Homeowner's Insurance mortgage

Looking to buy or sell a home in Covina, California? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price  Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market.  You may also call us at (626) 643-0723 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. 

The Importance of Homeowner's Insurance When Purchasing a Home

Today I have Gabriel Kutkowski from Farmer's Insurance Group to tell us about the importance of homeowner's insurance.

Home owner's insurance protects the property of the insured from specified losses due to fire, hail, floods, hurricanes, etc. While this insurance is not required by law, most mortgage lenders will require you to have insurance if you borrow money from them. Homeowner's insurance will not only protect you from disasters, but these insurance companies can also sometimes help to make your home more resistant to natural disasters.

One of the questions that Gabriel often gets asked is, "How much is my premium going to be?"

There is not a clear cut answer to this question, because there are a lot of factors that go into this. Some of the things that will affect your premium are: the type of house you're buying, where you're buying, if you're married, if you're bundling auto insurance with your mortgage, if you have a dog, if you have a swimming pool, etc.

These are a few of the things that Gabriel has to ask his clients in order to insure them properly. It's very difficult to say what a premium will actually be for a given individual simply because of all the factors that go into assigning home insurance.

So, if you're curious and want to know more about what your premium might look like, you can reach Gabriel at (626) 335-6700.

As always, I am always here to answer any questions you might have about Covina real estate. Whether you're buying, selling, or even thinking about getting involved in real estate, I am always here to help you.

You can reach me at (626) 643-0723 or shoot me an email at CC@CCandCO.net


Email Subject Line: What You Need to Know About Homeowner's Insurance

Explaining Your Credit Score in Layman's Terms

Looking to buy or sell a home in Covina, California? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price  Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market.  You may also call us at (626) 643-0723 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.  

Lately I've been getting a lot of questions from clients in regards to how they can improve their credit score. First, I'll explain what a credit score is, and then I'll tell you steps that you can take to improve it so that you can get approved to buy a home.

What is a credit score?

• After researching and asking lending experts about this, I have some percentages that will make up the body of your score.
• 35% of your credit score comes from your payment history. Lenders want to know how well you've been paying back loans and how quickly you've done this.
• 30% is determined by how much you owe. They look at your credit limit, and how much you owe towards that credit limit to determine if you're a responsible lender right now and if you would be in the future.
• 15% of the score is calculated by how long you have had credit open and also how well you were able to pay back that credit.
• 10% of your score is related to how your current credit is in use. Are you paying off bank loans or buying accessories at Macy's? All of this will count towards your credit score, so be sure to use your credit wisely.
• 10% of your score is gauged by the new credit you're applying for. Lenders will want to see how many accounts you're looking to open and if that would be a great risk for them. They want to make sure you're not opening up credit cards that you cannot pay for.

Hopefully all of this information has been helpful to you. If you're looking to boost your credit score or want to know how you can get enough credit to buy a home, then please feel free to contact me and I would be glad to assist you or recommend a professional that can help you with all of your credit concerns.

You can call me at (626) 643-0723 or email me at CC@CCandCO.net

Home Buying Tips - Termite Inspections

Looking to buy or sell a home in Covina, California? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price  Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market.  You may also call us at (626) 643-0723 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. 

Today I'm going to be talking about the importance of home inspections, but more precisely, termite inspections.

Let me introduce Frank Aguirre from Buy-Rite Termite & Pest Control.

The main point of termite inspections is to detect the absence of presence of wood-destroying pests and organisms.

• The pests are the termites, and the organisms are things such as dry rot or water rot.
• Whether you're buying or selling you need a thorough inspection.
• If there is an active problem, then you will need to identify the species causing it, because there are different ways to treat different problems. You can either treat them locally, or treat the problem by way of fumigation.
• Termites require fumigation, and dry rot will require the replacement of the wood that is infected.
• Most sources of rot come from leaky showers or toilets.
• In a termite report you can expect 5-8 pages of documentation including pictures.
• Frank recommends that you get a termite inspection once every year, as termites swarm 6-8 times per year.
• Getting a termite inspection every three years is the equivalent of going to the doctor every three years, which is just not healthy.

