laurie S. Goodman and Christopher Mayer of the Urban Land Institute explained: “Homeownership appears to help borrowers accumulate housing and nonhousing wealth in a variety of ways, with tax advantages, greater financial flexibility due to secured borrowing, built-in […]

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Now’s the Time to Move-Up and Upgrade Your Current Home!

By Richard Wamsat | Jul 8, 2019

Homes priced at the top 25% of the price range for a particular area of the country are considered “premium homes.” In today’s real estate market, there are deals to be had at the higher end! This is great news for homeowners wanting to upgrade from their current house. Much of the demand for housing […]

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10 Steps to Buying a Home This Summer [INFOGRAPHIC]

By Richard Wamsat | Jul 5, 2019

Some Highlights: If you are thinking of buying a home, you may not know where to start. Here is a simple list of 10 steps that you will go through to purchase a home. Make sure to ask your agent for details about each step and what else may be required in your area! Content […]

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Happy Independence Day!

By Richard Wamsat | Jul 4, 2019

Wishing you & yours a safe & Happy 4th of July! Content previously posted on Keeping Current Matters

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Is Mortgage Debt out of Control?

By Richard Wamsat | Jul 3, 2019

The housing crisis of the last decade was partially caused by unhealthy levels of mortgage debt. Homeowners were using their homes as ATMs by refinancing and swapping their equity for cash. When prices started to fall, many homeowners found themselves in a negative equity situation (where their mortgage was higher than the value of their […]

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Millennials Are Increasing the Demand for Condominiums

By Richard Wamsat | Jul 2, 2019

When deciding to buy a home, people are presented with many different options. The type of home you buy depends on your needs, budget, and in many cases, the desired maintenance level. For many millennials, their choice has been buying a condominium! According to CoreLogic, “Last year about 43% of all condo home-purchase mortgage applications […]

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Top 5 Reasons You Should NOT FSBO

By Richard Wamsat | Jul 1, 2019

Rising home prices coupled with a lack of inventory in today’s market may cause some homeowners to consider selling their home on their own (known in the industry as a For Sale By Owner). However, a FSBO might not be a good idea for the vast majority of sellers. The top 5 reasons are listed […]

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Americans Rank Real Estate Best Investment for 6 Years Running! [INFOGRAPHIC]

By Richard Wamsat | Jun 28, 2019

Some Highlights: Real estate has outranked stocks/mutual funds, gold, savings accounts/CDs, and bonds as the best long-term investment among Americans for the last 6 years. Stock owners are more positive about real estate than stocks as an investment. Of the 4 listed, real estate is the only investment you can also live in! Content previously […]

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