San Diego Real Estate Podcast with the Ruth Pugh Group

Where Can You Find the Best Vendors in San Diego?

ruthpughgroup1@gmail.com (Ryan Prazen) — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 10:56:00 -0700

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We work alongside a lot of different professionals in San Diego. Because of our involvement in real estate, we have gotten to know a lot of vendors in the city, and we frequently work with some of them.

We know plumbers, electricians, carpenters, landscapers, photographers, and more. If you ever need help repairing your home, no matter if you’re entering the real estate market, please don’t hesitate to ask us about our list of vendors.

We have been around long enough to know which ones are worth hiring. We would be happy to share them with you!

Is the Value of Your San Diego Home on the Rise?

ruthpughgroup1@gmail.com (Ryan Prazen) — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 13:30:00 -0800

We were browsing the latest real estate news when we came across something that might interest you.

According to CoreLogic’s Equity Report, “256,000 properties regained equity in the third quarter of 2015.” Anand Nallathambi, their President and CEO, expects home values to continue appreciating in 2016. In fact, he predicts a 5% rise in home prices this year!

This is obviously fantastic news for San Diego homeowners. The problem, however, is that many people are unaware that their equity has increased. According to a study by Fannie Mae, only 37% of Americans believe that they have “significant equity,” when in reality, 74% of homeowners have a great deal of value in their properties.

Essentially, 37% of homeowners have no idea how much their home is actually worth. Not only that: they are completely unaware that their home is worth more than they think!

We just thought we would share this information with you today because you could be one of those people. If you’ve been on the fence about selling your home in San Diego, it’s time to reevaluate your situation and take advantage of your equity before market conditions change!

You can take a look to see if your home is worth more than you thought by following the link:

http://www.rpghomevalue.com/

This is a free, no-obligation tool that will give you an idea of how much your home is worth. You may be shocked by how much value your home has accrued!

If you have any questions about how you can cash in on your increased equity, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, we're always here to help!

The Ruth Pugh Group Wishes You a Merry Christmas

ruthpughgroup1@gmail.com (Ryan Prazen) — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 13:31:00 -0800

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Hey everyone, we just wanted to reach out to you personally today and wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas. This year, we have been able to make huge donations to the YMCA and the Wounded Warriors on your behalf.

Enjoy the time spent with friends and family this time of year and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Make it a beautiful holiday season!

Give Back With Our Holiday Toy Drive

ruthpughgroup1@gmail.com (Ryan Prazen) — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 14:03:00 -0800

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Happy Thanksgiving to you all! We hope you have a wonderful holiday. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for all the continual support, business, and referrals this year.

During the month of December, we’ve partnered up with the Toys for Children of Fallen Warriors. This year, we’re collecting toys for service members that have passed away. These toys will be distributed to kids between the ages of three and thirteen.

Please consider donating. We want to make these kids happy and their Christmas brighter. All donations are tax-deductible and all of the proceeds go directly to the children.

Stop by our office with your gift! We’re located at 7676 Hazard Center Drive in Suite 102. We’re looking forward to hearing from you. Feel free to give us a call for any questions!

Prepare Your Home for the Holidays with these Decorating Tips!

ruthpughgroup1@gmail.com (Ryan Prazen) — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 10:54:00 -0800

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The holidays are approaching. Today, we thought we'd do something a little different and share this festive video on holiday decorating tips from HGTV. Designer Angelo Surmelis shares several great ideas to spread holiday cheer throughout the home. Here are some of our favorites.

Pay attention to the mantle. If you don't have some already, buy some kind of garland to drape over the mantle. Next, use leftover ornaments and candles to add light and texture. When choosing ornaments and candles, ensure they are in the same color-palette. This helps make your mantle a great focal point!
Use smaller Christmas trees. Every house has their main Christmas tree. In addition, you can also purchase smaller, inexpensive, eco-friendly trees to place throughout the home. Decorate these trees with strips of fabric from a T-shirt in holiday colors to save money for the main tree.
Use what you have. Be resourceful. Adding a plate charge and place mat to your everyday dining set adds some jazz to your table. Fresh-cut flowers and candles will help finish the look. You don't need grand, expensive candles -- a little candlelight goes a long way!

