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Teresa Hames REALTOR® (DRE License Number 01444436)
Prudential Malibu Realty - Topanga
540 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Topanga,  CA  90290
310.924.2479
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JUST SOLD! - 3/2 - $499,000
Represented the Seller in the sale of this charming Craftsman-style Top O' Topanga home.
Topanga Spanish Style $598,000
Spanish-style former model. 3bd/2ba w/designer finishes. Great spot in Topanga.
Just Sold - Thousand Oaks
Represented Buyers in purchase of Thousand Oaks home with a huge yard in a great neighborhood.
Real estate contingencies make comeback
During the recession of the early 1980s, when mortgage interest rates hovered near 18 percent, few home buyers could qualify for financing, particularly if they already owned a home that needed to be sold before buying a replacement home. Offers made contingent on the sale of the buyers' current home were popular. Contingent-sale offers are increasing in the current housing market. Most buyers who want or need to make a move to a home that better suits their current lifestyle can't qualify to buy before selling their existing home due to stringent mortgage-qualifying criteria.
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Avoid house-rich, cash-poor pickle
DEAR BENNY: I am 58 years old and married. I have 22 years left on my 30-year mortgage, which is at 5 percent. I have a Roth IRA. I have some extra money to invest. In this current economy, what might you suggest? Should I pay money toward the principal on my mortgage? Put it in the Roth? I lost money in the stock market (bank stocks), so please don't suggest that I go back into stocks. Thanks in advance for any knowledge you might share. --Tommy
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Teresa Hames
REALTOR®
Prudential Malibu Realty - Topanga
540 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Topanga,  CA  90290
310.924.2479
Contact Me
Visit My Web Site
Equal Housing Opportunity   
  
Tell us what you love about living in California
What’s not to love about living in California--eternal sunshine, miles of gorgeous beaches, majestic mountains, and beautiful stretches of desert – this state has something for everyone. With so much to offer, it’s no wonder everyone would like to own a piece of California. ...more
 
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde. The word alone recalls memories of the Hurricane Katrina victims housed in FEMA trailers and sickened by the “off-gassing” or vaporization of formaldehyde gas from the plywood and pressboard used in the trailers’ construction. ...more
 
In the News...
A list of articles and resources from local and national publications.
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Playing the real estate waiting game
Buyers often are reluctant to make an offer to buy a home they find early on in their search. After looking for months and not finding anything comparable, some buyers regret not having moved quickly on a listing even though they saw it early on. ...more
 
Pricing to sell in today's market
Putting yourself in the right mindset to sell is essential. It's the most difficult aspect of selling for most sellers. Your home is worth what a buyer is willing to pay, which may not be what you think it is worth. Detaching yourself emotionally from your home is difficult. Clearing out years of clutter, depersonalizing your home by removing personal memorabilia, and staging your home for sale can help you step back and view the home as a commodity that needs to be sold rather than as your personal sanctuary. Putting your home on the market at a price that reflects what you want and not what the market will bear can cost you time and money as it sits on the market unsold. ...more
 
Loan modification “blackmail”
DEAR BENNY: My wife and I received from our lender a repayment agreement for our original mortgage. This was a result of the bank initiating a foreclosure sale, which was temporarily suspended because we agreed to enter the Home Affordable Modification Program. ...more
 
Pay attention to home inspection
For just about anyone, a home is the single-most expensive and single-most complex thing that you'll ever own. So when making that purchase, you certainly want to do everything possible to be an informed buyer and to protect yourself and your investment. ...more
 
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