Frank is a licensed pest control operator and he can be reached at (888) 575-2782

As always, if you need any help with real estate in the Covina area, give me a call at (626) 643-0723 or email me at CC@CCandCO.net

Why a Home Warranty will Indefinitely Save you Money

Looking to buy or sell a home in Covina, California? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price  Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market.  You may also call us at (626) 643-0723 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Hello again and welcome back to my video blog. I wanted to introduce to you one of my trusted affiliates, Francine Hyan, who works with First American Home Buyer's Protection. She has been practicing in the business for more than twenty years, so listen up!

For sellers, it's very important to provide a warranty on a home because otherwise a buyer will be coming after you for the various problems that will arise after closing escrow. A home warranty will cover all the major systems and appliances that begin to malfunction because of normal usage.

For example...let's say you have had a home inspection and the seller successfully resolves all the issues encountered, but two days after you close escrow the hot water heater begins to leak. In this circumstance, (assuming you have a home warranty) all you have to do is call your warranty provider who will have a maintenance technician come and resolve the issue at no cost to you. Without a home warranty, this sort of scenario could cost you upwards of $1,400.

One thing that a home warranty will not do is upgrade your home. For example, if you need a new water heater, the warranty won't cover modifications needed to install it correctly, but it will cover the cost of the heater. Overall, you're still going to be saving yourself thousands of dollars.

Another example would be if you needed a new air conditioner to meet EPA standards. The warranty would cover the cost of the new system, but would not cover the cost of modifying your home in order for the system to work properly.

Home warranties are available to any home going through an escrow, and it's important to buy one so that you can be fully protected the day you sign your lease and move into your new home.

While a warranty will not cover everything in your home, it will surely save you thousands of dollars at one point or another.

You can contact Francine at 1 800 698-0422 x 6345 or email her at fahyan@firstam.com

What Can You Expect in Real Estate for 2014?

Click here to search all area homes for sale.

Welcome back! We had a great 2013 and lately, a lot of people have asked what we can expect form the 2014 market.

Interest rates are expected to increase to about 5.25% by the end of the year and mortgage limits are changing.

We also are seeing less investors in the market and that means fewer bidding wars for that perfect home.

What does this mean? 2014 is a great time to move in to a new neighborhood. Make your move now before interest rates increase!

If you have any questions, email me at cc@ccandco.net

Happy Holidays!

It’s hardly believable that we are at the cusp of yet another year – and it’s almost 2014! With a fantastic year behind us, we look ahead toward a great future in the coming months. I can’t tell you how much of a pleasure it has been serving our community members with the expert advice, one-on-one care and guidance with real estate endeavors in our communities.

Here’s a warm, resounding “Thank you!” to all our current and past clients. We believe you are more than just clients; you’re our friends and neighbors. We cherish that special relationship we have with each and every one of you.

Whether you have engaged in the purchase of a new home, sold a property or just needed advice and counsel on your real estate transactions – we have enjoyed being a part of the journey with you.

Once again, thank you for trusting us with one of the most important aspects of your life and we wish you a warm, wonderful holiday season – with many happy times to come in the New Year and beyond!

11 Reasons to Sell During the Holidays

Welcome back to my video blog! The other day someone asked me whether it’s a good time to sell during the holidays. I was so excited to get this question because I have 11 reasons why you should sell now.

1. Buyers are more serious - If buyers are taking the time out of the craziness of the holidays, they are serious about finding and purchasing a home. 
2. There is less competition - There are fewer homes on the market.
3. Fewer homes on the market means a better price for you. 
4. Houses show better - Who doesn’t love seeing lights, decorations and the smell of cooking and candles? 
5. Buyers are more emotional during the holidays.
6. Buyers have more time off during the holiday season to view homes. 
7. A lot of buyers need to purchase before the end of the year. 
8. Relocation buyers need to buy now before their jobs start in the spring.
9. You can restrict showings - You may be worried that showings will ruin your holiday plans, but we can restrict when buyers come look at your home. 
10. You can delay your closing - I understand you don’t want to pack up and move during the holidays. You can sell now and stay until after the holidays.
11. If you sell now, you can be a non-contingent buyer - What does that mean? You can sell your home for a higher price now and buy for a lower price.

So don’t wait to sell your home, give me a call now and we can get started! Thanks so much for watching!