As you can see, it doesn't take much to make your home feel more festive. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

What Is Most Important When Renovating Your Home in San Diego?

ruthpughgroup1@gmail.com (Ryan Prazen) — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 07:32:00 -0700

Plan Ahead When Renovating

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Today, I want to share a video from HGTV to discuss how you can plan ahead when it comes to home renovations. Renovating your home can be an exciting process, but it's important that you don't get ahead of yourself. You can't just go willy-nilly into a major project and expect it to go perfectly. Planning properly for these types of projects can assure a smooth project, and one that may even cost less!

HGTV’s Amy Matthews recommends making a very detailed timeline of your project, including potential things that could go awry and making backup plans in order to prevent these things from happening. Putting your plan onto paper is a good way to start this process.

Another major step is choosing a good team of contractors that you can communicate with. If they don't know what you want done, they can't do it.

Just remember, there is no such thing as too much planning! If you plan on renovating your San Diego home, please contact us. We know great contractors and could also give you advice on what projects will bring you the highest return on your investment.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Are We Headed Towards Another Housing Bubble?

ruthpughgroup1@gmail.com (Ryan Prazen) — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 11:54:00 -0700

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A lot of people have been asking me lately if we are in a housing bubble, or headed towards a housing bubble, and today I’d like to answer that question.

Statistically speaking, housing is on a roll. Detached home sales are up 7.2% so far this year, and pending sales are up 13.8%. The average sales price is also up, year-over-year by 5.3%. The trends are expected to stay positive, and don’t even take new construction into consideration.

This has raised some concerns about affordability. After all, wages are rising at an average of 2% annually, while rental rates are rising by 4% annually. Additionally, mortgage rates are at their highest level in over a year, and are expected to continue to increase.

Some analysts have suggested we are entering another housing bubble, like in 2007. However, the hard facts suggest otherwise. Underlying conditions today are fundamentally different from a decade ago.

Back then, home sales were running at $8.5 million, new construction sales were over $2 million, and credit was very easy to come by. Today, home sales are barely over $5 million, new construction is barely scratching $1 million, and credit is much harder to come by.

Based upon what we are seeing and hearing in the market, we expect home prices to continue to rise at a reasonable rate, as long as interest rates on mortgages stay below 6%. We are a little above 4% right now, but rates are expected to rise above 5% in the next year.

For now, there is no bubble and no crash in sight. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

How Can You Get Out of Your Rental Situation?

ruthpughgroup1@gmail.com (Ryan Prazen) — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 14:29:00 -0700

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Hey everyone, welcome back to our blog. Today we are going to discuss alternative 1031 exchange options with your investment properties. We are happy to be joined by Don Meredith, of Tactical Income, LLC to explain how you can take advantage of this amazing service.

If you own an investment property, but are becoming increasingly fed up with calls from renters and trips to Home Depot, we may have a terrific solution for you.

The problem is that you want out of the investment rental, but don't know how to deal with the taxes or replace the income. What we do is help income property owners deal with taxes by implementing strategies like the 1031 exchange, 121 exchange, tax deductible investments, or tax credit.

When it comes to replacing that wonderful rental income, it's important to know the strategy that's in your best interest. To find out what that strategy is, all you have to do is give us a call. We will get you set up with Don for a no-obligation, education and planning session so they can let you know your options and determine the one that works best for you.

If you have any questions for us, or want to schedule a session with Don and Tactical Income, give us a call or send us an email. We really look forward to hearing from you!

What's the Key to Success When Buying in San Diego?

ruthpughgroup1@gmail.com (Ryan Prazen) — Mon, 1 Jun 2015 08:24:00 -0700

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We've found that a lot of first-time home buyers are unaware of what it takes to make a successful purchase. Without the proper knowledge, the buying process will likely be a frustrating one, which is why we feel it's our job to educate you on how to make it a success!

