Ray Peckham Real Estate

Buying and Selling Huntington Beach Homes for Sale

Finding a Buyer for Your Huntington Beach Home

Once your Huntington Beach home is ready to show, your agent will list the property in the MLS or Multiple listing Service. Most homes are sold as a direct result of their listing in the MLS, which today also means the home will get extensive Internet exposure. Other ways that your agent will use to find buyers include advertising in newspapers and magazines, holding open house and signage.

Huntington Beach Real Estate Cycles

In the business cycle of real estate, there are buyers' markets and sellers' markets...and some markets in between. It is all based on supply and/or demand. Huntington Beach is no exception.

There are times when the economy is brisk and everyone feels confident about his or her prospects for the future. As a result, they spend money. People eat out more, buy new cars, and... they buy houses, namely Huntington Beach.

Then, for one reason or another, the economy slows down. Companies lay off employees and consumers are more careful about where they spend money, perhaps saving more than usual. As a result, the economy decelerates. When there are fewer people in the market to buy homes. This is true for the Huntington Beach real estate market as it is for all markets nationwide.

Guidelines for Buying Huntington Beach

The Internet is great but nothing really substitutes for your personal inspection of homes that are for sale in the Huntington Beach. When you have visited plenty of homes online and in person when the right property comes along you will know it.

It is perfectly normal for buyers to have a general idea of what they want in a home without a great deal of specificity. Research, both online and in person will help you define your Huntington Beach needs but you can and should know your financial needs before you even start looking. I recommend that buyers go through the process of prequalifying with a lender or at least with a real estate agent in order to narrow the search among homes that are a possibility. Many agents refuse to show homes to prospective buyers who have not been pre-qualified.

Huntington Beach Homebuyers Quandry

Armed with the Comparative Marketing Analysis, it is time to approach your lender to see if you can get financing without selling your current Huntington Beach. In most cases, financing will be contingent upon selling your home but you may be able to obtain interim financing sometimes known as a Bridge Loan.

The Benefits of Selling Huntington Beach

As you know, you are allowed to sell your Huntington Beach principal residence once every two years and exclude up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a married couple) of the gain of the sale on your Federal income tax. Please note: This is not a once in a lifetime tax savings and you don’t have to be any certain age or buy a more expensive property. If you meet the two-year residence test you can sell your principal residence every two years if you are so inclined and the market cooperates. But this tax saving does not affect rental property unless you convert the rental to your personal residence, live in it for two years and then sell it.

Huntington Beach BARGAINS

A bargain exists in the mind of a buyer when entering into an agreement to exchange goods when the buyer thinks the price is favorable. Bargains can always be found in the Huntington Beach market if a buyer is patient and willing to wait for a truly motivated seller. In economic downturns many people believe that foreclosures and short sales are automatically bargains when, in fact, this may not be the case.