San Clemente Real Estate Guide / Help for Buyers and Sellers

San Clemente Homebuyers Quandry

First time San Clemente homebuyers have their issues to deal with and homeowners who want to move up, down or sideways have an entirely different set of problems. A homeowner’s first task is to counteract human nature. Humans must be genetically programmed to find their next home and then scramble to sell the one they have so they can afford the one they want. The San Clemente market is no exception. Of course, this is contrary to good sense but since most people will go ahead with the Buy then Sell approach.

San Clemente: Art and Science

Buying a piece of San Clemente real estate is a science but buying your San Clemente home is an art. The science part involves getting the legal and financial parts down while the art is finding the San Clemente property that you’ll be happy with.

The total universe of possibilities within the universe of San Clemente real estate is quite diverse but narrowing your search ahead of time will help keep things in perspective.

In general there are two phases to any San Clemente real estate search. In the first phase, you get a feel for the different areas and an idea of what is being offered at what price. In the second phase, you search for the San Clemente real estate that meets all or most of your specifications.

Bitten by the San Clemente Home Improvement Bug?

Maybe, like millions of Americans, you can’t help it! You live in your San Clemente home for several years and before you know it, you find yourself thinking about how the kitchen would look with new cabinets and a granite countertop. Should you start with the kitchen or would it be better to add a home office to give the family a little more room? There seems to be endless options for the creative San Clemente homeowner bitten by the Home Improvement Bug. Once you get started thinking along these lines, it usually doesn’t take long before the ultimate question pops up. Is it better to improve your current home or simply sell and buy a bigger, newer or more desirable Area home? Here are some issues to help you make that all-important decision.

Buying San Clemente Below Market

On most real estate Websites you can enter the parameters you want for your San Clemente. Include the price, size, features and location and the technology will notify you automatically the moment a property that meets your needs comes on the market. Now if what you are looking for is a particular type of property for a price that is significantly under market, you’d better be prepared to act quickly because you aren’t the only one who’s looking for a bargain.

Often times, when a home comes on the market priced under the market there are extenuating circumstances. Maybe the house needs maintenance. Maybe the yard needs work. If you are prepared with a certain amount of knowledge about the costs of roofing, painting, landscaping and other types of deferred maintenance, you will be in a position to evaluate whether or not the San Clemente is priced well enough that it truly is a bargain and not a fixer-upper nightmare.

The Benefits of Selling San Clemente

In order to sell San Clemente as your personal residence, you must have lived in it for two out of the five-year period ending on the date of the sale of the property. This means that you can buy a second home and live in it as your personal residence while renting out your first home. If, in a couple years you decide to sell your first San Clemente personal residence you can sell it and still benefit from the $250,000 to $500,000 Capital Gain tax exclusion. The law says that the home must be your personal residence for at least two out of the past five years.

What Makes San Clemente Sell?

The Condition affects its salability and possibly price. San Clemente that is in move-in condition will usually sell for a higher price than a home that suffers from deferred maintenance.

The Home’s Accessibility refers to just that. Is the San Clemente accessible to shopping and local transportation? For some this would be a necessity and for others, the more remote the better.

Marketing Exposure refers to how San Clemente is advertised. Today the Internet is a fantastic way to market a home but it is still true that the best service a listing agent can do for sellers is to promote the home heavily with local brokers and agents. The Internet and other advertising certainly help, but it is still true that in most cases it is the agent that sells the home by making sure the right buyers know about it.