The most important thing with anything you do in life is preparation. Home buying is no different! Typically, college graduates leave college with around $30,000 in debt and are unsure whether they qualify for a loan. In order to help young buyers, we put together a one-on-one customized game plan with each and every person. We have our buying clients sit down with a mortgage professional and a buyer expert to set up a game plan for how they can secure their financial future. The best part? This consultation is free!

With interest rates as low as they are and home prices on the rise, there is no better time to figure out what you're eligible for. Markets will flatten out eventually, so it can't hurt to schedule a free consultation while the market is peaking! You may be able to afford more than you think!

If you would like to set up a meeting with a real estate professional, or if you have questions of any kind, give us a call or shoot us a quick email. We would love to hear from you!

Increase Your San Diego Home Value with No Out-of-Pocket Expenses

ruthpughgroup1@gmail.com (Ryan Prazen) — Thu, 7 May 2015 11:29:00 -0700

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We're right in the middle of the busy spring home selling market, and I wanted to provide you with a few good tips about how you can increase the value of your home. The market is heating up, so now is the time to start making these changes. Today I have Jarret from Home Smart Renovations to help me speak about this topic and also about his amazing service.

Home Smart Renovations doesn't charge anything up front when they work on your home, and they don't get paid until your home sells. They've helped a lot of people in San Diego to maximize the value of their home before they sell, and they can do the same for you!

They can help with rental homes, inherited properties that need to be sold, second homes, families who are buying up, and many other different types of properties. Updated homes in good condition are selling extremely well right now in San Diego.

Feel free to call us here at RPG and mention this video for a $2,000 credit towards Home Smart Renovations service.

As always, please feel free to reach out to my team and me if you need any assistance buying or selling in San Diego!

What You Need to Do to Take Advantage of the San Diego Real Estate Market

ruthpughgroup1@gmail.com (Ryan Prazen) — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 14:02:00 -0700

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The next 90 days will be extremely important for you if you're looking to buy or sell your home in San Diego. Today we'll be speaking about what you need to do in order to succeed when the market peaks in June.

During the next several weeks, we will see a spike in inventory, steady appreciation, and an increase in buyers in our market. The rise in home values will push even more sellers onto the market, so buyers will have a lot to choose from.

What buyers need to realize is that interest rates are still very low and homes are more affordable than they've been in recent memory. Our lender partners offer the best rates and fees for our clients, and they keep telling us that buying a home now instead of later is a great way to save thousands of dollars in interest payments.

If you're selling in San Diego, then you'll know that great homes in good condition are selling quickly due to a lack of inventory. You'll see motivated buyers in this competitive market, and you will have a good chance of selling for top dollar. Ask us about how to maximize the value of your home before you sell. We know lots of great vendors that are willing to help you!

Be sure to stay tuned for our upcoming video blogs. We'll be featuring our closest vendors and we'll also be providing important information to you!

Also, be sure to join us on June 5th for the Drive for Life Golf Tournament and Fundraiser Hosted by the Dallas Pugh Foundation.

There will also be a Gala held on September 12th at Paradise Point.

As always, please don't hesitate to call me with any questions you might have about real estate in San Diego!

What's Happening with Real Estate in San Diego?

ruthpughgroup1@gmail.com (Ryan Prazen) — Mon, 6 Apr 2015 08:36:00 -0700

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Today I wanted to provide you with a brief real estate market update for the San Diego area. We're currently seeing a balanced market for both buyers and sellers.

Inventory is currently a little low, and now is a good time to take advantage of this. Homes that are priced properly and staged well are selling quickly and for top dollar.

Last month we also saw a 7% increase in detached home sales and an 11% increase in condo sales. This tells us that the market is beginning to warm up. Even though inventory might be a little tight, we expect a lot more homes to come onto the market as we delve deeper into the spring and summer months. High affordability is also going to have a lot of extra buyers on the market this year, so if you're not already making moves, then now is the time to do so.

If you need help buying or selling in San Diego, please don't hesitate to contact us. We would love to speak with you!